• Be Brave, Be Strong

  • A Journey Across the Great Divide
  • By: Jill Homer
  • Narrated by: Sharon Olivia Blumberg
  • Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars (39 ratings)

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Be Brave, Be Strong  By  cover art

Be Brave, Be Strong

By: Jill Homer
Narrated by: Sharon Olivia Blumberg
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Publisher's summary

Jill Homer, a newspaper editor in Alaska, has an outlandish ambition: a 2,740-mile mountain bike race from Canada to Mexico along the rugged Continental Divide. But in the tradition of best-laid plans, Jill's dream starts to unravel the minute she sets it in motion. An accident during a race on the Iditarod Trail results in serious frostbite. As she struggles with painful recovery and uncertainties about leaving a good job to pursue a seemingly impossible pipe dream, her employer hands down an offer she can't refuse. Just two days before their departure date, her boyfriend ends their eight-year relationship. This final blow dismantles everything Jill thought she knew about life, love and her own identity. Be Brave, Be Strong: A Journey Across the Great Divide is the story of an adventure driven relentlessly forward as foundations crumble. During her record-breaking ride in the 2009 Tour Divide, Jill battles a torrent of self-doubt, anger, fatigue, loneliness, pain, grief, bicycle failures, crashes, violent storms, and hopelessness. Each night, she collapses under the crushing effort of this savage new way of life. And every morning, she picks up the pieces and strikes out anew in an ongoing journey to discover what lies on the other side of the Great Divide: astonishing beauty, unconditional kindness, and boundless strength.

©2011 Jill Homer (P)2016 Jill Homer

What listeners say about Be Brave, Be Strong

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The worst narrator in history

Enjoyed the story but the narrator made the book almost unreadable. It's a shame because I thought the book was well written.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Listen to a sample first

I am an average Joe ultra runner and identify with Jill Homer's struggles and triumphs in the outdoors, but this reading of her work just doesn't work for me. Listen to a sample and see if it works for you before committing.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

narrator is horrible

its unbearable to listen to this narrator. just trust me... its unlistenable and I wanted to like it. maybe I'll just read it the normal way

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3 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Listen to sample before buying

Narrator voice was uncomfortable to my ears
...........................one two three four five six seven eight

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Worst narration in the history of time

This book was unbearable to listen to. This was the worst narration I’ve ever experienced. The content of the story is aspiring. The writing is elementary. It gets frustrating to listen to “he said”, “she said” repeatedly when the conversation is taking place between two people.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Dry and boring narrative

I would have loved to finish this book. But the narrative was boring and dry. Too mechanical. Could not make it past the 3rd chapter. I'll finish it if they rerecord with a new narrator.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • RC
  • 01-11-19

Kept my interest, but there are issues...

Decent story, although I grew tired of hearing: "...he said."
"...I said."
...he said."
"...I said."
...he said."
"...I said."
It made the writing seem a little lazy. In place of the word "said," I'd have been pleased to hear other words such as: exclaimed, cried, called out, interjected, chortled, etc.

As for the performance of the reader, I'm saddened to say it's the worst I've heard in an audiobook. I was able to tolerate it and finish the entire story, but the poorly-done male voice impressions and the numerous mispronunciations of place names (among other things) were sigh inducing at best, and served as a significant distraction.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • PJ
  • 12-25-23

Was a really good story...

Awesome story only problem I had was the woman reading the story has a really strong Michigan accent and her voice is a bit unpleasant. But still Awesome story...

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great book terrible narration

the narrator was really choppy like it was a robot or something. hard to get through but amazing story!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book if you can get over narrarator’s voice

I am an avid women’s adventure books reader. Truly enjoyed this book’s content- well written & really compelling story. However, found the narrarator’s voice to be pretty bad- irritating- terrible at doing various character’s voices & awful pronunciation. This was my book club’s choice & I didnt have time to read a hard copy of the book though so bit the bullet & tolerated the narrarator voice just to get this book ‘read’. My husband could not stand it & would run out of the room screaming noooooo anytime he walked in & heard it playing. In time I got used to it & my tolerance for her voice grew as I got more and more into story. The first few chapters before Jill started the race were especially painful. Great story though! Just really tough to listen to the voice 😵‍💫

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