Laura

*rubs eyes. pinches bridge of nose* You know that annoying uncle at the family reunion who uses every opportunity to either 1) make a pun, 2) drop the f-bomb, or 3) look around to see if anyone finds him funny?

That is the main character, John Corey. Now, I *get* that's he's supposed to be this sort of 'lovable scoundrel' type that women seemingly find themselves attracted to - but let's be honest. He's the guy who would be so much more likeable if he'd shut his piehole more often and just be the good guy he is instead of always trying to be the funny guy.

I suppose none of that is really here or there - it's just that less then a third of the way in the book, I feel like I married the guy and already can't wait to divorce him just so I don't have to listen to his awful jokes.

Okay, what do I like the best? Well, I generally like DeMille and it's brainlessly interesting enough that I'm not bored. I realize that isn't exactly a glowing review - but sometimes I do just want some brain fluff and this one fits that bill. I was neither enthralled but I was also not bored.

What do I like the least? The aforementioned bad jokes by smug uncle. Lord, that is tiring.

Eh. In fact, this is my reaction to the beginning, middle and end. See? No spoilers.

Breathy. Serious. Manly.

Overall, I like Scott Brick. It's safe to say he breathes life into characters since most of them end up sort of dramatic sounding.

No, I can't see this as a movie. Hmm, who would be John Corey... not sure. But no one really awesome. I want to enjoy hating him a little while I still cheer him on. You know.

I wouldn't change anything about the book because what the hell do I know? I like to read. Not write books. However, I suppose I would appreciate a book that actually explains things in a way that makes a lick of sense instead of being a reader who is forced to believe that the evil dude knows 1) how to fix a lottery 2) where everyone is at all times 3) how to move silently like a ninja and 4) how to thoroughly disguise himself that he's practically an octopus. It got a little fanciful with that.

Please see above. More fallible bad guys, please. That way the main character doesn't have to be in the reincarnation of Jesus to catch him.

Performance was good. What did I dislike... in the editing, there were times where a chapter ended and a new one began and there was no pause. It was an odd break (or lack thereof) in the narration. But nothing tragic.

Probably. Mainly because I'd like to see how it was adapted - not because it's JUST SO FASCINATING.

This book is listening fluff - which is exactly what I wanted it to be. It's entertaining enough. I wouldn't say it's particularly thoughtfully written but again, if you need a way to pass time without being bored, it fit the bill for me quite well.

I think much of how you may feel about this book depends on what you're looking for in your next listen.

I wanted something amusing, entertaining, light, but also not entirely brainless. For me, this fit the bill really nicely.

The narration in this particular novel makes me a bit sad for the people who only read it on paper because it really is that cleverly done. The voices are great, recognizable, distinctive, and so well done. An excellent group of narrators who did the book full justice.

That said... Skippy Dies is about a group of 14 year old boys in a Catholic school in Ireland and about some of the teachers - one in particular. For me, the author did a great job of showing how 14 year old boys want badly to experience adult things but still cling to some very childlike fantasies.

One of my personal favorite passages is when Mario, one of the boys, is confident that he'll have sex at a school dance because he has his lucky condom in his wallet - he's had it for 3 years. When the other boys point out the obvious irony and declare the wallet unlucky for condoms, one states that he bets the condom is in his wallet right now, whistling the tune from The Great Escape and digging its way out with a coffee stirrer. For some reason, this struck me as particularly funny coming from a 14 year old boy.

It also has its bittersweet/tender moments as the boys deal with death, sickness, guilt, etc. But that isn't an overly heavy theme that weighs down the book. I did not find myself bored as I believe some reviewers did.

In sum: the book is entertaining, humorous, clever, extremely well narrated and definitely worth a credit at 23 hours. I gave it 5/5 because I fully appreciated the writing and narration.