Another Piece of My Heart

A writer..in my opinion...should NEVER narrate their own book. They OVER due the reading. Their emotions over their writing and the story are too high and it over exaggerates the way they narrate.

The story was very good: it was Jane Green at her best -- creating complex, memorable characters in real life situations.

It took more turns than Promises to Keep, but it was similar to some of Green's earlier novels.

At first, I was thrilled to have Jane Green narrating her own book -- but it turned out to be a bit of a disservice to the strength of the story. The characters are American, so Jane's British accent was distracting. Also, one of the great strengths of professional narrators is their ability to change their voices slightly -- even via inflection or speed -- for different characters. This isn't a skill Green has, so I was often confused about who was speaking if i missed a word or a sentence.

It's a compelling story that loses a bit in the narration, but fans of Jane Green's work will enjoy it.

1) If the author would have developed her characters before she started, had a blueprint before she started and given seconary characters a purpose, the story might not have come off as if she didn't pull the story out of her pocket as she went.
2) If the author remembered what she wrote about secondary characters because when she brought back two of them, the facts she have about them were incorrect.
3) If it took place in England, for the author didn't do enough research to write a believeable story about Americans living in California. The slang and words spoken by the characters was how Brits talk - NOT Californians.
4) If she didn't attempt to read her own story.

The basic storyline was thought through and flowed well. The major changes that happen within this family are timed very well so that just when you are getting bored a major event happens and keeps you interested. But, OY beyond the basic story there are so many flaws that it is shocking that A LOT of errors were not repaired before it got to print.

If you want a listener to believe the characters, the reader HAS to be of that nationality or atleast fake it well - the author/reader didn't even attempt it.

All of the secondary characters for none of them had a purpose or went anywhere....all the main characters friends started out to be interesting then the author dumped them. Each of them could have come in to add so much to the tale all along the way. What an opportunity lost. Then the few she brought back later for a senseless split second, came back with wild changes and for no purpose, only to have the author dumped them again...odd.

Do NOT let this author read any of her stories ever ever again...... in fact, because of this book I will be reading all samples of books written by the author in the future. If the author seems remotely shaky - I am NOT buying it.

I've enjoyed Jane Green's books in the past, but if she continues narrating, I might choose the print version instead.I almost didn't continue with this book after I started listening to it, but I wanted to find out what happened in the story. I did enjoy it, although I found it a bit neatly packaged in the end.

In the same way there are very few writer/directors who are also actors, I think that a writer is not often the best choice as a reader, even though they may think they 'know their characters best.' There are so many excellent readers who can do an incredible number of accents in their performances, and Ms. Green's was not varied enough and since this one was based entirely in the USA, I found the British accent distracting. It was also a bit overwrought; the narrative parts should be more neutral than when the characters themselves are speaking. I listened to the interview with Ms. Green after the book ended and she spoke about being emotionally involved with her characters, but this was too much so.

Ms. Green should also take more care in using certain expressions that are very British, such as 'swear blind,' 'garden' instead of 'yard,' etc. I had noticed this in one of the first books she set in the States when one of the US characters said, 'chalk and cheese,' which I have only ever heard used by one of my friends from London and it continues to crop up in all her subsequent writings. It is a minor annoyance, but it seems like a capable copy editor should have picked them up.

I can't compare the two, but I will say I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this as my first audiobook.

Jane Green's Bookends.

Pretty darn good!

I would love to see this happen. The tag line should be the title.

Strongly recommend this book. Cannot wait to choose my next listen/read!

The narration of the book was just not good. It was so hard to believe that these characters were from California when Jane Green was reading with such a strong accent. It drove me crazy throughout the book. I loved the story but couldn't wait for it to be over because of the accent just did not fit the characters.

I did not like the performance at all. Jane Green's accent made it very difficult to believe. If the book had a setting in London, it would have been fine. It didn't. These characters were all from the US. They should have had American accents.

The story is very heart felt. The characters go through deep emotions and it's clear that they will come out the other end, but it's how they get there that is so captivating. There are many plot turns that keep it lively and interesting.

I have listened to almost all of Jane Greens other books and have loved them. They were part of what got me into listening to audiobooks in the first place. They are "page turners".

I usually love it when the author reads the audiobook. In this case it's a little bit difficult because of Jane Green's British accent voicing the American characters, but I got used to it quickly.

I think it was a bit odd having a book set in Northern CA read by the author who has a British accent, but I got over it. The story started out slow, but the characters developed as the book went on and I thought the story was very good. I think there are parts of it that everyone who has had a complex relationship with a family member can relate to.

I would say so, although I haven't read the print version of this book. I love audio books because I can listen while I do things, I don't have to sit still. Also the characters really come to life when the story is read.

The most memorable was when Emily started speaking like an adult. She made the transition from a teenage mind set to an adult. I liked hearing the story from different characters point of views. Especially Emily's, it offered good insight to a typically teenage mind.

I love all of the Jane Green books. I have listened to four other audio books and read a few others. This story line was a bit different than her usual. I love the details, the visual she paints for the reader in her story's. This was more involved in the characters themselves rather than outside details. I enjoyed the story, the drama of the story compensated for the lack of details that are usually provided.

A story mother and daughter will both love.

I love your books Jane, keep writing please.

I actually loved that Jane Green wrote from several character's perspective. It is a trait that I love in Jodi Picoult's writing. It completely expands the story.

I do think she put a lot of emotion in this story but in my opinion it added depth to the story. I am much more interested and invested in a story that can evoke emotion from me. A narrator who cannot make me feel a story is a book I can't finish.