Alcairha

I should say that I've always been interested in Buddhism, but too busy to pursue it :) I've always suspected there's a life lesson in there somewhere and now I know it! This book brings Buddhism to life for a person from the modern world by providing clear information about the basic teachings and combining it with humorous anecdotes from the author's own life. The book is written in a clear manner that is easy to follow. The 4 basic truths are explained as well as meditation techniques. The book is engaging from the first page. I find myself quoting it constantly to my friends. I liked the book so much I bought the Kindle version too! The reader has a pleasant voice and keeps his tone light in character with the tenor of the book, rather than preachy or sonorous. Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone with a beginner's interest in Buddhism or anyone who wants a clear way to explain Buddhism to others or even anyone searching for meaning in life.

I loved loved loved Heroes Die, but I couldn't stomach this book. It was unrelentingly depressing and brutal. If he had only lightened it up a little bit and left out the unnecessary scenes of torture, that do nothing to further the story. I particularly hated the cannibalism and the sexual arousal of every evil doer at the time of committing acts of violence.

Probably. He is a great writer and story teller, but I would like to put some Prozac in his corn flakes and have him rewrite this book

I couldn't get through it. the only good part was that he finally got rid of Pallas Ril, my least favorite character. I finally quit when I realized that I had to force myself to turn it on.

Mostly disgust and depression

i understand about spinal cord injury, but nowhere in this book (at least as far as I got) was there a point where Caine/Hari comes to terms with his disability and moves past it.

1. Well developed quirky characters you quickly love and care about. 2. Colorful, psychotic, inhuman murderers that you make you hate them passionately, although you also come to understand how the horrible brutal life they lived made them this way3. The real culprits are the the complacent burghers, who don't care about justice or truth, and only want their comfortable life to continue, no matter what the cost to the helpless people they torture and whose lives they destroy. This hasn't changed in modern times as much as one would think...3. A very satisfying ending. 4. I particularly loved the contrast between the village torturer and hangman, who is the most compassionate, caring, ethical individual in the story versus the politicians, who should be the ones caring for the town, but who are the real torturers and inquisitors. 5. The horrible helplessness of women in those times, who were victims of superstition, ignorance and greed. It makes you appreciate how lucky we are to live in this day and age in America, where we enjoy freedom and liberties unimaginable to women in medieval times or even as recently as the 19th century6. I am a physician myself and can really appreciate the hard life of a physician in those times, who had to fight inconceivable ignorance and superstition to further scientific progress. Things haven't changed as much as one would think here either!7. Historical accuracy8. and finally, great story telling! Nothing beats that!

As a woman, I liked Magdalena's escape from the soldiers who were trying to rape her, but there were so many memorable scenes, it's hard to say which one I liked best. the

The narration was clear and easy to follow, but this is not one of my favorite narrators. I found the narration a bit dry and unemotional for the story

Without question! It was the kind of story that makes you late for work, because you can't wait to find out what happens next. I found myself turning it on every second i could. I'm about to devour the sequels.

I had a hard time with the scenes of torture, which were mercifully cut short just at the point where I was going to have to either fast forward or shut down the book. I know that torture was common place in those days, but it is still hard to stomach with modern sensibilities

I have mixed feelings about this novel. On the one hand, The writing is spectacular. The characterizations are absolutely brilliant. I was fascinated and couldn't stop listening to it, particularly near the end, when it became increasingly clear that this story was unraveling like a Greek tragedy. On the other hand, the story was too true to life for my taste. I read and listen to books to escape. WARNING SPOILER ALERT. I get very frustrated when none of the "bad guys" get what they deserve. I also get frustrated with antiheroes, protagonists who don't evolve or learn anything from their experiences and instead end up as miserable and lonely as they were at the beginning of the story. I was also a bit frustrated that the first and original mystery was never resolved, but only served to explain the Protagonist's psychological problems. He, of course, did get what he deserved and there was a certain bleak satisfaction in that.

Cassie, no question at all, it was Cassie. She was the true positive hero of the story, courageous, intelligent, quirky, the one who finally figures everything out and who has the courage to face her demons. I also loved Heather, who added the right note of comedy.

I thought the narrator was the best performance, just the right combination of self recrimination, self-pity and self destructiveness. In general I thought Steven Crossley was terrific.

I did have a very strong reaction to the book. The end caught me by surprise. It took a very long time to arrive there, unusually long for a mystery novel, but perhaps well-suited to the character novel that it really is. Overall it made me feel very sad. It also make me think about the missed opportunities in my own life and more importantly about the ones I want to avoid missing in the future. It's a book that will stay with me for a long time.

I loved this book for the wonderful characterization of life in ancient Rome, all told from the point of view of a particularly gifted and "privileged" slave. I never thought the politics of ancient Rome could be so suspenseful, but I found the book riveting and highly satisfying. The sinister depiction of Julius Caesar was also fascinating and somewhat unexpected. The narration is outstanding.

Suspenseful, brilliantly written, wonderful characterizations of truly tortured souls including the protagonist. I loved the previous books in this series - as a neurologist, the psychologist with Parkinson's disease fascinates me, particularly since the depiction is excellent and very accurate. However, this book was really depressing. Everything just keeps going downhill for our hero, no matter how hard he tries to do the right thing. I almost stopped listening during the scene with the animal torture - I really couldn't stomach that at all. I don't think I'll be listening to any more books in this series, not without a hefty dose of Prozac in any case. Narration was outstanding.

The good: Fascinating characters that spring to life, vivid descriptions, very atmospheric. Outstanding narrator, does a wonderful job with the accents
The bad: absolutely nothing happens for pages and pages and pages...as much as I liked the characters, I got extremely bored and finally gave up. It's kind of like the "No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency", only even slower paced - if you liked those books, you might like this one.

I enjoy listening to YA books, which are often fast-paced and easier to listen to than some of the adult fantasy novels, which are better read than appreciated in audio format. There are many complex and highly imaginative YA novels available on Audible. This is not one of them. The heroes and Gods are all modernized and trivialized to resemble teenagers and even the twin teen main characters, who fit the PROPHECY (yawn) are not very interesting. The writing is repetitious - for instance, all of the Godesses are "tall and elegant". I got so bored listening to it, I couldn't finish it. Definitely for teens and younger only and only if they haven't read a lot of fantasy

This has to be one of the most wonderful books I've ever listened to- and coming from someone who's been reading/listening to at least 2 books per month for 40 years, that's saying a lot! It starts out as "Mean Girls" meets "Groundhog Day" , but then becomes so much more - a meditation on the meaning of life and what it means to love, all told with the utterly believable voice of a 17 year old girl, who keeps reliving the last day of her life until she gets it right. The story unravels with enough twists and turns so that the suspense never flags. The writing is outstanding, every character, every scene springs to life, but the descriptions are never tedious. And finally, the narrator is superb. A poor narrator can really ruin a good book, but this one is perfect for this book. Do yourself s favor and get this audiobook

A lighthearted story of a determined young spinster, her romance with a werewolf detective and her hunt of rogue vampire and werewolf killers set in an alternate England, where supernatural beings abound and are legally integrated into society. The story is great fun, kind of a Jane Austen novel with werewolves (not zombies). The action is fast-paced and the characters are delightful. The reader is probably the best narrator I"ve ever listened to and I don't usually like listening to female narrators. She creates each of the characters in an entirely believable voice without distracting from the story. Outstanding, can't wait to listen more of her narrations