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A compelling translation and a fabulous intro

Reviewed: 03-25-24

I haven't read "The Odyssey" since college, and thought a good audiobook version might be compelling, and this version from Emily Wilson/Claire Danes is just that.

I think was most impressed by the very lengthy introduction to the world of Greek literature, the epic, Homer, and the nuances of translation. It's unbelievably helpful in understanding conventions that are not a part of modern literature (or not often a part), like the repetition of epithets, and for understanding Greek culture particularly with respect to the gods.

Wilson also goes all-in on some themes in the book that have deep resonance with contemporary life: homelessness, the plight of refugees, and status.

Finally, this version made me appreciate anew the humanness of Odysseus. Great performance by Ms. Danes, too.

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Branagh makes this classic riveting

Reviewed: 12-26-23

Kenneth Branagh makes this classic piece of English literature into a brilliant storytelling experience. I knew the novel and I knew its importance, but it truly came alive in an emotional way for me from listening to this terrific version of the book. It made me see more clearly than ever the meaning and impact of Kurtz’s famous line and of the title. Heart of Darkness is the great work of anticolonialism, and Branagh is brilliant.

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What a player! And what a book...

Reviewed: 11-30-23

I'd read this book many years ago, and was bowled over at the card playing skills of Stuey "The Kid" Ungar – the GOAT gin player and almost certainly the GOAT poker player. But it's a sad story, as telegraphed in the subhead "The Rise and Fall...". Stu Ungar was brilliant at cards and quite bad at virtually everything else, particularly sports betting, and it's no spoiler to say he loses his life to drug addiction. Someone estimated Ungar had won some $30 million at gin and poker, but he died penniless.

The book is more than biography, though. It's an informal history of poker before the modern boom (Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, internet poker) and filled with colorful stories about poker, gambling, Las Vegas, and the early years of the World Series of Poker.

Joe Barrett is an amazing ventriloquist of a narrator, fully credible in doing all the players in this magnificent drama. It's a great but heartbreaking book, beautifully told. A classic of poker literature.

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Another solid outing for Haller, Bosch, et al.

Reviewed: 11-10-23

I wrote this note when I was halfway through the book:
I was so happy to see Connelly take the Donald to task in a conversation between Bosch and the forensic scientist when they're driving through Antelope Valley. It's a tiny diss, but it's a diss, and it was very satisfying to hear.

Finished the book in a couple of marathon listens, and think the novel is compelling in terms of the plot and absolutely terrific in terms of the legal and forensic detail (a Connelly strength). It's a testament to Connelly's gifts that you experience more than just narrative drama; he is a deeply humane writer, and that comes through in spades.

Great book. A side-note: I hope MC goes all-in at bashing the soon-to-be-convicted joke of a former U.S. president in future books.

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This could be the best Lincoln Lawyer outing yet..

Reviewed: 08-18-23

A riveting story, well told: When the law comes for Mickey Haller and he goes to jail for murder, the stakes are about 10,000 times higher than when he is defending his clients. Haller defends himself – naturally, given his well-documented prowess as a criminal defense lawyer – but Connelly shines a prominent light on the unequal nature of the contest: the state is, in Connelly's word, the house, and they are playing with a deck stacked in their favor.

What always impresses me about Connelly is his dogged (Harry Bosch-like) pursuit of the story -- he makes it as real as possible (the legal procedural stuff feels well-thought-out and completely credible and he adds layers and layers of complexity all while maintaining a clearly delineated through-line to the story. Tremendous narrative momentum and a real sense of catharsis with the denouement.

A triumph of a legal thriller.

P.S. I just took a long look at this audiobook's naysayers, who are disturbed by the intrusion of politics into a novel about the American legal system (go figure!). These comments – as inane as almost anything I can think of – are almost certainly orchestrated by someone with an axe to grind. They use shockingly similar language and talking points and betray an equally shocking lack of critical insight. The book is hardly a polemic. I have nothing but contempt for the readers who feel Michael Connelly has disrespected Trump – easily the worst president the country has ever seen and one of the worst human beings ever to figure in U.S. history.

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1 person found this helpful

A terrific overview of Austen and her legacy...

Reviewed: 06-14-23

One of the best things in this admirably solid book on Austen's life, works, and legacy is that Professor Looser acknowledges that she is a fan, a Janeite -- I am a proud Janeite too, and generally enjoy books written from a loving stance, a celebratory one. But this is also an intelligent and learned book, with a good overview of the critical aura surrounding the works – if you get one thing from this book, it's that Austen was not writing romantic fiction or even genteel fiction (though both those words can apply).

