Charles Manson Coming Down Fast

A Chilling Biography

De: Simon Wells

Narrado por: Peter Curran

Simon Wells' breathtaking account of life and murder with Manson and the Family, charting the influence of the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Black Panthers on their enduring legacy of horror.

©2009 Simon Wells (P)2017 Talking Music

Fills in what Helter Skelter left out

If you could sum up Charles Manson Coming Down Fast in three words, what would they be?

Excellent, detailed, well-told

What did you like best about this story?

Honestly, I thought I knew details of this case, but I learned a lot more that I hadn't seen anywhere else.

Have you listened to any of Peter Curran’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I am looking forward to hearing more of Peter Curran. I LOVED his reading. His voice is pleasant and easy to listen to. I would love to hear him read more titles.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. Of course, it was too long for one sitting, but I did listen to it twice back to back.

Any additional comments?

More Peter Curran please!

Interesting.

Throughly interesting. Great look
into the family, with strong well researched detail. Absolutely worth listening to.

Entertaining, Balanced Account of Manson Saga

This is one of the more entertaining retelling's of the Mason Family story I have read. The author does a fantastic job of minimizing slant. He is clearly not a Manson defender or conspiracy clown, but at the same time he recognizes that there was something very special about the man. He's not out to follow the "talentless musician leading drugged out losers" line.

At first I was disappointed that the narrator had a strong Irish accent. However, when I discovered that the writer was from the UK, and that the book was written in UK British parlance, it made sense, and I soon began to appreciate the narrator.

Briefly surveying the reviews before listening, I saw some mention of inaccuracies. I have been studying the Manson case for years, and I didn't notice any obvious factual mistakes. For Manson heads, there will be much here that is familiar, but there will likely be some things heard for the first time.

One interesting thing is that this author clearly relied a lot on the autobiographies of the different persons involved. As people often view those revisionist testimonies of Atkinson and Watson as suspect, they aren't often used as sources. More importantly, this author used the biography "co-written" by Manson in prison as a reliable source, which I have never seen before. It gives the book a very different feel than others.

fascinating

I loved this and couldn't put it down. fascinating details about Manson, his origins, and his crimes.

Good story.

Good information, good story. First time I’ve heard much of details. The narration could have been better. Narrator has a heavy British accent sometimes hard to understand.

Entertaining but inaccurate

This is a decent book, filling in the blanks of Helter Skelter. However, there are a lot of inaccuracies.

everything you wanted to know about Manson et al.

If you could sum up Charles Manson Coming Down Fast in three words, what would they be?

gripping; interesting; descriptive

What does Peter Curran bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

his accent is wonderful. makes the story come alive

Any additional comments?

Fabulous read.

THE MOST INFORMATIVE MANSON BOOK EVER WRITTEN

What made the experience of listening to Charles Manson Coming Down Fast the most enjoyable?

This is the closest book to the best true crime story ever written, Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry.

What other book might you compare Charles Manson Coming Down Fast to and why?

Three books come to mind! Helter Skelter, by Ann Rule, A Stranger Beside Me, the story about Ted Bundy, and Charles Manson and Coming Down Fast!

Coming Down Fast, Stranger, and Helter Skelter should be a part of anyone's library interested in True Crime!

Which character – as performed by Peter Curran – was your favorite?

He was OK! Many words not pronounced correctly. This did not bother me a bit. Peter did a good job!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

New information I never knew about

Any additional comments?

A must read/listen for all true crime fans!

solid writing a few narration errors

Excellent biography that fills in details that Helter Skelter does not. Of particular interest are the details of the Hinman murder. One gripe though is that the narrator has a brogue more worthy of a fiction work or an Irish history. Nothing terrible but he misstates a few very obvious words that I doubt the author miswrote, including Manson's contact with old members of the "Ma Baker gang" and an interview with "Jeraldo Riviera" - Just sloppy things that really could have been caught before final recording.

Captivating

I'm a Manson true crime buff and there are things in this book I didn't even know really well read so great I didn't want to get out of my car and stop it ! A++