DIANE

I just could not finish this book. I found the narrator's voice intensely annoying and though it seemed as if the story was going to eventually get interesting, I kept avoiding going any further and never finished.

Yes, I definitely would listen to this again.

Mary Beth Hurt had the absolutely perfect voice for Hildy Good. She had the edge and sarcasm down pat. She helped the reader see how Hildy had deluded herself into thinking that her drinking was just a normal and understandable thing.

Bottoms Up

I completely enjoyed this fabulous study in character. A real treat.

So many things disappointed me about this book. The ending was abrupt and left one thinking that the only thing Jeffrey Archer was thinking about when creating it, was selling his next book in the series. The characters were hard to believe and inconsistent, with very poor character development evident in everyone except perhaps Emma and Harry Clifton. The story wound its way without any rhyme or reason through various twists and turns that did not seem congruent with each other. I did not feel the book had any cohesiveness. This was a dramatic change from how I felt about all the other Jeffrey Archer books I've read to date.

No, definitely not, since I've read enough of Mr. Archer's books to believe that the next one will be better and this one was just a "glitch" in the middle of his wonderful series.

The voices were well done for the most part.

It kept me reading, despite the very abrupt and inappropriate ending.

Will I buy the next book in the series? Of course. Jeffrey Archer has proved himself in his other masterpieces of mystery and I will of course, succumb. But a slap on the hand for Mr. Archer after reading The Best Kept Secret... The name is apt, since I was unable to figure out what the secret was.

Absolutely. The characters in this book were extremely lovable and very well developed.
The story was wonderful and I felt as if I knew all of the Supremes personally. The narration was wonderful.

Odette was my favourite character, and in many ways I felt as if she was the head Supreme. She was able to overcome the adversity thrown her way with grace and dignity.
I absolutely loved her.

No, I have never heard either of the two narrators before. I thought it was clever having one narrator for the present and one for the past.

To say my favourite moment would be to give away details and ruin it for readers.

This book ranks up there with THE HELP as one of the best books I've read all year.

Yes I would since I have read a number of her books. However, I did not realize that this was not the actual book but a live performance about the principles in the book.

Certainly not.

Typical of Marianne Williamson's performances of her teachings.

There were no characters as the audiobook was not the book Everyday Grace. Had I realized this, I would not have purchased it, as I was looking for the book.

Of the three books I've read of Lisa See's books, this was the most painful. I would say that the ending was the most enjoyable in terms of listening. However, I would have to say that overall, the character development that Lisa See uses is extraordinary. I felt that I knew Pearl and Joy very well, and felt very much connected to them. The relationship between mother and daughter was very well developed and evoked a very emotional response in myself as it unfolded.

That's a hard question to answer. Though I enjoyed Joy's character I would have to say hands down that Pearl was my favourite character. I found her a bit morose and whiney in Shanghai Girls but in this book, she was a triumphant character and a wonderful mother, if not biological.

Janet Song brings an intensity with her narration and I don't think the book would have been as powerful without her voice.

Many of the scenes from the commune in Dandelion #8 commune moved me to tears and made me feel almost physically ill. But in retrospect, I feel those scenes were integral to the telling of the story.

I had no idea what China was like in Maoist times. This book was a real eye opener and beyond the wonderful story, there was a lot of interesting historical perspective.

I"m not sure. The narration is just so abominable, I couldn't get into the story and had to stop listening. The narrator had an intensely annoying voice that fell to almost inaudible tones at the end of most sentences. As such, you couldn't hear the end of many sentences. Poor choice of narrators.

Well, for starters, a strong narrator with a clear voice would have been an improvement.

I've outlined that above.

I didn't get far enough into the story to say.

The honesty of the feelings brought out by the first person narration of Lily was breathtaking. The saga of the binding of feet was also very moving. This is a story of two friends and their devotion to eachother. Though one falters in her loyalty, she, in the end comes full circle to learn that to give love unconditionally is the biggest gift of all.
The characters were wonderful. I will continue to read Lisa See's books as I love her character development and storytelling.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Lisa See's uncovering of ancient Chinese culture. I am a bit addicted and am now reading Dreams of Joy.

Ms. See's storytelling is fluid and engaging. I find that the way she organizes her chapters is wonderful, naming them. There is a lot of wonderful historical fact intertwined with fictional story telling. There is a lot of psychological insight into people's character that was very moving and meaningful.

Nothing. I think Janet Song is a wonderful narrator. She brings an urgency to her reading as the story progresses.

I am enthralled with Lisa See's books and will continue to listen to them as often as possible.

The authenticity of the emotions and the universal relevance found in this book made me want to keep listening. The insurmountable became surmountable. The growth of and repair of the many damaged emotions and relationships was a triumph that was reassuring. The notion that all is not lost even if we make serious mistakes in judgement as the characters in this book did was comforting.

Karen did a masterful job with the many voices in this story and gave them personalities! That's what I love about audio books.

Yes, it was.

This was a different sort of book as it was extremely personal, and instead of weaving a story about fictional characters, Bryce Courtenay was pouring out his own life. Having read many of his books, I appreciated his effort in telling his hearbreaking but triumphant story... the story of his son Damon.

I have no books to compare this to and it is entirely unique among the hundreds of books I have read.

I don't think you can say that there is a favourite scene. It is not that kind of book. I cried and laughed and got angry... the gamit of emotions was passed through as I listened to this book almost continuously from beginning to end.

I think the poignancy of the medicallly induced AIDS problem and ignorance/insensitivity of people looking after those infected with this terrible virus was painful to acknowledge, but I think it was important to bring it to the reader. Every person who is educated and encouraged to be more compassionate towards AIDS sufferers and those with Hemophilia will make this book even more worthy of having been written.

I felt it was particularly helpful to have the various members of Damon's family narrating from their own perspectives. Altogether, a wonderful book. Now Bryce is with his beloved Damon.

I am not sure but my instinct is to say no. I found the story too hard to get through at the beginning and I am not sure anyone who had not already been a Bryce Courtenay fan could stick with it.

I am a die-hard Bryce Courtenay fan and have read about 3/4 of his books. Of all of them, though this did have its redeeming points and passages, it was one of the weakest I've read to date. That would not keep me from continuing to read the remainder of his books though.
This book gave a revealing look at the way Australian Aborigines were treated in the early part of the 20th century... shocking. I always get historical information from reading Bryce's books. Thank goodness he didn't burden the reader this time with details of battles and injuries often found in his books.

I really loved Mary Simpson. A lovely Aborigine woman with grace and simplicity.

Overall I guess I would say yes. But I almost gave up 1/3 of the way through, with all the Billy Simple parts.

I am getting dangerously near having read all of Mr. Courtenay's books and woefully, there will be no more.