Eric Murphy

Victor Bevine is extraordinary. He lights up the beautiful text with his voice and seamless transitions. They could have a spell it read this book and I'd still cry, the story is that interesting. But the marriage of Carrol and Bevine makes this book less of a story and more of an experience.

I doubt they could do this book justice, but if Tarsem or Fincher gave it a shot it would be something like: How far would you go for love?

Listen to this. Don't think, just download.

Chuck Klosterman is the type of person you want to have at a bar table with you. His massive brain has dissected everything ten ways to sunday; from ramifications of time travel to cultural implications of nipple slips. His essays are fascinating, his delivery is uniquely him. Inside all of us is a hidden nerd waiting for something to obsess over, Klosterman not only accepts that nerd, he indulges it.

This book is an easy listen and you'll be sad when it ends. I was.

The characters jump off the page and stick in your heart. You connect with them despite the gaps in history and crappy jewish mother accents.

Joe Kavalier. Great character. He is broken and compelling.

Please, Stop, {the} Accents

Plenty, but I don't want spoilers out there for future readers.

If you have the time and have heard about this book for years, it's worth a listen. The narration could be better, but the story makes up for that.

Absolutely F****** Brilliant.

Colin Firth is a phenomenal reader. His timing and cadence are as good as you get. He sucks you into the plot and holds you in place. Graham Greene's prose is absolutely beautiful. He uses words like a painter and makes characters feel real; imperfect, struggling, and real. The book flew by and a part of me was sad when it ended.Great audiobook.

The only thing holding this novel back is the language. I like the premise, its the reason I downloaded it, but everyone speaks like western robots whose dialog was translated by someone who despises contractions. It feels stilted and disingenuous. Also, no one swears. I am not a historian, nor do I pretend to be, but I'm reasonably certain the type of men who they kill or nearly kill in the wild west might be inclined to drop an F bomb. I point this out only to demonstrate how the characters feel wooden and forced.

I listened to the whole thing because I wanted to know where the story was going. In the end, I was pretty dissatisfied. I kept waiting to get sucked in and when the book ended, I was still waiting.

I adore audiobooks. I've listened to hundreds. When a narrator and author are perfect for eachother, its magical. This is not a case of a bad reader. John Pruden has a nice voice. He simply is unable to breath life into limp dialog.

I don't recommend this book.