Words with My Father

By: Jacqueline Druga

Narrated by: David W. Dietz III

Length: 2 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Moments before midnight on New Year's Eve, Danny D'Argenio suffers a massive heart attack and dies. There in the delicate space between life and death, he is given a special gift.

Reunited with his deceased father, he is given the opportunity to see what his life would have been like had he been granted the wish to change some of his life choices. His journey is a priceless eye opening experience, all while getting the precious chance to spend one more day with a father he adored on this earth.

©2011 Jacqueline Druga (P)2013 Jacqueline Druga

Lot of pearls of widowm

I really liked this book. It is an interesting look at the cause and effect of the choices we make. I loved the father character and his words of wisdom. He's also pretty funny (in a dry way). This book really makes you think about the choices that you've made in your life and how things might have been different, had you chosen a different path. I listened to the Audible audio version of this book narrated by David Dietz. His narration was good and fit really well with the main character. I highly recommend this book and would listen to it again.

Not a fan. A little too Mitch Albom for me.

Any additional comments?

Mitch Albom... looking at life after death is all I can equate this to. I enjoy Mitch's writing... this one I didn't.

a story with a message

What made the experience of listening to Words with My Father the most enjoyable?

the narration,it is so important to an audiobook, it can truely make or brake the whole listening experience. David brought the characters to life and aded feelings in the right places .

If you’ve listened to books by Jacqueline Druga before, how does this one compare?

no this was my first, but have listened to one more since , and found it equally enjoyable

What about David W. Dietz, III’s performance did you like?

the fact that it sounded well prepared.

Any additional comments?

I don't normally like short stories , but I did enjoy this one . It didn't feel rushed i as a lot of them do.I liked the fact that the story had a message.

Dietz transforms!

David Dietz transforms himself so precisely between the roles of the son and the father. It is amazing to hear. Though the story itself is lackluster, Dietz brings incredible skill to the fore, making it a worthwhile listen.

Beautiful moving,creative inspirational story

Where does Words with My Father rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I rank this book in my top 20% (and I have listened to over 300!)

What did you like best about this story?

I loved loved this book for the touching relationship between father and son, and even more so for the unique way the book was able to tell stories of redemption and change. Words with my Father has a simple premise--mid-age son dies, meets with his father in heaven and goes over all his life's mistakes in a "what-if this had happened" scenario.

What about David W. Dietz, III’s performance did you like?

I have listened to several of David Dietz's performances, and this was my favorite, probably because his soothing voice lended nicely to the story AND he didn't voice as many characters.

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

I did.

Any additional comments?

Just an overall feel-good book, beautifully written and narrated.

Loved it!

As I listened I kept thinking “what a jerk”. I loved how Ms Druga weaved the story. I smiled at the end of the story. Give Words with My Father a read/listen, you won’t be disappointed.

Good and Wholesome

This is the first novel - written by Jacqueline Druga - that I've listened to that was not apocalyptic. I must state that this work was definitely up to the standard of her preferred writing style.

Very touching, moving, and thought-provoking. A Christmas Carol, of sorts, and the right choice in the end, Danny.

Words with My Father

What would have made Words with My Father better?

A better father figure.

Would you ever listen to anything by Jacqueline Druga again?

Probably

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Nothing,he was fine

What character would you cut from Words with My Father?

The father

Any additional comments?

I really did not like this story.I do like the narrator ,normally,aside from his girl voices which are shrill.I could not get into this book because everyone was so mean or superficial.I understand that it was a 'Christmas Carol' type of thing...'you will be shown how things COULD have been',but it didn't make a difference.

Potentially great story, but...

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I was immedialy engaged with this story about a second generation Asian man, but got quickly turned off by the poor writing. Lots of self-talk addressed the protagonist's reactions to people, but we rarely get to feel what he felt based on behavioral or locational descriptions.

Which character – as performed by David W. Dietz, III – was your favorite?

The best character was the father, complete with a Chinese accent that evolved as more and more authentic as the book progressed. For the other characters, David nailed voices for age and gender. Watch for him in the future as serious writers discover his clean, crisp and engaging voice.

What character would you cut from Words with My Father?

You can't cut characters if there is little character development to begin with.

Any additional comments?

Authors probably should not do everything themselves. For me, the three most crucial people to spend money on are editors, narrators, and studio engineers.