davelangeland

The print version might have been better for this book. It took a while before I could get into the book. I'm not sure if it was the book itself or the narrator. However, I struggled with the narrator in this book. The story itself became quite intense, and it was difficult to stop listening at times (despite the narrator).

A lot of the dialogue was painful to listen to as it seemed that all conversations were on the same level of emotion. The narrator didn't seem to use much intonation, if any. The dialogues felt very choppy. Perhaps that was the intent, but it didn't serve the book or the readers very well.

I had seen the movie, upon which this book is based, and loved it. Certainly, there were discrepancies between the movie and the book. I certainly understand that and have no problem with it. However, a huge problem with this ending is that it simply ends. Most movies that are based on true stories will provide a "where are they now" at the end. I think these are a must for any story based on actual events. While I will not spoil the way the book ends, I will simply state that the "where are they now" is completely omitted. Abagnale does not give any details whatsoever as to what he has been doing since his days running from the law. While I usually prefer a book to a movie, this is one time where the movie got it right. My rating would have been higher in that case.

I saw previews to the movie and was interested. I saw this book and decided to try it out before watching the movie. I was hooked fairly quickly, and Jack Reacher has become one of my favorite series of books. And I say that with only 1 and a half of Jack Reacher books under my belt. Jack Reacher is a mix between Jason Bourne and Sherlock Holmes. He is an incredible deducer but can beat the snot out of anyone he needs to. I absolutely loved this book and author. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.

On a side note, I watched the movie shortly after reading the book. It was a mistake. The movie was average and Tom Cruise does an okay job of Reacher, even though he doesn't have his same build. However, the movie just couldn't pull off what the book does. It's too bad, because the books (at least so far) are fantastic.

I really struggled with listening to this book. So many names were introduced in the beginning and the story was slow, so it was difficult to keep track of anything. I almost gave up listening. I pushed through the pain and am glad I did. I think the story recovered enough to interest me in listening to more of the books in the series. Time will tell if I am sold on the entire series. Overall, it was an enjoyable "read," but it certainly took some time to get into the book.

I absolutely loved this book. Being a conservative, there were things in the book that I had to look past. However, it wasn't too heavy on ideology. The story was very interesting, and I loved how certain big questions were revealed towards the end. Ultimately, I would give Barrett six (6) stars out of 5 for his performance. I always looked forward to hearing Owen Meany's "voice" as Barrett portrayed him superbly.

I enjoyed listening to this book as there was never really a slow moment. The book captured my attention from the beginning and kept going until the end. I quickly realized I would want to read other books in this series. This was more than confirmed with the turn of events at the end. I have all books in this series on my wish list, and I will be reading them.

Without giving anything away, a scene at the end was a bit shocking. I had to read it twice to make sure what I read really happened. It wasn't a typical ending. It made me want to read more in this series.

The narrator did a great job in bringing life to Odd Thomas. Odd's sense of humor and lack of fear was easily witnessed by how the narrator interpreted him. As good as Koontz is, I have always had a hard time picturing who Odd Thomas really is. The narrator made that much easier.

The book is not as good as earlier Odd Thomas novels, but it is still pretty good. Other than the fact that Odd and Annamaria were invited to stay at the manor, I'm not sure why this was a sequel in his story. It could have been a standalone novel. Nothing was really answered with respect to Annamaria. I hope Koontz isn't trying to figure out what to do with her while he writes other Odd novels. Of course, I won't complain too loudly about additional Odd Thomas novels, but I would like to see where the Annamaria thing is going.

I love how this book clearly lays out the problems of the anti-capitalist agenda. It is very straight forward in demonstrating how the anti-capitalists can ruin an economy and a country. I am not a die hard capitalist and certainly did not agree with all the points of view of the protagonists. However, I found myself agreeing way more often than not with the protagonists than anyone else. I even found myself laughing and even cheering when a policy of the anti-capitalists ultimately turned around and burned the anti-capitalists by its effect. While it has some flaws, the book truly is a masterpiece that I will enjoy listening to again.

I loved how the author did not give away how the main character was going to get out of a situation until it actually happened. It kept the suspense right there at every turn.

The plot twists were a great way to maintain the excitement of the story. When you think you know where the book is going, it takes a different turn. Some turns were bigger than others, but all of them helped to keep the book a fast paced one.

I had a difficult time with the narrator's voice until she did the teenage boy. Once she made that transition, I was blown away by how different she sounded. Unfortunately, the teenage boy does not play a lasting part, so it was only a fleeting moment. But, that helped me to listen to her for the remainder of the story.