For really cutting-edge Austen criticism (and I wish Prof. Looser had addressed this book), try Helena Kelly's "Jane Austen, A Secret Radical."

This is a great course and should make you want to reread the Austen canon. My favorite is her last book, "Persuasion," which is simply tremendous. I think Austen is the first truly modern novelist.

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Volume three cannot come soon enough!

Reviewed: 04-25-23

With the second volume in Winslow's "Aeneid" trilogy, the action moves from the Mafia wars in Rhode Island to the sunny state (mostly) of California – and the story is even more powerful and more beautifully told than the first book in the series.

I read the first book and decided to listen to the audio version this time; it is an excellent rendering of the story, well "voiced" (acted?) by Ari Fliakos. Extremely compelling, and would very happily listen and/or read the third book in the series tomorrow.

You don't need to understand this is a reworking of the Aeneid to get it, but it's fun to see the way Winslow has repurposed that classic epic to fashion this contemporary one. A great story, a great book, a great performance – Winslow is one of the very best contemporary novelists.

I was truly saddened to learn that the third and final book of the series , due next April, will be Winslow's last book. He is retiring from novel writing to focus on political change -- i.e., fight Donald Trump and the ridiculous Republican Party -- which is laudable, and necessary, but also very bad news for his legions of readers.

My personal plea to Mr. Winslow: By all means, do what you have to do, but do not retire from your career as a storyteller. We need to be rid of Trump and the right (obvi!) but we need your stories too.

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This needed more Lisbeth Salander...

Reviewed: 02-24-23

Listened to this book on Audible over the past few days (after reading it when it came out years ago), and I was struck by two things:

First, some books are harder to listen to than to read; this is just such a book, with so much back and forth that it's hard to build much momentum (I was shocked when it ended; for me, it was not building to a conclusion) -- though I did think Vance did a great job on the narration.

Second, Lagercrantz is about 10x the writer Stieg Larsson was. Larsson deserves a ton of credit for creating Lisbeth Salander, but his writing chops were not in line with his imagination. Lagercrantz is much better (and I say that as a fan of the first three books in the series).

Not nearly enough Lisbeth here to make it satisfying! She's what made the original trilogy.

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A monumental achievement and incredibly useful

Reviewed: 02-07-23

I am simply in awe of this audiobook/lecture series. This could be the ideal survey of British literature for the wannabe student or someone who has read widely and wants a larger, more comprehensive contextual lens through which to view British literature. I've read, and highly recommend, Sutherland's short book, "A Little History of Literature" (which is not solely limited to British lit), and this course has a very similar feel: a mix of history, appreciation, analysis, all informed by a healthy love of the written word. Sutherland also conveys a good sense of why we read great literature (or any literature, for that matter).

The book is also a hugely enjoyable listen. He has a great, dynamic voice; his enthusiasm for his subject is contagious.

I loved it.

P.S. I looked at several other reviews, and found many of them baffling. Someone disliked this book because it had no mention of Tolkien? Surreal. Because C.S. Lewis did not make the cut? Equally surreal. Both writers have a place in an encyclopedic history of literature, perhaps, but they would be outliers, distant ones, in Sutherland's worldview.

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Shocking omission: The afterword...

Reviewed: 12-27-22

This is the great le Carré's last novel (barring one lurking inside a drawer somewhere), but it's incomplete in two senses, neither of which you can tell from Toby Jones's excellent acting and narration. le Carré did not finish the book. His son Nick Cornwell supplied an afterword that is quite elegant and moving. He doesn't come right out and say it's not fully baked, but the story does not end.

Nick also adds this paragraph which strikes me as essential to an experience of the book (it's clearly meant to be read as part of the novel):

"But Silverview does something that no other le Carré novel ever has. It shows a service fragmented: filled with its own political factions, not always kind to those it should cherish, not always very effective or alert, and ultimately not sure, any more, that it can justify itself. In Silverview, the spies of Britain have, like many of us, lost their certainty about what the country means, and who we are to ourselves. As with Karla in Smiley’s People, so here with our own side: it is the humanity of the service that isn’t up to the task – and that begins to ask whether the task is worth the cost."

Baffling why this bit would be left out. Otherwise, it's a great listen and Toby Jones is a marvel.

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7 people found this helpful