Robin

i find meave binchy's novels rather inconsistent ... sometimes engaging, sometimes rather sleepy. this book, i thought, falls into the latter category. i would recommend tara road over this one. the narration, however, excellent.

as i understand it, this is an interpretation of a classic chinese story. although some take issue with the accuracy of the translation/depiction, for those of us who are not as well versed, this is simply a beautiful story ... exotic and far removed from modern life. i give this book 5 stars.

i found this book to be sometimes good, sometimes too slow/predictable. interesting in that we are given a glimpse of the life of young, struggling actors. cliched, though, in some of the character portrayals. most problematic was the narration ... which i would describe as tiringly urgent. i think a more relaxed narrator might have brought out the best in this story.

As much as I found the plot disappointing and a bit on the slow side at times, I don't think Sophie Kinsella can write a bad book ... she's apparently quite a charming person and that does come through in spades in her writing. Narration quite good. Overall, worth an Audible credit.

this book is so charming! coeds in new york city in the 40's, back when young women could travel to the city for the summer in relative safety, date sailors whom they met at dances at Columbia, and only the well mannered (and male) worked at Tiffany's. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

This is a 5 star book ... it has depth and nuance of character. The overall feel in some ways parallels The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, but succeeds where Harold Fry, I think, does not. Well narrated. A bit slow to engage, but stay with it ... pulls you in after a few chapters. A definite recommend.

Madeline Wickham had clearly not hit her stride when she wrote this one. She does have a quirky imagination which might have saved the book were it not for the disappointing narration (too loud at times, and too sing songy for my taste). I'd skip this one. Wedding Girl is a better choice for this author.

I love John Galsworthy. He has that dry British sense of humor, and was way ahead of his time in his views toward women and relationships. This book was one of the best in the sequel to Forsyte Saga, and a fitting last volume. You'll need to read these in order (for the Galsworthy uninitiated). Great narration, A+ listen.

If you are listening to John Galsworthy for the first time, you'll need to listen to the books in order, starting with the Forsyte Saga. Each of the sequel books is different .... I liked this one better than some of the previous, however, of course, none comes near the Saga. This one is less political than some of the others, which I found to be a plus. I highly recommend any John Galsworthy book Audible may choose to include in its library.

I found this book to be a bit boring, but should appeal to a reader in her 20s. I have a feeling, however, that had a better narrator been chosen, the book might have seemed less naive/perky (I don't like perky in an audiobook). I'd skip this one.

If this book hadn't been written in the 1920s, i'd have given it 1 star as a period novel. If you are looking for an excellent book of that approximate era, written in the early 1900s, read The Forsyte Saga. You will recognize a huge chasm between the writing styles, and, substantively, the author's perception of the female mind and character. Begrudgingly, 2 stars.