Terry

Love him or hate him, it's difficult to deny that this man is a complex and multi-talented performer. Made all the more powerful by Steve Martin's own narration, Born Standing Up will be added to my all time favourites list. From his very humble beginnings and the long road to stardom, this book covers the highs and lows of Steve Martin's life. His narration is intensely personal and engaging and presents an insight into the life behind the public facade.
A truly wonderful book.

The author describes this book as a "braided" story, which is true to say the least! There were many times listening to this book that I thought I must have dozed off and missed a bit, but a few minutes later the story catches up and all is explained. I wasn't lost after all! At times I thought "Beautiful Ruins" was very disjointed and fragmented, with many sudden changes in time and place and characters, but very cleverly so.
If I could give it more than 5 stars I probably would have. I listened to it all whilst driving on a few long trips last week and often sat in the garage for an extra 10-20 minutes on arriving home to continue listening.
Great story, beautifully written and expertly narrated.

I admit to having two goes at finishing this audiobook and I'm not sure if it was worth the effort. The story itself is hardly captivating, but nonetheless it was interesting to hear a recount of the experience of a young family making their escape from "normality" and stepping into a different culture. There's just nothing in the whole story that grabbed me as a listener. The trials and tribulations of the change in lifestyle plot are similar to many other books and movies and the narration is simply uninspiring.
Not on my top 10 list.

It is scary how much we really don't know about ourselves, the other living things around us and our own planet. To say that this is an incredibly detailed and thoroughly researched book is an understatement! With mind-boggling stats for most things presented, the insignificance of the human race and our own tenuous existence is reinforced at every point. Whilst I'm sure listeners with a science background would appreciate this book at a different level, I found every chapter engaging and fascinating. The entertaining narration by William Roberts is the "icing on the cake".
Highly recommended.