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Vera Stein

ratings
19
REVIEWS
5
FOLLOWING
0
FOLLOWERS
0
HELPFUL VOTES
1

  • Tenth of December: Stories | [George Saunders]
    Tenth of December: Stories
    UNABRIDGED

    Tenth of December: Stories

    • UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 40 mins)
    • By George Saunders
    • Narrated By George Saunders
    Overall
    (183)
    Performance
    (166)
    Story
    (165)

    One of the most important and blazingly original writers of his generation, George Saunders is an undisputed master of the short story, and Tenth of December is his most honest, accessible, and moving collection yet. In the taut opener, "Victory Lap", a boy witnesses the attempted abduction of the girl next door and is faced with a harrowing choice: Does he ignore what he sees, or override years of smothering advice from his parents and act? In "Home", a combat-damaged soldier moves back in with his mother and struggles to reconcile the world he left with the one to which he has returned.

    Darwin8u says: "Captures depth/vibrations of America's Tragicomedy"
    "Cannot conceive of this being a best-seller!"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    What would have made Tenth of December better?

    Almost all the stories were downers! I ddin't know when one story stopped and another began. I abhorred the style of writing, couldn't follow one story after another. I can't say enough BAD things about this book and wonder how in the world it has become a best seller with so much hype.


    Has Tenth of December turned you off from other books in this genre?

    Yes!


    How could the performance have been better?

    If the stories were better.


    Any additional comments?

    See above. I see no redeeming value in this type of book

    1 of 2 people found this review helpful
  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time | [Mark Haddon]
    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
    UNABRIDGED

    The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

    • UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 6 mins)
    • By Mark Haddon
    • Narrated By Jeff Woodman
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (2916)
    Performance
    (752)
    Story
    (759)

    Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone has Asperger's Syndrome, a condition similar to autism. He doesn't like to be touched or meet new people, he cannot make small talk, and he hates the colors brown and yellow. He is a math whiz with a very logical brain who loves solving puzzles that have definite answers.

    Robert says: "Endearing. Pathos, humor, reality, and insight."
    "Really helps one understand Asperger's"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I enjoyed listening to this book. It made me understand the rationale for the behavioral characteristics of Asperger's Disease. The book is written very understandably and one can actually empathize with Christopher. I am looking forward to seeing the play which has been running to rave reviews in London.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • The Good House: A Novel | [Ann Leary]
    The Good House: A Novel
    UNABRIDGED

    The Good House: A Novel

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 12 mins)
    • By Ann Leary
    • Narrated By Mary Beth Hurt
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (699)
    Performance
    (623)
    Story
    (623)

    The Good House tells the story of Hildy Good, who lives in a small town on Boston's North Shore. Hildy is a successful real-estate broker, good neighbor, mother, and grandmother. She's also a raging alcoholic. Hildy's family held an intervention for her about a year before this story takes place - "if they invite you over for dinner, and it’s not a major holiday," she advises "run for your life" - and now she feels lonely and unjustly persecuted. She has also fooled herself into thinking that moderation is the key.

    Rhonda Morrison says: "What a great book, Hildy is a great character!"
    "Abrupt Ending"
    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Mary Beth Hurt did a wonderful job in the narration of this book. The story definitely kept me interested but the last 2 or 3 chapters were a big disappointment. It was as if the author wanted to quickly finish the book. I thought perhaps I had skipped some part since I switched from listening to it at home and then in my car. I therefore "re read" the last 2 chapters and it turned out that I had not missed a thing. The author just gleaned over 2 important parts of the book.
    The book certainly showed that alcoholism is truly a sickness and one that is difficult to treat.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful
  • Purple Hibiscus | [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie]
    Purple Hibiscus
    UNABRIDGED

    Purple Hibiscus

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 53 mins)
    • By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    • Narrated By Lisette Lecat
    Overall
    (36)
    Performance
    (30)
    Story
    (28)

    In Purple Hibiscus, she recounts the story of a young Nigerian girl searching for freedom. Although her father is greatly respected within their community, 15-year-old Kambili knows a frighteningly strict and abusive side to this man. In many ways, she and her family lead a privileged life, but Kambili and her brother, Jaja, are often punished for failing to meet their father’s expectations. After visiting her aunt and cousins, Kambili dreams of being part of a loving family.

    Msafiri says: "Great Story"
    "I was disappointed in the story line."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

    My grandson highly recommended this book but I was disappointed and actually got bored with some chapters.


    If you’ve listened to books by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie before, how does this one compare?

    I have not listened to the other books.


    What three words best describe Lisette Lecat’s performance?

    calm, Nigerian accent, dialects good


    Do you think Purple Hibiscus needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

    No, (spoiler!) because of the death. The ending and its consequence came so rapidly and there was no buildup to the dramatic end. I thought I had missed something


    0 of 1 people found this review helpful
  • Beautiful Ruins | [Jess Walter]
    Beautiful Ruins
    UNABRIDGED

    Beautiful Ruins

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 53 mins)
    • By Jess Walter
    • Narrated By Edoardo Ballerini
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (3978)
    Performance
    (3431)
    Story
    (3410)

    The story begins in 1962. On a rocky patch of the sun-drenched Italian coastline, a young innkeeper, chest-deep in daydreams, looks out over the incandescent waters of the Ligurian Sea and spies an apparition: a tall, thin woman, a vision in white, approaching him on a boat. She is an actress, he soon learns, an American starlet, and she is dying. And the story begins again today, half a world away, when an elderly Italian man shows up on a movie studio's back lot - searching for the mysterious woman he last saw at his hotel decades earlier.

    Cindy says: "Best Mistake I Ever Made On Audible..."
    "From Italy to Hollywood and back."
    Overall
    Performance
    Story
    If you could sum up Beautiful Ruins in three words, what would they be?

    Nostalgic visit to Tuscany


    Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

    Pascuale's relationship with D when he first meets her at the hotel


    Any additional comments?

    The narrator was wonderful. So many characters with so many dialects and accents.

    0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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