Wren

Good Almost Until the End

Reviewed: 06-12-23

I liked the rich detail in the womens' lives. Altha's story was particularly gripping. The story is divided in thirds, rotating time and character. It's very distracting but one gets used to it. The villain of the modern time line was really overdone, I felt. The retribution in the 1940s story was really implacably evil. I didnt like the hatred against males I'm general that comes to light. It seems very heavy-handed, which is disappointing and ended up ruining the stories for me. There is a lot of great story craft and fleshed characters, and I will remember the book.

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1 person found this helpful

Perfect Regency Romance

Reviewed: 10-18-20

Sweet story that had me chuckling right through. Great characters and nice plot. Fans of Jane Austen and modern readers will find a lot to like.

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A True Jewel! Any Austen Fans Will Enjoy

Reviewed: 03-08-20

A wonderful tale served with wordplay that is hard to find. Narrated sublimely. I adored the natural humor throughout this story so much I bought 2 more Heyer tales before I was midway. Having finished, I can recommend it to any Jane Austen or period production fan and to those who want to hear a nice historical adventure. Nothing that needs to be muted from little ears here, either.

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Book is good Reader is GRATI NG

Reviewed: 12-23-19

I have been trying to get through this final book for months. The narrator Jennifer Ikeda is the reason for this. Her odd voice-rising steadily style of reading non-dialogue drives me absolutely crazy. It's so annoying and unnatural. Her dialog is ok, but her dialects are very good.
As to the story, it's the least enjoyable of the trilogy. I must say I am. Not. a Fleetwood Mac fan and while 2 or 3 mentions might have been bearable, this frequent reference and description is just stupid. Otherwise,most of the characters are well done. One exception is the over the top best friend I think Chris. He's just written as too unbelievable. I want to finish this because I enjoy the storyline, drawn to it by the excellent series. The first 2 books were very nice, minus the narrarator. I wish it was read by someone else.

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Great Story - Narrator pronunciations off

Reviewed: 10-30-19

The story was very nicely paced. A modest romance, it was very pleasant. Nicely written.
The narrator needs to brush up on pronunciations of British place names and terms such as footman. It would jarringly pull me out of the story. Most of the tonal variations for characters were good.

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1 person found this helpful

Exquisite Dramatization

Reviewed: 12-28-18

I've read Pepys' entries now an again over the years. This dramatization with music, ambient noises, and other players interspersed with his quotes is wonderful. So lively and a delight to listen to.

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Wonderful 💕 Exciting Wrap to a Beloved Series

Reviewed: 09-01-18

Tears, Fears, and many Joys. I can't help but wonder what else might have been in Winston Graham's wonderful mind in years ahead for these characters who live themselves out of the pages. Still. It's a nice stopping place.

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Dialog Too Modern, Annoying Narration

Reviewed: 06-03-18

Really had to struggle get through this listen.
The story is nice overall, but has some real flaws. The 2 main characters are entirely too modern in how they express themselves, most especially when speaking to children. And, no children do not need to be spoken down to, but the vocabulary should not be identical to a discussion with another well educated adult.
I found it extremely distracting.
The narration was highly irritating to me. While I know her to be a fine actor, the dialog was so grating, none more than the lisping child character, Sadie. Part of my feeling of annoyance was how the far too idealistic and entitled main character was written, but also how she and others spoke with odd pauses and stilted, mechanical intonations. On the plus side, she used a range of good southern dialects, and had believable tone and timbre distinctions between men, women, girls, and boys, privileged and emotionally scarred.
Not recommended, but it was okay.

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Excellent performance & intelligent intrigue

Reviewed: 05-18-18

Really enjoyed the research aspect of this story as well as the atypical personality, including disability of one of the dual main characters. Great modern romance story and a mirroring historical love interest. Modern Jacobite sympathizers and anyone who is interested in intelligent, original plotlines should enjoy Ms Kearsley's tale. The narrator is also a jewel, with a unique sound and delivery. Really enjoyed her performance. Wonderful range of dialects and accents lend interest to this Brit/Franco/Scots setting.

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Fantastic Narration in Delightful Story

Reviewed: 05-05-18

If you are a true fan of E M Forster or the Merchant Ivory dramatizations of his works, or the most recent Starz mini series, this book is for you. With great subtlety and the pace that pre-1930 novels enjoyed, Forster fleshes his characters' worlds artfully. This is one of those literary works that brings alive so perfectly the period in which it was written in a way that is relatable. The Schlegel family is the new artistic rather radically minded siblings that are at the heart of the story. The Wilcoxes represent the old guard with whom they have chance acquaintance.
Steven Crossley's distinguished performance perfectly relates all points of view with multiple intonations, dialects, and pacing essential to the setting. I listened carefully to samples of other readings and his was by far superior. Even with feminine main characters, his narration supplies full nuance.
Recommended.

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13 people found this helpful