Emily W

Unbelievably stilted narration

Revisado: 06-10-24

I agree with others that the information is useful but largely superficial, but the thing that ruined this for me was the unnatural cadence of Haugen’s speech. An example “When I did x I knew [legit 1.5 second pause, even at 1.2 speed] that it was important”. It sounds like bad Ai, and distracted me from much of the story.

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Ruined by over the top narration

Revisado: 02-03-24

Good Christ everything was fine until the women’s narration—I understand Stoker was making a point of the awfulness of the men speaking (it is women relaying the long winded speech of men that is so impossible to endure) but it’s too much. I am abandoning the book here, at less than 1/3 the way through because the portrayal is so over the top and insufferable that I can’t listen any more. Should this actress receive an award for such an accurate impersonation of a long winded idiot? Or should the director have encouraged her to proceed so that listeners wouldn’t be punished by the sound of her voice? Doesn’t matter now. I’m done. We all know how the story ends, and my interaction with it ends now.

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Three times longer than it needs to be

Revisado: 08-22-23

This really should carry a YA rating: this lengthy book doesn’t hold up well under scrutiny: the characters are not believable, and although we get pages upon pages of unnecessary dialogue and explanation, there is scant evidence for the interior motives of any of the characters. It reminds me of a soap opera: you can stop watching for years and pick back up right where you left off because the plot is so slow and labyrinthine. I really struggled to finish this; quite the opposite of an addictive read.

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About a third too long

Revisado: 07-11-23

Good grief. Was she trying to get to a certain word count? The ideas are charming but Emily’s overly verbose and self indulgent digressions are exhausting and boring. I think the narrator is fine— when given an obtuse protagonist, there is only so much a narrator can do.

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esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Absolutely wondrous.

Revisado: 03-20-23

The narrators are so well chosen! While the women do endure hardship, I have to completely disagree with the reviewer who thought that was the main lens through which they are depicted. This is a story about personal growth and becoming who you are, with an undercurrent of witchy things and a massive nod to the issues of patriarchy, access to abortion, and the relationships between women. I was not in the mood for a downer book: I would not have kept going if it had been a slog. This novel left me feeling satisfied and seen. Oh, and the reviewer who mentioned SA is accurate. While the scene is brief, it comes up in flashbacks and is pivotal to the arc of one of the characters.

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esto le resultó útil a 12 personas

Mispronunciations a bummer

Revisado: 02-17-23

A book about witches with Hecate pronounced Heck-ate? Come on, now. The narrator is well selected, but there are multiple wild mispronunciations that caused me to cringe. Not on her: that stuff should get caught. The story takes a minute to get rolling, but gets better as it goes. I will say I was stunned to see “42 minutes remaining” when it felt like the plot was only starting to come into focus. This feels like the first in a series. I hope there are more, because I really liked the energy and the characters once the book found its stride.

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esto le resultó útil a 5 personas

Pure delight!

Revisado: 01-24-22

Everything in this book: content, pacing, character development, arc, and narration, is perfect if you’re looking for a story that warms your heart and reminds you of the goodness in people and communities. Also an excellent gift for your favorite curmudgeon. I’ll listen to this again in a few years. Like a hug for your heart.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Could have been condensed to 2 episodes

Revisado: 01-18-22

We hear an awful lot of references to Laux’s history as a CIA guy, and so very much repeated information. Maybe some listeners need to be told something a dozen times. This is a great story and some interesting information padded to within an inch of its life. There is about an hours’ worth of insight in these episodes. It’s like the podcast version of the meeting that could have been an email. That said, look at the stars I’m giving it! It’s because the new insight is really interesting, for people who care about the Elizabeth Short story.

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esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Astonishingly awful to listen to: probably a good story

Revisado: 01-13-22

How did that Indian accent get past the director? HOW? It’s god-awful and deeply offensive. Also the narrator seemed like she really battled with many of the words. That’s not her fault: but someone needed to help her! I’m going to buy the book, because Stacey has written something that has the makings of an interesting story—though, like many smart people who write creatively as a second field of emphasis, she manages to embellish far too many details. We don’t need to know that the deep mahogany door boomed cavernously shut, or that her shiny black bun bobbed cunningly (this is actual text!!!). The story crafting however, is beyond reproach, so I’ll find a way to read it. This woman is an American hero and I’ll be happy to keep reading her fiction as she develops…and hopefully finds an editor with a sharper red pen.

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