"well written, well read, very funny"
No surprise that Christopher Buckley is a brilliant author like his father. Although very erudite, I didn't have to go to the dictionary every few sentences like I do for a WFB novel.
Clear audio and very well performed by Anne Heche. The snippet of sample audio from the book is not a good example of the quality of reading Ms. Heche brings to this book. She does the main character magnificently.
I was literally laughing aloud as I listened.
"Don't let this be your first Dick Francis Novel"
Dick Francis is wonderful and if you like him, you'll enjoy this book. But if you are new to Dick Francis, you'll find this a bit slow and boring. Read about 15 other Dick Francis titles before this one (there are plenty of awesome books to choose from).
This book goes into detail about computers: the early PC. Imagine reading aloud BASIC code. That's what happens in this book. Dull. There is a LOT of discussion about putting computer code on cassette tapes...over the course of 15 years! Not realistic, and a bit dull.
The book is divided into two related but quite distinct parts. The first section is a complete novel.
"poor audio"
This was a good story and if you like Dick Francis, you'll enjoy Odds Against. Unfortunately the audio transfer from tape to digital is poor. Of all the Tony Briton recordings I've listened to, this is the worst. And whilst Briton is a phenomenal narrator, in this book, his rendering of British accents is so strong that in some cases it is impossible to discern what the characters are saying.
I thought the story got off to a slow start, and the ending seemed to try too hard to make a certain financial situation sound much more dire than I thought believable. Still the characters were vividly real.
So this may be the worst Dick Francis book I've listened to with the worst audio quality. Still, on any day the worst of Dick Francis is far superior to the best of many others. If you have a choice between listening to Odds Against of another Dick Francis title, choose the other Dick Francis title. But if you must choose between Dick Francis and another author, odds are against the other author.
"A great novel"
Well performed! (I agree that the drunken guy was quite dramatic, but probably realistic...anyhow it is just a short bit). Still, I could listen to Tony Britton all day. He really brings life to these novels.
Fabulous story. If you like Dick Francis' style, you'll enjoy this one about steeplechasing.
After the book hits the climax, it continues for a while to resolve another plot point. Nice because I wanted more. Kind of like one of those classical symphonies that sounds like it is ending, but then goes on to entertain for a while longer.
Brilliant.
"Another great novel...well read"
I was enjoying this audio book so much that I was sorry it ended. Brilliantly performed with Tony Britton creating numerous voices for so many characters. A good story with just the right mix of psychological and physical drama. I did notice a few themes in this book that I had encountered in other Francis novels. This was probably the prototype.
Enjoy.
"Important information"
I think the 2.0 reading is really the 1.0 with a few 2.0 sections pasted in. You can tell in the audio when mid thought the sound gets noticeably louder or softer.
Great book with important insights into how the world works. It is thick "listening" at times so you'll need to pay attention.
"Read this one"
Awesome book with thought provoking insights. Well read with clear audio. I enjoyed listening to this book but then went out and bought a hard copy. Each aphorism is captivating in its own way. Each sentence is its own story. To plow through them in a non-stop narrative means that a lot will be missed. To truly benefit from this work, you need to read it slowly. The optimal way to absorb this book would be to have a hard copy at the bedside and read just a few aphorisms each night.
"brilliantly narrated"
I've listened to many of Dick Francis' novels and they are all terrific; Hot Money is no exception.
There is a lot of "character development" in this book, more so than anything short of Dostoyevsky. Yet Francis keeps it moving along exceptionally well.
What really set this book apart was the language. If you like British English, you'll absolutely love this one. Of course all of Francis' novels use British English, but this one somehow has an extra dose that almost made me feel like I was listening to P.G. Wodehouse. Tony Britton really brought this book to life wonderfully.
"Awesome book"
Expertly narrated, good audio quality. Great novel, I wish it were abridged to about 12 hours instead of 8.5 so I could have gotten more of Ayn Rand's writing. The plot moves along smartly and the speeches make their points much more succinctly than in Atlas Shrugged. Dominique is not someone I'd hold up as a role model for how to make a happy marriage, but I don't think this novel is an allegory about marriage. It is about quality and competence. Nearly all the characters are archetypes or stereotypes. But the points and philosophy are important for everyone to understand. Highly recommended.
"Interesting perspective on Israel"
I agree with a previous reviewer that the author's voice is a bit high pitched for the seriousness of the text. However, I excuse this since the author is telling us his own story, and these really are his words. Also, his reading is dynamic and never boring or mechanical.
The first half gives an interesting perspective on what it is like to be in Lebanon.
What I found most interesting was the second half regarding Israel. Being a Jewish author gives Friedman credibility when discussing the feelings of the Israelis. Even though I had read quite a bit on this subject (I strongly recommend O Jerusalem by Lapierre), I was enlightened by the clear description of the three aspects of the future Israeli state that Ben-Gurion and subsequent leaders dealt with. This alone makes the book worth listening too as this basic aspect of the formation of a Jewish State is fundamental to all understanding of this major world issue. Having some background in the geography and history will greatly enable the listener to follow the discussions about the Labor and Likud parties.
Because this abridged version is short, it is easy enough to get through, and I recommend it.
"Required reading - sort of"
I listened to this book because it is on the U.S. Navy recommended reading list. This book is a good introduction to the issues of globalization and while scholars of India and China would probably find it way too basic, for the rest of us, this book can be the beginning of opening our eyes to the issues we read about in the papers.
Excellent discussion of why jobs are being offshored and a real wake up call to anyone who has high aspirations for their children. Great insight as to why the Chinese have the manufacturing jobs and the Indians have the technology jobs.
The author uses the word "tectonic" more than I think is needed, but otherwise the prose is clear. I found the audio quality to be excellent and the narration very crisp. Yes, the reader's voice is a bit mechanical, but I did not have any problem with that.