Passage

During the course of this novel, my attitude shifted from eager interest, to patient progress, to determined resolve, to anguished plodding, to absolute fixation. Ms. Willis has this way of making you feel so comfortable in the worlds she creates that you begin to grow attached to her characters, while putting up with things you know full well are bad decisions or wrong attitudes on their part. And then things happen, that make you terribly invested in the outcome. This was an easier process to endure in the Oxford Time Travel books because of the immediate and understandable hazards at play there, plague, the blitz, the end of time as we know it, etc. It seems to work well in her shorter novels too. Passage suffers, I think, from its generally "normal" setting and hefty length, taking a little too long to get where it needs to go, and in the process making the protagonists seemed by turns close-minded and scatterbrained. Of course, then that moment comes along and the stakes are suddenly different, or are revealed for what they truly are as the case may be, and you're back on board again.

Where the author continues to excel is creating a broad cast of characters that all have their own problems and deal with them in their own ways. I have always enjoyed Ms. Willis's portrayal of people facing adversity, and this book has some great examples of that, both in the discussions of historical disasters, and the everyday troubles of people who find themselves in the employ, or requiring the services, of a hospital. The hospital itself seems to be a character, as many plot points revolve around the inability of anyone to reach anything by taking a logical route. This is played for laughs regularly, and it's surprising how it can still be funny even near the end.

Ms. Pearlman's performance is good, with recognizable characterization and clear narration.

My overall score is based on my complete impression of the book, including my particular fondness for most of Ms. Willis's characters, however much I feel the story may be lacking. I also loved the ending.

I would listen again. Actually I find all of Ms Willis's books that I have read worth the re-reading. This is no exception. I found I cared about the characters and what they were learning and doing. I also found the narrator is a good match for the tone and content of the story.

I enjoyed the mix of plot tension with character development. Some readers / listeners may complain of "pseudoscience," but I think the point isn't "Gee this might be true," but rather the point is, "I can see these people doing these things in this situation," and I care about them.In another vein, I think this story compares very favorably with "The Brief History of the Dead" by Kevin Brockmeier. If you liked that book, I believe you would like "Passage." If you didn't like "Brief History...", you may like "Passage" nevertheless.

I have listened to Clementine by Cherry Priest. I guess this compares favorably, because I didn't realize I had heard Dina Pearlman before until I looked at my library to see if she is there. Since I didn't remember her reading of Clementine, that says to me that she is unobtrusive enough as a reader that I wasn't distracted by her reading from the content of the story.

I did laugh at places in "Passage." I didn't actually cry, but there are places in the story that would be suitable for a "bitter sweet" label.

Once again, just to say I have enjoyed each Connie Willis book that I have read or listened to. I find "To Say Nothing of the Dog: Or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last" to be one of the most perfect books I have ever read (or listened to).

During the course of this novel, my attitude shifted from eager interest, to patient progress, to determined resolve, to anguished plodding, to absolute fixation. Ms. Willis has this way of making you feel so comfortable in the worlds she creates that you begin to grow attached to her characters, while putting up with things you know full well are bad decisions or wrong attitudes on their part. And then things happen, that make you terribly invested in the outcome. This was an easier process to endure in the Oxford Time Travel books because of the immediate and understandable hazards at play there, plague, the blitz, the end of time as we know it, etc. It seems to work well in her shorter novels too. Passage suffers, I think, from its generally "normal" setting and hefty length, taking a little too long to get where it needs to go, and in the process making the protagonists seemed by turns close-minded and scatterbrained. Of course, then that moment comes along and the stakes are suddenly different, or are revealed for what they truly are as the case may be, and you're back on board again.

Where the author continues to excel is creating a broad cast of characters that all have their own problems and deal with them in their own ways. I have always enjoyed Ms. Willis's portrayal of people facing adversity, and this book has some great examples of that, both in the discussions of historical disasters, and the everyday troubles of people who find themselves in the employ, or requiring the services, of a hospital. The hospital itself seems to be a character, as many plot points revolve around the inability of anyone to reach anything by taking a logical route. This is played for laughs regularly, and it's surprising how it can still be funny even near the end.

Ms. Pearlman's performance is good, with recognizable characterization and clear narration.

