Jason

I love reading/listening to books which present real points of view from the people who lived the events. However, there are two MAJOR issues with this audiobook.
The first is the editing of the actual book. There are almost no introductions to the change of topics! One minute it's women sideline reporters, then it's about the drama of sportscenter with Olberman and Patrcik with no warning. I had to listen to the book twice in most sections just because I thought I missed something, I didn't. There are times when quotes are just thrown in because the author didn't want to waste material. It made NO sense.
The second major issue is Joan Baker. This reader sucks. I am blind I've listened to more audiobooks than they have on audible. This is the second worst reader I've ever forced myself to endure. Her breathy, over empathetic and miss-timed voice representations make the women who were quoted in this book seem like...like....the producer should have said stop trying to be a oral porn star and read the f'n book.
Buy the written version if you can read print. If you can't, pray another version of this audiobook comes out soon. Otherwise try not choke on your own vomit when Joan gets to read (it's not personal, it's business) it really sucked.

The subject matter.

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Yes.

I have read many autobiographies, mostly of athletes or political figures. I have to say this has easily been the best of all of them. I may be biased due to being a fan of Andre's growing up? However, I'd like to think it's because of this books information and the smoothness at which it is told. The stories are complete and the narrator does a good job of pacing. I couldn't put this down.

Andre is completely direct and seemingly brutal in cases. His descriptions of certain people are thorough and at times cruel or in some cases funny.

Overall, this is the story of his own personal struggles. His accounts of his struggle for identity and self are more striking because they are truly documented on film with every tournament he played in. I personally remember things about matches he played that he mentions in this book. It really explains so much about him and why he is the way he is/was.

Whether you are a tennis fan or not, this is a an amazing listen.

I don't own printed books.

Sadly, I can't think of anything. Which is good. I think of this as unique in a way.

All of them are excellent.

Anxious. Ode to no more credits!

This is a great adventure. The book is longer than I'm used too but the action is constant and driven. The action is always leading to something greater. The author thankfully drops all illusion of grandeur and moves from place to place with pertinent descriptions only. This is actually fantastic to me, I grow tired of authors who describe surroundings and laundry lists that bare no meaning to the characters overall actions or results. Overall thoughts are described in actions not long winded monologues. Fantastic!

The narrator is brilliant! I enjoyed all of his representations of characters and his ability to pronounce proper Italian names and places (granted I am not Italian and have never been to Italy) but his talent helped with the immersion process. I thoroughly enjoyed his work and will buy the other books in this series partly due to him.

The only negative I found and this could be nitpicking, is the mass of Italian places and random Italian words used in place of English. I only had one year of Italian in college and it didn't always help here. Also, there are so many places involved they should hand you a map of old Italy when you buy this book.

This was originally a video game. Excellent. Since I am blind I do not have the ability to enjoy it as such. However, this is a fantastic adventure story on it's own and I highly recommend it! I only wish they would make more books out of video game story lines, it beats listening to my friends playing them. Maybe they'lll do Bioshock next!

It depends on your tolerance.

Ugh, yes . . . I am a glutton for long winded and drawn out punishment.

Still pending.

Probably if they could cut the crap, it would probably be better than the book.

I really like the settings of these books. I really like the characters. I really HATE the long extended crap in getting to the friggin POINT! Jennifer is horrible at drawing every action out until you just want to fast forward or turn the damn thing off. Explanations in this series suck. Jennifer places them at ALL key points (at the beginning of every defining action) and draws them out for more time. Pull the damn trigger already or I'm leaving. She's has to input the actions of the previous books and how she FEELS about everything! If assassins had this many feelings they wouldn't BE assassins! They'd be stuck in therapy! And it get's worse with every book. I read them because I like character quirkiness and the DEFINING actions not because I'm falling in love with how it is written.
Am I the only one who would like authors to stop reciting actions from previous books in the series? If you just picked up book 5 and you missed something GO BACK and read the other books lazy! The rest of us shouldn't have to suffer.

This is worth checking out if your into Fantasy/Sci-fi.

Going to check out the second book. Book one builds into the second book.

Jennifer isn't bad but I prefer better inflection. She is not a "breathy" woman narrator which I prefer. In other words she isn't overly dramatic. She did a good job.

Buy the next book.

I don't know what it is with women authors and explicit descriptions of sex. If this book was written by a man it would have to be sold in an adult video store not a supermarket check out line. I don't like to read about women's fantasies any more than I like reading about men's narrated or not.
I like the action though. Unlike other female authors, the action is good. More action less loquacious pontifications on your feelings. Richelle does have her moments but overall her story is well written and diverse with mythical creatures and strange magical feats. Action being what it is, and it is fast, characters fall in love way to fast and convenient to move the plot along. One page . .. meet mister nobody, next page . . . let's have a baby together. It's that fast and it's kinda funny.
I'd like to think that this genre of books is about having fun and going on an adventure. I therefore dislike it when some of these authors try to make it sound serious. This author too has her moments but some of the comedic charm pulls it together.
Overall, give it a chance. I have spent far more on far worse.