Frank

Climate change and sustainability

Reviewed: 01-02-24

Enjoyable book. Convinced me that only crisis, not reason,will “fix” today’s global societal imbalances. So be it.
Where it comes to future prognostications, Howe seems fixated on climate change and sustainability as the problems that humanity will finally fix. It’s hard to predict a wide open future, but Howe seems rather unimaginative here.
His overall approach, at least in this book, lacks rigor or insight. “This sociologist said “x”, is (too) often the justification for any given observation or prognostication.
Howe is a one worlder and that clearly delineates what “crisis” means to him, or what is “good” and what is “bad”.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Clumsy

Reviewed: 01-03-23

I read Dune about 30 years ago - the movies inspired me to read again - but this time on audio. For a good portion of teh book I was pleasantly surprised at how well Frank Herbert wrote. Plus the background is very imaginative. But the very uneven pace gets annoying and finally I was unpleasantly reminded of how abruptly the book ends. There is a such a build-up - all to be resolved in what seems like a single chapter. So few authors know how to end a novel.

I rated the performance a 2 - Simon Vance handling the majority of the narration pretty much sets the floor there. However the seemingly random use of a cast - chapter by chapter - essentially destroys the continuity. None of the narrator cast matches up to Simon Vance so that just makes it worse. Some of the narrator team are mis-cast. To complete the picture, the final few chapters contain narration that is poorly mixed, done without direction and I will guess was done remotely at a separate studio.

All that said I would still recommend the book for someone who wants to read Dune. Simon Vance narration makes up for many sins. The concept was pretty cool - but the execution was nothing short of a blunder. At the very least one will learn to appreciate that a narrated book is an art-form in itself - and requires attention to production details for a successful work.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Least of the Trilogy

Reviewed: 05-05-20

Ancient was very good, medieval less so, now renaissance is not as good as either. Narration and prose is still first rate but bounces between East and west so often that any hope of a consistent narrative is lost.

The approach was clever but never really worked. But if she broke up the narrative into East and West nobody would read more than half the book. Goodness knows what kind of criticism would fall upon the author for recognizing a fundamental difference between eastern and western history.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

WWII direct from the source

Reviewed: 12-28-12

Where does The Second World War rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Half of the books I've listened to are non fiction, with the greater part of that being history. I would rank this audio book in the top half of these.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Second World War?

While not what I originally chose this book for, I found Churchill's perspective on the home government rather illuminating. All taken with a pinch of salt as he was a politician.

What about Christian Rodska’s performance did you like?

Reading history with verve is tough. Since this book is written in the first person it gives the narrator some leeway to embellish. Rodska does this just enough to heighten the intimacy of the read.

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

Not at alll.

Any additional comments?

I recommend for those who already have a good knowledge of WWII. The book's value lies more in giving the reader the perspective of one individual who among very few who can lay claim to having been a principal player in shaping its outcome.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Humor and Sarchasm from an early Dickens work

Reviewed: 10-25-12

Would you consider the audio edition of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby to be better than the print version?

Unquestionably. Vance is a master narrator

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby?

Nicholas' encounters with Mr. and Mrs. Squears.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No tears or excessive joy - Dickens' sense of irony keeps the reader on an even keel in the face of disaster or great joy. This is one of teh reasons I endorse Dickens to my children. His stories are not epic but his perspective is worldly beyond his years.

Any additional comments?

The very next audiobook I purchased was David Copperfield because I was not ready let go of Simon Vance's narration.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

Distracting narration

Reviewed: 10-25-12

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No I would not recommend this audiobook to a friend

Would you recommend Master and Commander to your friends? Why or why not?

Hard to say....I didn't finish it.

What didn’t you like about Patrick Tull’s performance?

I have enjoyed Patrick Tull's narration of at least one other audiobook. However, I found his style of narration of this title so halting and retiring that I alternately became distracted by it or lapsed into stupor.

Was Master and Commander worth the listening time?

Hard to be fair - didn't listen to very much

Any additional comments?

Many others found Patrick Tull's narration more than satisfactory so try a sample befroe buying.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Inaccessible ad a little scary

Reviewed: 02-24-12

Would you try another book from S. A. Smith and/or Suzanne Toren?

Yes to the narrator, Toren, NO to S. A. Smith the author

What could S. A. Smith have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Not write a textbook for admirers of Communism.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene at the end where the author sympathizes with the good intentions of Bolshevik butchers.

What character would you cut from The Russian Revolution?

Lenin, Stalin, the author?

Any additional comments?

It is quite dishearening, knowing what we know today, that the Russion Revolution shattered so many lives and convulsed and twisted a society of tens of millions into an unimaginably wretched state, that somoeone feels no compunction about writing a short history of these fateful events....from the perspective of teh perpetrators of the terror. While you read this trash, you are given little signals along the way....why is there barely any perspective of the disenfranchised, thte starved, families of the murdered?....are the bolsheviks really just responding to outside pressures the best they can?....until at the end when the author's conculsion pulls back the curtain and you find where the author's sympathies lie, with the idealists who were only trying make things better.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

Wonderfully narrated

Reviewed: 03-23-07

Throw me in with the lot that truly appreciated Frank Muller's narration. Audiobooks are a great convenience. In this case I belive that Muller's narration is superior to actually reading the book on paper.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

Life on the Heath

Reviewed: 03-22-06

Hardy does a marvelous job of portraying life amongst the small hamlets of Egdon Heath. The story line though, is fairly typical and it belies Hardy's status as a literary heavyweight. The physical description of people and place are extraordinary and more than makes up for the somewhat flat plot. Hardy does require something from the reader (listener) and can display near cunning in his use of English.

Hardy's attention to accent and intonation in the dialogue of his characters really set this book apart and help the reader to become immersed. I attempted reading the print version of this book 3 times and the dialogue did me in each time. For this reason an audio version of the book is much appreciated.

The narration does not disappoint but the audio quality is uneven. I might have rated this a 5 star work if the audio was pristine.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

Fantastic Narration

Reviewed: 03-22-06

I am currently making my way through the classics and felt that Anna Karenina was a must. This is the first I've read of Tolstoy The work translates well into English I think. I recommend this audio book.

My one complaint is that given the lenght of the book, I had hoped to finish with the feeling that I just wrestled with a "big idea". This was not the case. It is simply great storytelling.

The narration is very clear and consistent and by itself deserves 5 stars.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!