Vivian

The narration was fine, but I did not care for the form of the narration or the substance of the book. As much of the book takes place in emails, the narrator is forced to read the ENTIRE email address of the sender and recipient, along with the subject line, date and time. This alone was just about enough to make me stop listening, as it became really tedious to hear. The substance of the book was not new, or clever, or especially sad, moving, or even pathetic - just wasn't much of anything. The subtitle of this book could be: "the musings of a vaguely unsatisfied woman".

I didn't like the characters at the start of this story, but it's worth sticking with the book as the characters change with each chapter. The author builds on earlier chapters, introducing new characters related in fascinating ways to earlier characters. I enjoy the side-tracks the author takes in various places, seemingly going off track. There are many astute observations of human nature in this book. It's not a 5-star book on my list because I thought the wrap up/ending seemed contrived.

Although it is non-fiction, the author captures individual stories and weaves them into and through historic events in a way that emphasizes the personal tales while illuminating the era. The narration is easy on the ears, with well-defined voices for the different characters. The thesis of a "great migration" is well put together and supported. I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in American history, as it tells a story that is often omitted from classes and lessons.

A better story line.

It just got boring, and I think I had gotten to the

Perhaps, but I would not seek out books by narrator to listen specifically to him.

I didn't really care for any of the characters.

In fairness, perhaps this was just not my kind of book.

They did a good job of creating recognizably different voices, which fit the text well.

I enjoyed learning about Japan's early contacts with the west (Holland), in the context of a novel about adventure, some mystic elements, and a love story.

This is a great story with captivating narration. I highly recommend this audio book.

I was looking forward to hearing this story, but could not listen to the whiny narrator's voice for very long, and soon abandoned the entire audio book.