Indigo

In Search of the Color That Seduced the World

De: Catherine E. McKinley

Narrado por: Tracey Farrar

Brimming with rich, electrifying tales of the precious dye and its ancient heritage, Indigo is also the story of a personal quest: Catherine McKinley is the descendant of a clan of Scots who wore indigo tartan; Jewish "rag traders"; a Massachusetts textile factory owner; and African slaves - her ancestors were traded along the same Saharan routes as indigo, where a length of blue cotton could purchase human life. McKinley’s journey in search of beauty and her own history leads her to the West African women who dye, trade, and wear indigo - women who unwittingly teach her that buried deep in the folds of their cloths is all of destiny and the human story.

©2011 Catherine E. McKinley (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

It's about the author, not indigo

The author wrote this book about herself. She is not as interesting as she thinks she is. Indigo is at best a recurring character. She was adopted into a family that took summer vacations on Cape Cod, went to an Ivy League school and dated one of her professors, took a turn as a creative writing teacher living in a SoHo apartment, then went back to campus as an administrator. After telling us about all this and not about indigo, she then spends the bulk of the book on her study-abroad year as a Fulbright scholar in Ghana.
As for her command of facts, McKinley credits Gandhi with taking part in a rebellion that happened ten years his birth. Indigo fabrics show up here and there, I think as part of her thesis topic. But we don't learn much about what flowers the dye comes from, how the fabrics are made, or how they've influenced cultures and trade routes. The book ends back in America, with the author's grandmother passing away and the author being disappointed in how her mother reacted to it.

Poorly Narrated

I felt compelled to write a review for this audio book because I was so completely distracted by the narrator's performance, I couldn't enjoy the story. It was very difficult to get into the flow of this book because some words were mispronounced, the cadence of sentences was very bad, and Ms. Farrar's intonation left one wondering when a sentence was starting and finishing. I found myself replaying a sentence in my head after I would hear it trying to figure out how it should have sounded. If you're doing that while listening to an audio book you're missing portions of the story. I'm planning on reading it to really hear the story and to give it another chance.

Not a History of Indigo

This is a story of a woman's journey to find more about herself through a search for indigo dyed cloth in Africa.

The story is a bit meandering because it follows her life in search of traditional indigo and the people she meets along the way. There is a small amount of history here and there but those parts feel thrown in as an afterthought.

The narrator sounds very new to narrating. Her voice is clear and understandable but the delivery is similar to a high school speech read from a cue card. The cadence does improve as the book goes on but it makes it hard to concentrate on the story.

Loved the reader

I loved the woman’s voice that read this book. She made me feel like I was listening to the authors voice. What you learn about the author is that she is an adopted highly educated black woman. Full of curiosity and lust for her roots.

The narrator makes it impossible to listen :(

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Tracey Farrar?

Anyone who isn't monotone, dry or static.

Any additional comments?

I tried listening several times hoping it would get better. I don't know if I can recommend the book as I couldn't make it past the third chapter due to the narrators voice and speech style.

The Blues

I now can understand the foundations for blues music. As an African American I have been enriched to hear Ms. McKinley’s story.

Poorly written, Poorly narrated

I tried to get through the book and finally did but could not find a plot anywhere. The choice of narrator was unfortunate as her voice was not suited to tbe writing style or the subject. This was not a book worth reading. I mistakenly thought this was a non fiction book on Indigo not a novel. My interest is on dye formulas. But it as a novel, it wasn't worth the time I spent reading it.

Finishes Where it Starts: Nowhere

There is very little here besides a woman traipsing across west Africa. Near the end of the book, even the author is left "wondering, again, at the folly of my obsession." I may have given the book a 2.5 if it were advertised more appropriately, as a journey with no hearty conclusions having very little to say about indigo dye, its production, or the plant itself. Note also, the narrator has a slow, emphatic style which is amazing for dialogue, but she never switches gears when reading factual information and this is very distracting.