The Winner

By: David Baldacci

Narrated by: Frances Cassidy

Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's Summary

The Dream

She is 20, beautiful, dirt-poor, and hoping for a better life for her infant daughter when LuAnn Tyler is offered the gift of a lifetime, a $100 million lottery jackpot. All she has to do is change her identity and leave the U.S. forever.

The Killer

It's an offer she dares to refuse...until violence forces her hand and thrusts her into a harrowing game of high-stakes, big-money subterfuge. It's a price she won't fully pay...until she does the unthinkable and breaks the promise that made her rich.

The Winner

For if LuAnn Tyler comes home, she will be pitted against the deadliest contestant of all: the chameleonlike financial mastermind who changed her life. And who can take it away at will...

©2002 David Baldacci (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Hire a New Narrator

I read this book years ago as part of the Readers Digest Condensed Edition book my mom had lying around the house. I like the condensed edition much more. Baldacci drags the story on and on, while some of the dialogue is trite and unbelievable. The tension between The antagonist and protagonist is overwrought by the end of the novel.
That NARRATOR. Is she trying to sound that pretentious ALL the time? Several times I had to stop listening because she just grated on my nerves. Her narration is at all times lofty, bored, and condescending, like she supposed that she would have to read this book out loud before tee time. It was insulting. And if your character is trailer park "trash" from deep Georgia, you'd better do a better Southern accent than just dropping the "g" on the ends of your words, sugar. I'm from Texas and I know what I'm talking about.
That being said, the story is original and inventive. The first half of the story is excellent- heartwarming and well-paced. The protagonist's motivations are very clear.
My favorite character was Charlie.

Another winner

Would you consider the audio edition of The Winner to be better than the print version?

I prefer David Baldacci's books in audio rather than print.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Charlie. I liked the role he played in the story.

Did Frances Cassidy do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Her voice was irritating to me. It has a built in sneer. I would have preferred a different narrator. Her voice is pitched rather low and that meant that neither the men's voices nor the women's voices rang true.

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

This book was not one which incites extreme emotion. Rather it is a story to entertain. Baldacci spins a good tale and always brings up an interesting idea. The idea that lotteries could be rigged is an intriguing one.

Any additional comments?

Really, the narrator makes things sink or swim. This book would have been much sweeter for me with a different narrator. I will try to avoid this particular narrator.

This was the worst narration I have ever heard!

Would you try another book from David Baldacci and/or Frances Cassidy?

I will never listen to Frances Cassidy. I listen to MANY audiobooks and have never had a negative reaction. She has a strange accent on vowels, annoying pauses, and stresses of certain words. It was absolutely painful to listen to her. I only continued because the story was reasonably interesting, but the narration made it a nightmare and a total waste of my time.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Eh

Would you be willing to try another one of Frances Cassidy’s performances?

NEVER!

Was The Winner worth the listening time?

NO

A New Baldacci Approach

Would you listen to The Winner again? Why?

This was an interesting story with a totally different story line that the usual Baldacci. It was fun and interesting.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I kept wondering who it was - and did not guess until the story told who it was.

What about Frances Cassidy’s performance did you like?

Frances Cassidy is a good performer who made all the characters distinct and believable.

One of Baldacci's Best!

Would you listen to The Winner again? Why?

I did, in fact, read the book, before I listened to it. So, yes, I would listen again. It has a great plot and character development. Unlike many of David Baldacci's other books, this one is not part of a series.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

The plot is awesome. It starts off slowly, but gets the reader/listener's attention right away. The odd premise makes one want to get farther into the book. Once things get rolling, it is hard to stop reading/listening!

Which character – as performed by Francis Cassidy – was your favorite?

Francis really didn't do a very good job. LuAnn is from Georgia. But, Frances did a generic stereotype country accent. I'm from Texas and I know what different accents/dialects should sound like. Having said that, I still liked LuAnn the best. That's not saying much. When Matthew first appears, we don't know where he is really from. Frances does him with a generic accent. Then, later she makes him sound more like he is from New York and seems to be confused with her version of Charlie.

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

I would love to have listened in one sitting. However, I listen while I am getting ready in the morning and while driving. I don't have time to listen all at once.

Any additional comments?

A great book, and a fairly good performance. A must-listen, all things considered.

worse baldacci ever, narrator puts you to sleep

This was terrible from the beginning but I kept listening to see if story took a while to develop, it didn't. The narrator is monotone and I keep falling asleep.

Great story

Loved the book, however, I wasn't impressed with the narration. Dull monotone voice. I got lost at times because the voice didn't keep my interest. Especially at the beginning.

Reader is monotone

Reader speaks in a monotone for most of the book. She is a "low talker," meaning she always sounds like she's telling you an "aside" (the way Groucho Marx told his jokes). The story was interesting, but I had to return the book unfinished because I couldn't take listening to the reader.

just ok

This book doesn't measure up to Baldacci's normal writings. I found the premise to be somewhat outlandish and the outcome predictable. The reader was tepid and I had trouble keeping focused on the story. At best, a book to read at the beach when you can't find anything else.

Loretta Lynn v Dr Evil in an Amateurish Story

Any additional comments?

I liked the other Baldacci books, but this one is incredibly dumb. The story is completely unbelievable, the story arc is bent, and the dialog is terrible. Baldacci's attempts at country or red-neck speech is ridiculous. Examples: "I didn't take her to go up to no New York" and "You know what curiosity did to that old cat." Who would say that? The bad guy's lines are a comical caricature of an overly formal villain—almost like, shall we say, Dr Evil?

The narrator is OK, but not good. In her defense, though, she didn't have much to work with.

In short, if you have trouble finding enough books for your commute, you might consider this one. If you are careful with your money and purchases, pass this one by.