Alice

While this is a very interesting piece of historical fiction, the premise it began with felt far too contrived. I almost stopped listening. However, I was driving, and now that I finished the book, I really miss it. The atmosphere was well conveyed, and I appreciated the narrator's ability to change character and accent. Looking back at the book, it felt as if the modern day writer the story begins with is fairly superficial and much too pleased with herself. However, as the story develops in both times, she seems to mature to some degree, though is still not a well-rounded character by the book's end. I got the impression that the beginning of the book was tacked on later because it just felt "off". This writer has potential, but she did not portray the detail or complexity of plot and character that is such a compelling part of the Outlander series. I enjoyed it, but Audible did the writer a great disservice by suggesting this book was comparable to Diana Gabaldon's books.

It's in the top 10.

There are so many interesting characters, and the reader does a fine job of sorting them out by voice and pacing of speech. One of my favorite parts was when Roice & Hadrian met with Ezra because Ezra's speech sounded Shakespearean. The reader did such a great job of this without missing a beat. When Ezra's speech got modern, the pacing and vocal characterization were still consistent.

No. I wanted to spread it out and savor it. I look forward to listening to the others in the series.

I don't know if the writer misspelled words, or if the reader mis-pronounced them. This was distracting. The plot is rather like a combination of a romance novel (minus the sex scenes) and a quest. The central idea is compelling, but this particular story is not.

I would if I knew they liked romance novels. It's juicy, although it is quite formulaic.

Maybe. When I really like a series, I'll listen multiple times to catch all the nuances. Once I hear the rest of the series, I'll know more.

Haven't decided yet.

I love listening to the narrator! He does each character very well and conveys emotions through his voice skillfully.

Not a moment, but the overall description of London's East End.

He portrays Dr. Watson as a rational being, rather than the bluff, slightly stupid Watson of other days. Again, he is able to communicate character via his voice that can't be had in books.

I took a star off for the story because I thought the ending could have been better. On the other hand, not too many writers do a decent job with endings, and this one was still pretty good.

This is a lovely gothic-style novel full of fascinating characters and exquisite language. (The story is interesting too.) The flow of the language creates a compelling atmosphere against which the tale is set. The reader performs each character in a way that makes him/her identifiable, and his reading of the Spanish names and places adds to the atmosphere, making the audio version much more satisfying to me than a print version. I allowed myself to be carried by his voice into the times, places and stories of this book. After awhile, all the names of people and places sorted themselves out, and I was quite comfortable. While I often found the music distracting, at the end of the book, I learned that it was also composed by the author. Perhaps that helps explain his lyrical use of words and language.

One of my favorite books, but the reader is not very skilled at differentiating between character voices. Sometimes the speed at which she reads is so fast that savoring the language and social satire is quite impossible. There are many better-read renditions out there!