Bill

Les Miserables is more of a quest than a book. It is a huge book that meanders along taking many long detours but eventually arriving at its destination. You must be prepared for a long journey, don't be the child who continually asks "are we there yet?"

The narrative of this journey follows Jean Valjean an ex-convict who finds redemption, love, and seeks to do good. Along the way we get long discourses on slang, politics, the street urchins of Paris, the sewers of Paris, and the Battle of Waterloo to name a few (there are many long detours). There are also many subplots and stories, such as the Bishop of Digne which opens the book. There are many long detours, many.

Is the book worth the time? I think it is, it is a wonderful story and the long detours add much to the experience. It is named Les Miserables for the portrait of the poor that it gives, but it does not idolize them, it shows the good and the bad, the weak and the strong. It should encourage you do go out and help some one.

This particular translation is advertised as being more earthy and closer to the French of Hugo than the more staid traditional translations. It is more earthy, more sprightly and not academic, but not knowing French I can't say if it is actually closer to Hugo or not. Some translation choices seem odd to me (clink for jail) but once you get into the flow of the story it works.

The narrator is one of the best in the business and he does a commendable job here.

So, should you read this book? I think so, I highly recommend it.

Would I read it again? Yes I will, in a while, when I'm ready for a long, long journey.

This was a very enjoyable book, a modern thriller. I had listened to Daniel Suarez's previous two books and loved them. This book has similar elements while being a separate story. The central mystery are drone attacks that occur and the team that is dispatched to find out who is responsible. It is a roller coaster ride with strong characters. There were great sequences where the action was intense. In addition to the great action there is the whole question of drones, especially autonomous drones which is raise but the answer is left for us to work out.

The narration was excellent, Jeff Gurner narrated Suarez's previous two books and does and excellent job here with different and distinct voices for the characters which does a good job in bringing out their personalities. He also does a bang up job with the action sequences.

The only weakness with the books is a couple of scenes of awkward dialog and a romance angle that I think might have been better left for the end of the book. But these are minor and do not really detract from the story. I was also not a fan of the profanity but that is the way many people talk today.

While not as great and inventive as his first two books, I loved the book and would listen to it again. I highly recommend it.

Jules Verne was an excellent writer and this is one of his great, classic stories. It is a fun romp around the world and the characters are very engaging, especially Passepartout who provides the main point of view for the reader as well as a catalyst for a lot of the action. The book builds to an exciting and satisfying conclusion.

It is read by the great Patrick Tull who is famous for reading the Patrick O'Brien novels (which is why I chose this particular book). Tull imbues each character with their own personality, he really was one of the best readers.

I highly recommend this book, it is also a great family book.

This is a very delightful book. It recounts the life story of Ebenezer le Page, a confirmed resident of the Guernsey Island. It follows Ebenezer from his early years through World War I and World War II, but those are mostly backdrops for a recounting of life on the Island and his relationships with his family and friends. The voice of the book is that of an old person telling their life story, if you have spent time with the very old and heard their stories the author gets this just right.

The discussion of the relationships of family and of men and men and women has a very good depth of thought and gives something to think about.

I enjoyed this book greatly and would highly recommend it.

The reader does an excellent job of giving voice to this old man and was a true delight.

I really enjoyed this meditation on what it means to be an artist and to make art. The authors try not to have it be specific to one type of art and are generally successful. While I found the section on art school interesting it was not particularly useful to me for the making of art. The book is a good encouragement to create the art you have the desire to make.

The performance was excellent. A very good and engaging reader. This book could have come across as dry or tedious but Arthur Morely brings the book to life.

If you create any kind of art I recommend this book.

1984 is a classic book that should be read by everyone. Orwell was a wonderful writer and creates a consistent, frightening world. We see many of his ideas in play in our current culture and an understanding of this work helps to see what is going on around us.

All that aside, this is a very good story, well written with strong characters. I have read this story several times and have always enjoyed it. The performance by Simon Prebble is top notch and only adds to the enjoyment of the work.

I have always enjoyed Heinlein's stories. This is an interesting study of a young girl. I listened to it with one of my daughters and we both loved it. The story has a great voice in the heroine. The reader does an excellent job in bring the book to life.

Based on the book Gilead, which I loved, I was looking forward to this book. The content didn't disappoint. It is a wonderful, complex, and bittersweet story. A retired minister at the end of his life dealing with the black sheep son whom he loves. Told from the point of view of a daughter who has moved back it deals with love, loss, hope and that strange relationship of love and fear that parents sometimes have with their children. As I read I could certainly identify with certain aspects of the characters and will revisit this work again. I think Gilead was the more powerful of the two work but both are wonderful.

The flaw in the book is the reader. At times she comes across as beyond bored and it is all she can do to get to the next word. She does better when doing the character voices but she really doesn't do the book justice. I almost stopped about an hour in. I am glad I persevered, the book is worth it.