My overall score is based on my complete impression of the book, including my particular fondness for most of Ms. Willis's characters, however much I feel the story may be lacking. I also loved the ending.

Not so much. It is so repetitive. I know that is part of the literary device, but I felt like I was trapped in the rat-maze hospital with these people and I just wanted it to be over. I also felt like the "big revelation" wasn't much of a revelation at all.

I have to say, the descriptions were vivid and the characters were relatively well rounded. I enjoyed it but I expected a bit more from the plot line than the endless repetition.

1Q84

Having said that, good is still pretty good. The basic premise seemed a bit oversimplified for a neurosurgeon to let himself fall into and there was a lot of repetition near the end to where it felt a bit like today's favorite genre "the gaming puzzle" format. Usually, her wit and writing take the mechanics in hand, but here, I got a little worn out from the layers of puzzle/literal twists/maps/clues format versus her usual good banter/hints of relationships. I could have cared more or sensed closer relationships among the main characters... but it's nitpicking. Overall, a good read and a superior performance. I'm not complaining really - this was better than MANY books I get, just not better than some of Connie Willis's...which is a little unfair.

I'm also a sucker for near death and /or time travel. So she was playing right into my hands here... and I realize not every single book can hit on all fronts. Go ahead, get it. I'm not sad about the purchase at all. I mean I didn't really expect her explain life after death (I did have hopes...). It was just more TV than movie - but sometimes, that's okay.

yes. Good narrator, will make them think and question their beliefs about death

Heaven is For Real is one book which I might compare this audiobook to. Both books explore what happens when a person dies, and each book takes a unique perspective. Some people, like myself, believe that when we die, we will go to Heaven and be with our religious Savior, such as Christ. Others have a more secular view, that life simply stops at death. After listening to both books, people on both sides will be able to debate the issue, inteligently.

No, but, like J. Charles, I found her to be a captivating narrator. I would listen to her audiobooks, again.

It would be Joanna, definitely! I could not stand Mr. Mandrake, and I think Richard would be engrossed in his experiments with diazamine, (I can't remember the drug that was used to put the subjects into near-death experiences), but I think that Richard would be too wrapped up in his work to be interesting. Kit is trying to take care of her uncle who has Alzheimer's, and I want her to spend as much time with him as she can. Joanna would probably be an interesting person to talk to, and I think I could learn a lot about the near-death research that she has been working on. That type of thing, (neurological research), really interests me.

You will not be prepared for the surprising ending, or for what happens to Joanna just as she makes the important breakthrough about the neurological role in the near-death experience! If you are interested, get Passage by Connie Willis!

The idea for the story. Ms. Willis has an amazing imagination.

I much preferred Blackout and Doomsday Book. And I thoroughly enjoyed To Say Nothing of the Dog. But this endless tome went on and on. After the first couple of parts it was all gloom, with scene after scene in the same pattern. It should have been cut a good 50 - 100 pages.

When doing Maisie (sp?) - annoying. Otherwise, she was fine.

Only if it got rave reviews.

Maybe if I read the book it would have been a better experience since reading is much faster than listening. But I would love a word count on the word "no." It seems the protagonist said it constantly.

It was engaging from start to finish.

The continuous wonder concerning the NDEs and where they were going.

Joanna Lander

Mysterious journies

No. The story could have easily been told in 6 hours, but was instead drawn out into 27 long hours. The way the story was told would be similar to sitting down and telling somebody every last detail of everything you did today, including how you had to look for your car keys in your bag, how many voice mails you had (with a review in detail of each, one by one), who you passed on hall on the way to your office, which stairs you took to go visit a colleague, etc., etc., then telling them what you do at the end of the day tomorrow, when about 80% of it is the same as what you did today. Repeat for 27 hours. Yes, I get that this method of storytelling is a relevant metaphor, but it does not merit taking so many hours upon hours to relay this.
The story itself, while being an interesting topic, lacked a solid punch at the end. The big discovery the protagonist makes seems rather obvious and uncreative. The ending was a little too sugar-sweet and happy. Definitely not one of the more interesting reads I've had here. It sure beat "14" at least, but that's not saying much!
I will say that the narrator was excellent.

The story seemed to lack a plot.

I really like her time travel books

The narration was the best part of this listening experience.

The narration

I hope this is not a trend for Willis.