Dielle

I was hoping for a historical novel more along the lines of the Last Lion biography of Winston Churchill. But this was more like a children's history lesson. There was very little analysis or tying cause and events together. Just a listing of relative unrelated occurances. I listened up to when he ran for president and was very disappointed on the lack of insight as to how a relative unknown, unpopular man came to be elected as such a pivotal time. Very little analysis of how torn the country was at the time of the election. My son's Jr. High history book had more depth.

I don't think I've ever done this before, but I just finished listening to this and immediately started over back at the beginning. I'm just not ready to leave yet. And I want to go back and hear the things I missed when I wasn't paying close attention the first time. I wish I were a better writer so I could express how much this book resonated to me. My words feel clumsy and inept in comparison. The love of reading, the texture and depth of the story, the atmosphere. I hate to gush but it was wonderful. The book is a homage to Jane Eyre, The Lady in White, Middlemarch, etc. so many of the classics that I've loved over the years. After I finish listening for the second time, I believe I'll re-visit some of my favorites again too. The audio performances were excellent as well, adding to the enjoyment of the story. Bravo! Standing ovation! And thanks Audible for the recommendation.

I wasn't too sure about this book as I had heard mixed things from others about it. But the narration was so well done, the character developement so rich and the pacing just right. I was hooked and pulled right along with the main character into this dusty dirty rough world. I rooted for the old man and cheered at the ending. I enjoyed the jumping back and forth between time frames, it added to the suspence and provided a breathing space at the same time. I was anxious to find out what would happen next, I cared about these characters. The narration of both the past and the present was just right. Excellent and well done, both the story and the performance.

I have never read any western fiction. I didn't watch the mini-series. I've had friends recommend this book over the years and even purchased a paperback at one time but put it on the shelf unread. I grew up in the southwest and it doesn't hold any particular romantic appeal for me. I only reluctantly decided to give this a try out of desperation - I'm addicted to audio books and needed something long to listen to. But this narration and this story was such a joy, such a wonderful surprise. The characters were so wonderfully rendered, so engaging, the situations so quirky/tragic/rich. Thank you to all the other reviewers who convinced me to give Lonesome Dove a chance. And thank you to Lee Horsley for a wonderful performance. This will definitely go on my list of things to listen to repeatedly.

I really was primed to enjoy this book. I loved loved loved Revolution by this author and hoped this was similar. But it is not at all. I was hoping for an intriguing story with lots of texture and character and minimal "bodice ripping" but I was for the most part disappointed. I never became involved in any of the characters, never felt invested in what happened to them. Add to that all the bedroom detail and it wasn't an enjoyable ride. The narrator was very good and I would definitely listen to another of her performances, I just wasn't taken in by the story or the characters. By about half way through the book I couldn't justify plowing through the bedroom scenes to find out what happened. I really didn't care any more. It takes a lot for me to stop reading something as I tend to be somewhat OCD about books. And I know a lot of people don't care or even enjoy hearing the details of other peoples' physical encounters but I'd just as soon leave things up to the imagination. If the story is well done and the characters intriguing, I can overcome that obsticle but that wasn't the case in this book. So far, I'm 2 for 3 on trying female authors writing historical fiction. Maybe I'm too picky, I think I'll go back and read some Dickens again...

A Polish narrator telling the story of a Polish character, what could be more appropriate? I enjoyed the story; lots of atmosphere, sympathetic character, intriguing situation. It wasn't just a listing of events but instead of personal retelling that made me feel like I was sitting listening to the woman telling her own story along with the small details (smells, textures, sounds). As far as the narrator, I thought she was perfect. Yes hearing a polish narrator try to imitate an English accent was interesting, but I found it perfect because that's how the real woman would likely have done it. The occasional odd pronunciations were in character. Overall I was pleasantly surprised. I will listen to this one again and recommend it to others.

In general I love historical fiction. I love well written biographies. I was hoping for something of both in this. It started with possibility but quickly degenerated into a list of events, with very small personal scenes thrown in at random. Well written historical fiction makes you care about the characters, makes you feel like you are there (the smells, the textures). This book has none of that depth or interest. I made it about half way through and decided it wasn't worth the time to complete. The narration was well done, I would be willing to listen to her again. But I've taken Philippa Gregory off my wish list. And I was so hopeful.

This is definitely an epic story, lots of action, lots of characters, plenty of surprises. Sometimes I find myself wishing for a bit of lightness as it is a very dark story. I also would prefer the author had left out some of the R-rated parts so I could recommend it to my teenage son. But here I am downloading the next book in the series just to find out what happens. I guess that ultimately is the mark of a good book, it makes you want to read more. Kind of like potato chips - not particularly good for you or even satisfying but still fun.

like so many sci/fi fantasy books, I enjoyed this right up until near the end. Then the author takes a turn that just doesn't fit with the rest of the story. Not great but some interesting twists on old ideas. Wish the ending had made more sense.

I enjoyed this well enough as I was listening but never got particularly involved. I never cared for the characters or the plot too much. There were just too many parts borrowed from other much better developed and written sci fi books. I finished it, but I was disappointed. Perhaps I was expecting too much based on all the hype.

tedious tedious. and I can usually stick through most things (including history). but this just never got going for me. I think if perhaps I was already a history buff on the civil war, I might have enjoyed it more. But as a story on it's own, I could not get interested. I gave up after about 4 hours.