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Magic Returns!

Revisado: 03-11-19

I loved Changeling. It was a charming book, and a completely different direction for Molly Harper she pulled it off wonderfully. This heroine was a 14-year-old girl, also different, and makes this a great ya selection, too. The story is set not in the present or in the Southern settings she has made famous, but before the 20th century in Victorian England. Brava!

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OK, but I Miss Half Moon Hollow

Revisado: 02-12-19

I have loved Molly Harper’s Werewolves, Witches, Vampires, and the residents of Half Moon Hollow, and I hope Lake Sackett will grow on me, but so far this seems more of a formula than a new direction. Amanda Ronconi’s narration is, as always, wonderful.

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Great Fun!

Revisado: 04-13-18

This last installment of the Heartstriker series tied up the loose ends neatly, with the ever-enigmatic Bob arriving to help at the right moment. So glad the de!ightful series has a finish worthy of the fabulous universe Rachel Aaron crafted . Loved it, and will be re-listening to it for years to come ! Go dragons!

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Insightful Analysis of the Historical Context

Revisado: 03-29-16

I just finished listening to this book for the 3rd time and each time my understanding of the differences between the historical Jesus and the politically correct version scriptures portray has become deeper. Jesus' mythical context was created over time by well-meaning narrators whose intent was to tell Jesus' story without raising the ire of the Roman oligarchy, who had the power to destroy the Jesus movement as it had almost obliterated the Jews. Well researched and well performed.

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Careful and Complete Review of Legend and Culture

Revisado: 12-10-15

This is the first "Great Course" I have genuinely enjoyed. To begin with, the material was well-researched with good blend of legend and lore about Arthur, the Round Table, and the historical context. The narration was excellent, and engaged with the subject enough to draw the listener in. I especially liked the treatment of Arthuriana from historical, literary and cultural perspectives, up to the present day. Good use of a credit!

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Hunger Games Meets Cinderella--What a Future!!!

Revisado: 05-14-15

I regularly read YA fiction, just to see what interests teen readers these days. So when I saw that this was a New York Times Bestseller, and saw what I imagined to be a strong young woman on the cover, I decided to give it a credit. Amazing, and NOT in a good way. Similar to the "Hunger Games" series, this dystopian future was pretty gruesome. With apparently not enough decent work or even food to go around, the masses of people are placated by the equivalent of the Roman Era's "bread and circuses", but without the bread. The Selection depicts a future with almost no technological advances (nobody seems to have a cell phone or a computer): a caste-like system that compares unfavorably with slavery; and representative government has been abolished in favor of an absolute monarchy. Perhaps most amazing of all, most young women's fondest dream for their future is to marry a prince in this nightmare of a country. This is so retrograde it's more depressing than the future depicted in the Hunger Games series. Hard to believe young women in the 21st Century lined up for this one. The narration of Amy Rubinate is wonderful, though the material is pretty bad. Overall, it's pretty sad.

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Wonderful Narration, Engaging Story and Detail, Somewhat Puzzling Ending

Revisado: 04-24-15

The Fifth Gospel pulls the reader(listener) in quickly, aided by the terrific narration, but also encouraged by the thorough research on Eastern Catholics, the split with the Orthodox Church, and on Vatican City itself. The last time I visited Rome, I walked the circumference of VC, and when one recognizes how very small it is in land area, the sense of place the story conveys is even more remarkable. It was contained, but it never felt confined. I was a little deflated by the ending, though. It almost left me feeling that either there was something missing, or the novel should have ended sooner. It's certainly worth a re-listen to see if I feel the same after hearing it again.

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Nice addition to the "Alternate Austen Reality"

Revisado: 04-02-14

This entry into what is becoming its own genre, "Alternate Austen", is charming and sees Mr. Darcy make a profound difference in the entire Bennett family. The narrator is rather annoying, and appears to "ham it up" to an more than is necessary. The story itself is well done and ties up all the loose ends it creates. It calls itself a farce, but the characters' behavior seemed no more unlikely than it might have been in Austen's orIginal setting. The characters possessed the same foibles and eccentricities they had in the original, and with few exceptions, the conventions of early 19th Century British society as revealed to us by Austen, Bronte, and others are maintained. I do have a couple of quibbles with the plot which made the book less satisfying for me, however. ***Spoiler Alert*** I didn't like the fact that the quite nasty Caroline Bingley ended up with the dashing Colonel Fitzwilliam, and that the blameless Charlotte Lucas virtually disappeared from the story after not marrying Mr. Collins. Also, the prolonged courtship of Darcy and Elizabeth seemed unnecessary after all the time they spent together (or spent obsessed with one another) while he was incapacitated. Also, while including the somewhat prolonged courtship and maintaining the trip to Derbyshire with the Gardiners, no delicious details of the courtship were included, and I missed them.****End Spoiler Alert***. All in all, a good, fun take on the P&P saga, but not as satisfying as it might have been, in my humble opinion.

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Great Treatment of a Difficult Subject

Revisado: 04-02-14

This story provides a touching glimpse into love, loss and responsibility. Matt King is the scion of old Hawaii money, it it appears that he has it all: a lovely wife, two daughters, a career, and the decision making power over a prime piece of Kauai'i real estate. But then he doesn't have it all: The wife has a disastrous accident, the daughters are troubled, and the responsibility of the decision seems to be coming at a difficult time for him personally. The narrator's tone is perfect, and captures the sense of the main character's emotional muddle. I had seen the movie, and started to skip the book, but while the movie is very faithful to the book, the book itself seems to suspend time while the family is living through its trauma.

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Much better story than the movie!

Revisado: 10-18-13

I thought I knew Oz, from years of loving the various versions of the movie, the plays, and reading Wicked. Not! L. Frank Baum's story is more complex, less scary, and more thought- provoking than the movie, and I plan to read more of the series as a result. Someone said to me "This was the 'Harry Potter' series of its era", and I can see how! Ann Hathaway's narration was terrific!

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