Mississippi Jack

Bloody Jack #5

By: L. A. Meyer

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

In Mississippi Jack, the fifth installment in the Bloody Jack series, the intrepid Jacky Faber, having once again eluded British authorities, heads west, hoping that no one will recognize her in the wilds of America. There she tricks the tall-tale hero Mike Fink out of his flatboat, equips it as a floating casino-showboat, and heads south to New Orleans, battling murderous bandits, British soldiers, and other scoundrels along the way.

Will Jacky's carelessness and impulsive actions ultimately cause her beloved Jaimy to be left in her wake? Bold, daring, and downright fun, Jacky Faber proves once again that with resilience and can-do spirit, she can wiggle out of any scrape...well, almost.

©2009 LA Meyer (P)2009 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Ms Kellgren is the Best of the Best Readers!

I laughed, I cried, I was often so caughtup in the story that I sat in the driveway after my hour commute not wanting to end the story. So good!

Love, love, love our dear Jacky Faber

L.A. Meyer has given us a gift in Jacky Faber and her over the top adventures - a strong, yet fallible female character and the opportunity to discuss her life lessons with our own girls. She is a good natured big thinker, courageous thru fear, yet prone to nightmares and depression. She learns from her many mistakes, is always willing to learn new skills, is never above working hard at what must be done and doesn't blame others for her misfortunes. She cobbles together a family of friends, experiencing the unconditional love and loyalty that comes with it. She accepts others as they are without prejudice, she might not like someone but she accepts them and their dislike of her in turn. She vocalizes and acts on her principles and puts others first even when the consequences for her are dire. She is manipulative and a shyster, sometimes blurring surviving and conning. Throughout this series, Jacky learns (and takes to heart) that her actions have unforeseen, sometimes negative, consequences for her friends as well as herself - not something often represented.

And then there's the history. It's dirty, appalling, uplifting, exciting and pretty accurate. Jacky is a dynamic character and her outlandish story highlights the limitations imposed on fellow characters. The historical context and dialog give a glimpse into the soul of the time and place, not just a textbook overview.

As for the increasing sexual nature of Jacky, she is now sixteen and has for a long while been responsible for the health and welfare of herself and many others. It is understandable that this part of her life would mature, too. The consequences for herself and her friends aren't lost on her. I have survived one teenage daughter, have another on the brink, and feel it has been handled well so far but it may not be for everyone. I am listening ahead of my 12 year old daughter so I know which subjects, both personal and historical, I want to address more fully.

Wonderful Voice Acting!

Katherine Kellgren does a phenomenal job with this performance.

Having listened to all of the "bloody Jack" Audio books this one though lacking in the High Seas adventure, if fraught with Jackie's charming euphemisms and a wonderfully blunt outlook on her situations as they arrive.

L.A. Meyer progresses the Jackie story in his usual style and has written a most entertaining story.

If you are new to the series I would recommend that you start out with the first in the series and make your way through Jackie's tale that way, however if you're not into proper order then by all means pick, rather, download this story immediately.

Hilarious in places

While I've LOVED the Bloody Jack series to date and Katherine Kellgren's performance, this wasn't one of my favorites on either account. The story was a bit too long with too many mishaps and I didn't like Ms. Kellgren's portrayal of some of Jacky's wilderness "friend" (for lack of a better word). Every time Mike Fink spoke I had to cringe just a little.

What I loved about this story, was Jaimy Fletcher's travel down the Allegheny, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. When he was coming up with wording for the U.S.A. acronym I was absolutely doubled over in laughter. I couldn't wait to get back to Jaimy's story to hear what he came up with next. Poor Jaimy - he simply could not catch a break in this book.

If you are reading/listening to this series, you cannot skip this book. It is very good - just not my favorite.

Enjoy!

Every mood brilliantly conveyed

Jacky explores America with a motley group of crew members. She experiences just about every possible mood of pride, shame, joy, misery, fear, triumph, anger, love, revenge, compassion, and just plain fun. And Katherine Kellgren portrays them all perfectly.

Some of the earlier books were a bit predictable, but this one has plenty of surprises. Happily we know that Jacky will get out of each scrape because there are more books to go, but sometimes it was hard to see how she would manage this time.

If you are at this point in the series, you might like to download the free conversation between Kellgren and the author, L. A. Meyer. It doesn't give any spoilers after this point except a hint of some more places Jacky will go. He explains why music is so important in these books, and she talks about how she develops the character voices and keeps them straight.

This series is one of several I would never have found or appreciated in print. The right narrator contributes so much more than I could get by reading it myself.

Not the best of the bunch

Any additional comments?

I have absolutely loved listening to this series, and am rooting for Jacky throughout all her adventures, regardless of where she goes. That being said, I have to say I did not enjoy this installment, mostly because of the narrator's voicing of Mike Fink, who as a character made me want to pull my hair out. I think being waterboarded might be a more cheerful experience than listening to that voice bellowing through the speakers. It was extremely distracting and to say that it was annoying may be the understatement of all time. In addition, the story seemed to languish and meander more so than the others in the series, and I had a difficult time developing empathy for the characters or their plights. I was, however, delighted to meet Simon Freeman, and would welcome seeing him in the future. Unfortunately, I have to say that throughout the book I just kept thinking, "Just get ON with it, will you?"

First half - treading water?

The first part didn’t seem to have a general story line that held my attention.

The narrator is absolutely amazing!! Her depiction of characters is so vivid that I could barely listen to the annoying Mike Fink.

Fantastic series

Some thought this book is the series was a little over the top- but it is an fantastical adventure story, so I was fine with me. Jack Fink was annoying, but he was supposed to be.
When you love the characters of a book series as much as you grow to love these characters, you are happy to read every single book.
I wish very much there weee more in the series - but so sadly both the author & narrator have passed away- the author was very ill while writing the last book. Both departed this world much too soon, especially the narrator who was only 48. So sad.
But their talents & legacy live on with this wonderful series.

Jacky Continues to Amaze!

This is another exciting installment in the Jacky Faber saga. Great fun, and the narrator does a terrific job of bringing all of these characters to life. Mike fink is especially fun. Katherine Kellgren continues to delight with song and many different accents.

One wild ride...

Made me laugh out loud when I wasn't holding my breath. Man this girl can get into more trouble, but what a ride.
Bloody and funny, quite a combination