"A miracle!"
I'm in my 70's, a dedicated reader all my life, and have myself had 7 books of fiction published. I've read some wonderful books in my life. This is the first one I've ever fallen in love with.
"Mind-opening!"
Just when you thought you knew everything, you discover you know nothing. Braden explores the world we don't see with our science-washed eyes, and does so with grace and sincerity. If you enjoy exploring things you never knew before, you won't be able to put this one down. I've been listening to it in my car, and have ended up sitting in the driveway unable to leave my car until I hear more.
(BTW) I rated "story" a one-star because this isn't a story and I wasn't allowed to proceed until I had rated everything. So, the non-existent story wasn't particularly interesting.
"Startlingly beautiful"
This is an amazing book, a fantasy and much, much more. I had never heard of the book or the author when I listened to it, and I was puzzled that I had never heard of it before. In college, I wolfed down books, and am still an avid reader at the age of 74. I was certain this moving, unusual, brilliant book was a classic I hadn't heard of before. I thought maybe I should ask for my money back from Wellesley College, my Alma Mater, as they had failed to educate me properly. I'm also a published writer (mystery stories) and have a pretty good ear for language. "Night Circus" is, to put it simply, one of the most beautifully written books I've read. The writing is evocative and lovely. To read it is like falling into a dream. Congratulations and blessings, Erin Morgenstern. Just keep going.
"Good writing. Lousy narration."
I like Preston and Child's books. But nothing can ruin them for me like Scott Brick's narration. His doesn't read, he intones in a monotone of impending doom. It's so annoying I've bypassed some of the books, or have gone to other websites to find them with a different narrator. I occasionally run across descriptions praising him, and wonder how boring some people's lives must be that they can be excited hearing him read. Please! Get this guy to a reading coach!
"Plot heavy"
Interesting concept, but the plot was too fast-moving and incident-ridden. Character development and scene description suffered, leaving me with the feeling I'd just read a story board for a TV series. The narrator's rushing through the reading didn't help. Slow down, guys! If we had attention spans of 5 minutes, we wouldn't bother to read books.
"The characters suffrer. So does the reader."
Missionaries, man and wife and two children, move into a creepy house in the mountains. The house rivals the Amityville Horror. The whole thing starts to fall down around them, with scary stuff and bloody rooms and murder and six feet of snow. It's obvious they should band together and take some action. But she won't tell him what she's experiencing out of fear she's crazy and doesn't want him to know. He won't tell her what he's experiencing out of fear he'll drive her deeper into the psychosis she doesn't know he knows about
Instead, they whine and pray constantly. She cries and worries about going crazy, while he curses God and feels guilty. They are truly a pathetic pair.
The writing is mediocre. The author knows a few phrases which he uses to describe just about everything. The characters are unsympathetic and passive, waiting for God to save them from a situation they got into with their eyes wide open. They escape in the end (with God's help, of course). I only hope they haven't survived to become a sequel.
"Coben at his best"
A great "read." Skillful plotting, vivid descriptions, wonderful character studies. There is a dimension to his writing that I haven't seen before. Time well spent.