Bedbugs

If you do not take, Bedbugs, too seriously you might like it. This is not an exposé about the current bedbug epidemic hitting many cities today (thank goodness). But it is urban tale, set in New York City. Susan and Alex Wendt, a young yuppie couple, move from their tiny Manhattan apartment to a “too good to be true” Brooklyn Heights brownstone. I kind of loved, and kind of hated, the constant modern day references: “Susan opened up her Macbook and updated her Facebook status,” kind of stuff. Most of the problems this couple faces are the kind of problems we’d all like to have. I guess it could be a challenge to quit your job and hire a full time nanny so that you can focus on your art. But Susan’s Bedbug issue is not something I’d wish on anybody. Are they real? Where did they come from? Why did they appear? While all of these questions are answered, in the end you are still left wondering…and itching.

The narration of this audiobook is excellent. The voice was a perfect match for the main character, a woman in her 30’s. The narrator does very well in transitioning between this character, the husband, the young daughter and the little old landlady, as well. The voice is pleasant, believable and not at all distracting from the story being told. The quality of the narration also held up when listening on double speed.

This book was really a wonderful listen. It's rare that a male writer creates a female protagonist as true-to-life as Susan, in this charming, refreshingly contemporary horror novel. There is plenty to be creeped-out by in this book, but it never sinks to a level of making you throw up. It's a psychological drama all the way. I was repeatedly impressed with Elisabeth Rodgers's narration. Usually I'm impressed if I /DON'T/ notice a reader, but in her case she brought all the characters wonderfully to life. I will deliberately seek out other books she has read.

If I'd realized that the author, Ben H. Winters, had written Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, I might have steered away from this book as too campy, or trite. But it is neither and I'm glad I didn't recognize the author's name! It's a solidly, gracefully written novel, very entertaining and I look forward to more original books by Mr. Winter!

The thing I liked about this story is that I never quite knew what kind of story it was. Every time I thought I had it figured out, something would change and I'd be left wondering again.

one of the best ever! I just couldn’t stop listening to the horror! GAWD!!! My flesh is still creeping… GASP!

At the beginning I thought the narrator would be boring with the time but no way. She really does the best job. She IS the main character who is slightly boring at the beginning but she gets more and more involved with the read… you will see, this audio piece is just abso fabso! One of the best I’ve ever listened to.

Great story Mr. Winters! At one point, I was so engrossed in it, I stopped listening to go have a shower just because the storyline was making me feel so creepy-crawly. Anyone who chooses to listen to this one while in the midst of moving, consider yourself warned!

This is a truly creepy book. A good story and a surprise ending. You'll be checking your sheets every night for a while after reading this one.

It was a pretty enjoyable book to listen to. The performance was great. The story kind of lost me towards to the end. The bedbugs were real then or was she just imagining them? The ending was a little weird but overall the book was pretty good. As if bedbugs weren't creepy enough....

This was a good story and worth a listen. It is not only about bedbugs and the twist using these creatures was interesting. It has a rythm that makes you want to find out what happens next, so be prepared for a good long sit down. You will find it worthwhile

It's difficult to scare me with a book. In fact, there's just one that's kept me awake nights and made me wonder what might be hiding in the dark space under my bed. This one didn't even come close, though it turned into a decent thriller in the last couple of hours.

Inspired by recent troubles in New York City, Bedbugs is just too familiar. An ordinary family moves into a too-good-to-be-true apartment and one of them--in this case, the wife, Susan--begins to suspect something is not quite right about their new home. Strange facts about the place's history come to light. Worry turns to paranoia and then to apparent insanity. I can think of a half dozen similar stories. The ending offers some excitement, though; I admit I didn't guess correctly who/what was behind it all, and the family's fate seemed in doubt at several points.

Technically, the recording is perfect: no awkward cuts, missing words or sentences, etc. And the narrator does an excellent job. It just wasn't scary or original enough for me.

if the story didn't go by the numbers to a painfully obvious conclusion, i'd like it more.

The characters were obvious and shallow in their relationship to each other, and the source of evil that causes the mayhem is unconvincing without the cliches that couch it.

rich, caricature, interesting

The anxiety of the main character was interesting, as one wasn't sure if it was insanity, or a supernatural reality tormenting the protagonist's mind. This was maintained for a little while.

The narrator has a wonderful voice, but her voice for male, baby, old lady etc. is so over the top, I would have been more persuaded if I was 5 and it was story time. She has read more than one book like this, unfortunately.