"Outstanding"
This series is quite amazing. I am now on An Echo In The Bone; book 7 and fear perhaps it is the last one.
Davina Porter has mastered many accents (Scottish, Cockney, French) and is evidently fluent in French and possibly Gaelic and Latin? Her children's voices are a delight.
Of course, the most amazing of all is Diana Gabaldon. That one person could have produced such a detailed body of work is mind-boggling. Does she have a staff of writers as Agatha Christie was reputed to have?
Whatever, the series hangs together beautifully. The characters become old friends.The great love that flows through the narrative could, in lesser hands, have been sentimental and embarressing. It isn’t. The characters are intelligent, brave and, perhaps most importantly, full of fun and a sense of the ironic. They also all have important work to do and do it. Massive research on so many levels was required and this reader is grateful for the hard work.
"Top Rate"
Of all the Trollope novels, and I think, in a long life, I have read most of them them, if not all; I think I have enjoyed this one the most. Simon Vance's performance is past marvelous. He gives us a performance. He acts. He is able to switch between the varied voices and emotions of Trollope's always finely hewned characters seemlessly. I found myself happily enmeshed in these lives. He differentiates between the voices of each of the many characters, so you always know who is speaking, even in multi peopled conversations.
This book is full of 18th Century politics, which I find fascinating. I don't think any other novelist of his day took it on. In this novel Trollope could be the Gore Vidal of his time, with less scorn, and more wit, of course.
As is not true of Trollope's other books, this one he leaves us in suspense. I have just bought Phineas Finn Redux, and with the great Simon in charge once again, I look forward to the treat in store.
"Fantastic"
Part of The Palisser series. Great story and wonderful read by the great Simon Vance. More Pallisers, please.
"A treat"
Neal Stephenson is a genius. I can't ken his math/computer driven world, but I respect them and do the best I can. I get tremendous pleasure from his brilliant, intricate storries, his marvelously drawn interesting people, and his (in-spite-of-himself) romantic bent and above all his wit. He loves to play with language and it's a joy to follow him wherever he chooses to lead us whether we understand it all or not. You never can tell - we just might learn something.
"Wonderful"
Half Blood Blues is brilliantly told and brilliantly read. It's fascinating that it is told in the first person by a man, but written by a woman. I don;'t remember reading another such juxtiposition of the sexes.
Esi Edugyan tells us an epic story switching back and forth 60 years from the 1930s to the the 1990s, encompassing the demonic Nazi era in both Germany and France and peopled by very real black and white musicians caught up in the horror.
Kyle Riley creates an accent, presumably Baltimorian black, that renders well the speech of the narrator, Syd, as well as all the other varied voices of Edugyan's many characters.
All in all a great experience.
"I feel cheated"
Gone Girl couldn't have been more disappointing. Cliche supporting characters and really an uninteresting wicked protagonist. There is nothing to be learned and not a moment of goodness or joy to be found in these pages.
It came so highly praised I listened to the end, hoping for some sort of redemption for my time as well as for the book. It's really nothing but an impossible, manipulated, tiresome, tangled, hideous, and at times pornographic, plot. All in all boring and a waste of time.
I should add that the performances are well done.
"Disappointing"
I bought this because I love to listen to Alison Larkin. However, the book is so silly! All that heavy sex, etc. in the era of Jane Austen? And none of the characters had much "going on" in their lives, apart from following the tedious plot line.. The heroine kept telling us what a great and grand educator she is, but the author doesn't allow us to see her in this role.
Ms. Larkin's reding though really is wonderful. She has such a lovely way of rendering children.
"Well done"
Emma Messenger does a fine job with this overall impressive version of this great classic. It was wonderful to live Jane's life again. I had read it when I was a young girl and enjoyed it much more; got much more out of it, after returning to it after many years.
"Tour De Force Series"
5 decades - 5 families - 5 countries. All handled brilliantly by both the writer and the exceptional narrator, John Lee, who amazingly masters all the accents (except perhaps the American). Audible also offers a most interesting discussion between these two luminaries, which I enjoyed immensely and recommend.
"Ugh!"
I want to be able to read Martin Amis. He is a wonderful writer. His great friend, the sorely missed Christopher Hitchens, has been the cause of my purchasing two of his, Martin's, unreadable books. Martin, this reader needs someone in a narrative that I can stand. A lot of frightful sex doesn't do it for me. And I am sorry.
"Well done!"
Written during the early days of the German occupation of France, the World of Night is told with heart and authenticity. Mr. Guidall, the narrator, brings both to this wonderful performance. The main character, Jean Claude Casson, is an "ordinary hero", a film director, a gentle lover of his country and his city, Paris. As one of his characters says, "Jean C;laude, you are loved by everyone." As he is unwillingly drawn deep into a struggle for survival and resistance I grew to love him too.