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M. McGregor

  • 14
  • reviews
  • 2
  • helpful votes
  • 46
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The painful beauty of ordinary life

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-26-24

A wonderfully mundane telling of an introspective man's life in the early to middle 20th century. Kind of a primer on how to view and handle disappointment, as well as an evocation of an era and a society we'll never see again. The writing has me looking for more of the author's work.

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Wish I'd read this before the 2024 election

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-22-24

I would have been better prepared for what happened. Love the Wisconsin Death Trip references. Sharlet's writing is wry and evocative.

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Deep soul journey

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-05-24

Lisa Marie's daughter Riley Keough goes deep in this incredibly moving and often lyrical account of her mother's life. This is more of a family memoir, and that's all to the good. Their fierce love for each other comes through so forcefully, and made me feel a connection to these people whom I will never know in real life. If you're looking for a story that awakens empathy and understanding that we are all here together in a world bigger than we know, this book will do it for you. And Julia Roberts was the perfect narrator for the parts of the story that could not be told in Lisa Marie's voice. Their voices don't match, but they resonate.

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Grief, hope, and love

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-29-24

A heartbreaking meditation on what we lose when we lose other species, through outright harm and heedless negligence. The hints of compassionate humor throughout, narrated in Xe Sands' warm, casual voice, soften the sorrowful truths that Lydia Millet offers, and encourage us toward acceptance, hope, and some step, big or small, to make things better.

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Understanding and fighting autocracy

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-18-24

I wish this book had an afterword covering the 2024 US presidential election (too soon to be feasible, I know), but the concepts and suggestions within are vital if the world is to pull itself out of this current spiral toward an authoritarian hell.

The narrator has a wonderful voice, but he would do better to narrate quoted material without attempting accents—his strengths lie elsewhere.

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Sorry, Ms. Posey

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-29-24

Being a great actress does not translate to being a great audiobook narrator. I felt like I was back in 5th grade listening to a bored classmate rushing monotonously through her long essay. I have no choice but to actually sit down and read.

The content itself is great, but, of course, somewhat dated. Nevertheless, The Feminine Mystique is a valuable historical document. Everyone needs to know where we were, how we got there, and that we could end up back there if we aren't wise.

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Wonderful in audio

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-01-24

This story is so nuanced and thoughtful, with vivid characters, beautifully voiced by both narrators. The ending is satisfying without having everything wrapped up in a shiny bow.

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Painful and revealing

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-01-24

Yes, the author grew up in relative privilege, but any neglected or abused child knows that college funds and trips abroad don't make up for a self-absorbed parent's heedless cruelty. This was an infuriating listen at times, that had me talking back to her father like I wish the author could have with impunity.

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Past as prologue

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-21-23

I love going back to titles from a century ago or more to see what still resonates today. With An American Tragedy, a lot. Stories like this still happen and probably always will, but not usually told so well. The characters are so fully fleshed out, their environments, their aspirations, their weaknesses, their shameful fears. And Dan John Miller's voice acting is superb, contributing much to the portrait of each individual.

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Monongahela

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-26-23

Let me get my gripe out of the way—please, narrators, learn how to pronounce proper names!!! It's Muh-non-ga-HEE-la.

Otherwise, an absorbing, thorough account of a bewildering crime. I'm not sure we'll ever know the complete "why" but not for lack of trying on the part of the authors.

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