CyndiLooWho

Yes!

Sarah Drew is one of my favorite narrators. I chose this book because of her and was pleased with my choice.

This book was placed on the Summer Reading list at the school I work at and I think it's a good choice. I hated the characters at the beginning, but it seemed I was supposed to, so I kept going to see how things would evolve. I'm happy with the book, and loved the narration. It would be a good book for those new to Audible. It would also be a good book for a parent and teen to read together as it would bring a lot of important topics of conversation up in a relatively non-threatening way.

I loved the narration best. The story was good too, but it was the narration that put it over the top for me. The main character Hildy made me laugh out loud several times.

I would certainly recommend it to my friends, particularly to those just beginning to try audio books. It's a great example of a book made better in this format. Alcoholism, however, is one element addressed in this story, and it might be hard for some to listen to, as it seemed a very real and clear expression of the struggle. I feel that I understand the cravings and emotions associated with it much better because of this book. There is certainly more to the story than that, but it's worth a word of caution.

Mary Beth Hurt's performance was the best part of this book for me. Terrific! Some books are just better as audio books, and this is one of those. Mary Beth brought a depth to the character that I couldn't have created on my own. Hildy is quite a character, and it is because of the performance. I would rank Mary Beth Hurt as one of my top 5 favorite narrators based on this book. I will be looking closely at other books narrated by her to add to my library.

I'm still listening to this book, but I already know I will recommend it to others. It would be a great gift for someone on Father's Day. The relationship between Martin and Emilio isn't perfect, but touching and inspiring in it's honesty and sincerity. The stories they tell are interesting, and have kept me entertained along my long commute. I am happy to get back into the car each time to hear what is coming next.

The retelling of the filming of Martin's character Tom jumping into the river was fabulous. Of course I was also waiting anxiously to hear about the filming of Apocalypse Now and that didn't disappoint.

I agree with the other comments about the editing. There are numerous places where a few words or a whole sentence is repeated. "Heart attacks are something that happen to grandparents... Heart attacks are something that happen to grandparents..." At first I thought it might be purposeful to emphasize a point, but then the second and third time it was obviously a mistake. I would have wondered if it were my device, but others are reporting it also. FIX IT!

I should also say that without a fix, although it's distracting, it's not so bad that I would avoid the book all together. It should be fixed, however, as it just doesn't seem appropriate to have something out there that needs editing. It's a shame to have such a great performance scared in that way.

Less name dropping of literary references, authors and novels. If I were into that sort of thing, I would be more likely be listening to a different caliber of novel.

Not without a personal recommendation from a close friend.

His narration was good, and it added more life and dimension to the characters.

Disappointment. The ending snuck up on me. It was hard to believe they wrapped it all up so quickly. As if the author just got sick of writing and needed to end it.

I started and stopped and started again a lot with this book. If I had something more interesting downloaded, I may not have finished. There were points where the story would get going and it did keep my interest and I wanted to hear more, but there were several points particularly at the beginning that I felt bogged down by the literary references.

The description of the manic depressant character was interesting, and for that alone I am glad to have gotten through the book to get an inside glimpse into what that may be like for someone who suffers in this way, although because of the time period I am wondering if the medications today are better. Maybe Jodi Picoult could pick up the subject in one of her novels!