PJ

I enjoyed this book, even if I got a little lost with all of the various persons from all over the world. It was a fascinating look at tragedy on Everest (yet again). I changed my mind about how I felt and thought about certain aspects of that situation based on this book. The in-depth analysis of all the factors was excellent. (I'm trying not to reveal too much here in case people don't know the story). This book was not as well-written as "Into Thin Air", but it was still good and definitely worth the credit. It held the interest of both my husband and me. The narrator does a good job with the different accents, which helps a bit with keeping people straight.

This book was superbly written and performed perfectly. The combination made for such an entertaining listen that I was sad when it was over. I was transported by the combination and would recommend this book to anyone, including my husband who does not read fiction. This is historical fiction at it's best. Writing and performance that are both nuanced. One of the other things that was so good about this is that it focused on the characters, their development, and their relationships. There was action, but it was secondary to a book about people and the stories we don't know behind the story we do. But we can imagine the conversations, the feelings, the day-to-day life and Ms. Russell did this very, very well. It made for an excellent, entertaining read

This was really about American politicians. My husband and I, who love this period of American history, found this book to be dreary and dragging. The book was all about the economics and politics with very little about what the American people went through and did. The narration contributed to our lack of interest in this book.

I found this book to be boring. The plot was very predictable. The main characters were one dimensional. The ending was unforgettable and very easy to figure out. There was no suspense. This book could have used a good editor. I found many of the story elements repetitious. The narration was excellent and the only thing that kept me listening to it in the hopes that it would improve.

This book was just okay. The narration was very good, but the writing was average and the story and characters were somewhat predictable, except....the end, which saved this book from being a waste of time. Somehow, I found the ending very satisfying, while the rest of the book was not so satisfying. I think it would be an okay beach read, but there wasn't a lot of tension until the end.

David McCullough writes so well this flows like fiction. He is well-detailed, but doesn't overwhelm. Edward Hermann's performance is wonderful--he's so easy to listen to. I had known almost nothing about the Johnstown Flood and found this to be a great listen. My husband and I listened on a long trip and it kept us both engaged and eager to find out what would happen next. It also stimulated a lot of discussion for us. Would recommend.

Highly recommend this for it's excellent story-telling and vivid accounting of the Bataan Death March and after-effects. I appreciated the authors weaving in flashbacks to "previous life" as it gave a break from the accounting and provided a stark contrast to the POW experience. I thought the book was well-performed (although we did speed it up just a little). My husband and I read, watch and listen to many books and documentaries about WWII and think this one is just terrific. It is horrifying, yet inspiring as you listen to the stories of the triumph of humans and the human spirit in the face of an horrific experience.

This story had way too many statistics and too few stories of the people affected by the epidemic. He missed a great opportunity to tell a compelling and vivid tale by continually throwing percentages at us. That would be okay, except he's billing this as an epic story and there really was no story here. I learned a lot, but it was dry. The reader did a good job with dry material. That said, it's an important part of history that I had previously been only vaguely aware of, so I'm not sorry I listened to it. I think I've been spoiled by other writers. Would love to see this same issue in the hands of a real story-teller.

I think I enjoyed this more in audible format than I would have reading it. The writing is stellar--the descriptions vivid and rich, the characters well drawn and the plot interesting. The narrator was topnotch with appropriate accents to keep the changing narrative point of view at the forefront. He did an excellent job. I was sorry to see this book end.

The story was interesting, but it was so complex with so many different characters, I had trouble keeping track of who was who and what their role was in the story. It was a true story, so it is what it is, but I can't help thinking that some of this could have been edited down to make for a better flow. I was not put off by the sexual detail as I think this was central to the main character. The performance was solid. It was worth a listen, but not something I'm going to tell everyone they need to hear or read.