Surrounded By Chocolate

One of my favorite stories

Reviewed: 05-01-22

I've read Pride and Prejudice so many times that the dialog is imprinted in my mind. Rosamund Pike is one of my favorite readers, so I looked forward to her rendition and was not disappointed, except in one small instance: at the end, Mr. Darcy still sounds gruff and rather unlikable. Other than that, the characters were all I could have wished and exactly as I imagined them from my many readings.

One disadvantage of my many readings of the book, however, is that it made it very clear that some of my favorite phrases were actually missing from this version! Some phrases were unfamiliar. Why these changes? There is no need to rewrite Jane Austen!

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Disappointed

Reviewed: 04-07-22

I expected so much more from this book. The first disappointment was the narrator. He starts his sentences audibly enough, but drops them off in volume towards the end of them. The only way to follow the narrative is to turn up the volume so loud as to blast your ears when the narrator starts his sentences. Or maybe the fault doesn't lie with the narrator, but with those responsible for the recording. Either way, it's tough going to listen and comprehend. The second disappointment was also brought about by the narrator, but in a very different way. He narrated the book in what seemed like a very tongue-in-cheek manner, as though Phillip were pitiful and ridiculous at the same time. I couldn't feel any sympathy for him, his circumstances, and his poor decision-making. It seemed more like I wasn't SUPPOSED to feel any sympathy for him. I finished the book feeling like I had completely missed the point.

In fairness, I think the narrator has done a fabulous job narrating other books (for example, the 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is a whimsical, fun story), but I think his style is very unsuited to Of Human Bondage.

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Decent story ruined by bad narrator

Reviewed: 01-13-22

Horrible, horrible narration. I stuck it out only because the Inmon's stories are all pretty good, and I wanted to give this story a chance. I have no idea what sort of effect the narrator was going for, but it came across as singsong-y and sarcastic. It was incredibly annoying and only got worse farther into the book.

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Couldn't do it

Reviewed: 09-16-21

Not a fan of the performance format. Couldn't follow the story or distinguish between characters. For those who prefer performances, this book may be a good choice.

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Not bad, but not the best narrator

Reviewed: 08-20-21

I actually bought this book by accident after looking around for my next read. The story wasn't bad, a little more gruesome than I like, but the part that really made it difficult for me to stick it out was the narrator. To me he sounds like a middle aged, gravely voice smoker, not a 27 year old young man. Whenever I heard the voice, it just didn't ring true for me. And as we all know, the narrator can make or break a story.

Worth a listen if things like that don't bother you.

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Amaze! Amaze! Amaze!

Reviewed: 08-14-21

It's been a long, long time since I've been so enthralled with a book. By the end, I was weeping with sheer emotion - I had become so invested in the characters. I immediately started over and listened to it again. And again. And again. After five times through the book, I'm finally ready to let go of this wonderful story and move on to something else.

Andy Weir crafts a wonderful story of science and science fiction, and Ray Porter does a magical job of making the characters come to life. Spend a credit on this book - you won't regret it.

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If you can get past the terrible narration. . .

Reviewed: 04-29-15

I nearly returned this book several times. The narrator has an oddly halting, stilted way of speaking that is unbelievably irritating. She pauses. after nearly. every. word. and you. just. want. to get on. with. it. If it weren't for the fact that I was really interested in the story I would have given up and gone on to another book.

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5 people found this helpful

Underwhelming

Reviewed: 01-03-15

I couldn't get past the the narrator's voice. She simply didn't sound like a young woman about to get married; she sounded more like someone's grandmother. She also didn't do a very good job of varying her voice to help the listener follow the story - at times I couldn't tell the difference when Poppy was speaking aloud vs. words she was thinking in her head, and even some of the conversations between Poppy and other women were confusing/unclear who was saying what.

Normally I love Sophie Kinsella's books, but this one just seemed TOO far-fetched. Why didn't Poppy just get a new phone and transfer over her existing phone number? Who gets a new number whenever they get a new phone? The general premise just didn't fly with me, and combined with the (seeming) little old lady voice of the narrator it made for a so-so listening experience.

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2 people found this helpful