In the Face of Jinn

By: Cheryl Howard Crew

Narrated by: Bryce Dallas Howard

Two American sisters, Christine and Elizabeth Shepherd, are on a silk-buying trip in India for their business in California. After Elizabeth mysteriously disappears, Christine is compelled to challenge the ineffectual U.S. and Indian bureaucracies and venture alone, with various strangers as guides, to find her sister. Disguised in the traditional female garb of some Islamic cultures, Christine continues her search in Afghanistan and Pakistan. She navigates the mysterious tribes of the Pashtuns, has a dangerous encounter with the Taliban, and learns to fear the "Jinn", the devils that dominate the superstitions of the people she must understand in order to survive.

This audiobook is an especially personal production, based as it is on authentic research performed by Cheryl Howard Crew during visits to the region, produced with the creative consultation of the author’s husband, Academy Award winner Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind), and performed by their daughter, Golden Globe nominee Bryce Dallas Howard (As You Like It).”

©2005 Cheryl Howard Crew (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

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Where does In the Face of Jinn rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was a good book, it almost lost me but I stuck with it and loved it.

What did you like best about this story?

Learning about the customs and dress and what went on over there..

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

Enjoyed her voices

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

When Christine found what she was looking for...

Any additional comments?

Very interesting!

Captivating

This book caught me in 10 minutes and carried all the way through. Although there were events too improbable to survive, the depth of expression to describe life in central Asia is remarkable. The performance is top notch with amazing clarity of voice and accent. Listen to this book!

I was shocked by the violence but intrigued.

Would you listen to In the Face of Jinn again? Why?

I think so. It inspired me with the strength of the human spirit. I felt a rare insight into the female mind.

What about Bryce Howard’s performance did you like?

Unbelievable! Versatile and believable.

If you could take any character from In the Face of Jinn out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Good question.

THE best narration ever!

Would you listen to In the Face of Jinn again? Why?

I've been listening to one or two books every month since 2002 and Bryce Howard does the most incredible narration I have ever heard. The story is also sooooo good! It's up their with The Help. Couldn't wait to listen and Did not want it to end! Highly recommend it.

Hard to listen to

The reader could do amazing voices for the various characters, but as for her reading of the story, it was so awful I was thinking of returning the book after only 2 chapters. On top of that, the audio had some bad noises at times that were startling. Luckily, there weren't many.

I can't say I liked the main character. She put herself in one dangerous situation after another - raped, bloodied, nose broken, smelling of urine and…it just got worse and worse. Then there's the big switch from subservient trodden-on woman to a revengeful gun-toting mama. And with another change in personality, she falls in love, of course.

I suppose the thing that kept me with the story was the peek into life in such a different part of the world. It's portrayal of the lives of women was especially disturbing for it seemed their only function was that of serving cruel husbands and bearing children. There was little to show how they deal with their daily lives and find some kind of solace, except one small mention of the pleasure of embroidering a scarf.

The story reveals (if it's accurate, then it's really sad) a depth of hatred and distrust that people in that part of the world have for each other and this could explain the genocides and atrocities we hear of on the news.

No, I didn't cry at the end, I was just happy it was over.