James

The Thursday Next series continues, as mind-boggling, entertaining and thought-provoking as always. Emily Gray's reading again makes the most outlandish situations seems perfectly reasonable. The humor is both timely and timeless. I loved reading the book and love the audio edition too; I have already listened to it a second time. As usual with Fforde's fiction the prose is so full of jokes, puns and references that it is almost impossible to catch everything the first time, especially when the reader/listener gets caught up in the plot. Essential for fans of the series.

A genuinely beautiful novel, reasonably well-read. The familiarity of the story never diminishes the suspense; the writing is evocative of time and place. Characters are well-developed and believable throughout. The performance by Frazer Douglas is always more than acceptable, but never quite memorable. As others have pointed out--both in reviews of the book and the audio--the last paragraph is unfortunate and diminishes the effectiveness of the narrative. Overall however an excellent audiobook and highly recommended.

I almost didn't buy this: the sample somehow sounded odd, with Euan Morton's Scottish background not working with the material. After listening to his reading of "Fool" a couple of times, I decided to give it a try. It is wonderful! After a couple of minutes, the performance seems perfectly natural; characterizations are spot-on and the "music" in the prose is enhanced with Morton's exceptional reading. Book itself is not-quite-but-close to Moore's best but the overall impact of the audio is even greater than the book itself.

The novel itself is excellent--fresh, funny, clever. And the reading brings out every bit of humor, character and historic life. I suspect that if Shakespeare were alive today it would be both pleased and impressed: "King Lear" never had it so good. Euan Morton makes a perfect narrator, taking full advantage of his theater, musical comedy and singing background. I have already listened to it three times and look forward to the next.

This is the third in the series and picks up right after

Mr. Pittu's accents are subtle enough to never get in the way of comprehension but still provide a good feel for the nationality of the characters. He never misses the humor or irony inherent in the text.

All three Weaver novels are timely, suspenseful and witty. They are not necessarily an

Like the best historic novels (

If you have read the book or have seen the classic film adaptation, this is an excellent evocation of the material. If you are not familiar with it, however, I am not sure this is the best place to begin.

Originally published in the US as "Anna's Book" this Ruth Rendell novel provides an exceptional portrait of three generations of woman in London from 1905 until the mid-sixties. Deservedly a modern classic, the reading perfectly matches and enhances the text. Ms Walter subtly differentiates each of the three women and finds every moment of humor, frustration and suspense as the diaries are used to solve a sixty year old mystery. Leisurely paced this is a novel more about character than event and an extraordinary listening experience.

Once again the lush, evocative prose by Rothfuss is rendered in a prosaic interpretation that destroys much of the beauty of the book. Pending the resolution of the third book, "Kingkiller Chronicles" could well join "The Gormenghast Novels" and "Lord of the Rings" as towering achievements in the genre. Mr. Podehl has done well with other material, but is the wrong choice here. Some sections of dialogue are reasonably well done, but the long passages of narration are clumsy and flat. Unfortunately a giant of a novel is being read by a pipsqueak.

Mr. Wood's narration starts slowly but builds in both intensity and humor. An hour or so in to the book, he hits his stride and never misses a beat from then on. I downloaded when it first became available although I thought that Elijah Wood was an odd choice for narrator. Instead I found he was a brilliant choice. The narration ranks with the best of Jeff Woodman; this is as good as it gets. The definitive version on audio which will probably never be surpassed.

Exceptionally well-written historic fiction given first-rate narration. I had read the book before I listened to the audio; the performances effectively augment and clarify Mitchell's prose. Comic, romantic and epic.