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The Enormity of World War II

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

Reviewed: 09-05-21

Until I listened to The Second World War by Antony Beevor, I don't think that I fully understood how enormous World War II was. I mostly read and listen to books about American and European history with some mystery novels thrown in to give my mind a respite before plunging into my next book or second read or even third read/listen of a history book.

As with many "Boomers," my father and my uncles served in World War II, so it has loomed large in the background of my childhood and my adult years. However, it has only been in my retirement that I have had the time to study it in depth. It has, also, taken me some time to incorporate the war's battles on the eastern front. I really thought that I had a pretty good grasp of World War II before listening to this audiobook. I was wrong. i have just completed my first listen, and I feel as though I am understanding the depth and breadth of the battles, the personalities, the plight of soldiers and civilians caught up in horrific events due to faulty decisions by leaders on a much deeper level than I ever have before.

As other reviewers have noted, the detailed research and amount of information provided by the author is remarkable. I will began my second listen soon because I can't stop reflecting on the book. I am not ready to leave it. Other reviews give much more detail about the positive and negative aspects of the book. At this point, I can only express my overall response, which is to recommend it highly. I thought the narrator was very good as well.

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Simply Outstanding

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

Reviewed: 06-11-21

i have read much about WWII, the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, the life of Winston Churchill and his relationships to Roosevelt and Stalin. However, this short audio look at Churchill's speeches and what they reveal about his understanding of the war and of Britain's place in the world that would come after the war completely astounded me. i now wish Roosevelt could have stepped back from his egotism just a bit to see what a gift he had in the foresight and wisdom of Winston Churchill. i have listened to this recording twice and will return to it again I am sure.

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A Prince, Husband, and Father Who Died Too Soon.

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

Reviewed: 06-03-20

Pronce Albert was a rare royal who died too soon. Intelligent, energetic, and patient enough to find his place in the nooks and crannies of British society, he was just beginning to emerge as his own person when his life was cut short. He lived in his wife's shadow, and yet, his influence on her life, their family's lives, and on the affairs of his adopted country was not insignificant. Queen Victoria never stopped mourning for him.

Professor Allitt is an enthusiastic escort for us into the life of Prince Albert and the complicated times he lived in. I enjoyed these lectures. I read much about British and European history. Even in this 21st centuary, it is important to look back on the Victorians and their far reaching legacy. These lectures have given me another look into their world through the life of a royal who had so much more to give.

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I am not able to join the bandwagon of accolades.

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-17-20

I enjoyed the first book in the series enough to look forward to the second book, The Black Cat Murders, and give it a listen. Now, I am not sure that I will move on to the third book. In spite of of the humor and great vignettes of some of the characters (Mr. and Mrs. Dawkins, for example), this is not a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Murders do take place. My expectation is that the solving of those murders will be taken seriously. I found myself re-listening to many chapers thinking that i had to have missed some clues or some genuine concern about what was happening in the storyline, but i hadn't. Finally, I simply couldn't believe the ending. Where was justice for the victims? If there was none, why write the book? This series is very highly rated for many good reasons, but if, in the end, like me, you expect a sense of order to be restored beyond just a "who did what to whom" solution, this may not be the series for you.

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The Black Cat Murders Audiobook By Karen Menuhin cover art

I am not able to join the bandwagon of accolades.

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
1 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 05-17-20

I enjoyed the first book in the series enough to look forward to the second book, The Black Cat Murders, and give it a listen. Now, I am not sure that I will move on to the third book. In spite of of the humor and great vignettes of some of the characters (Mr. and Mrs. Dawkins, for example), this is not a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Murders do take place. My expectation is that the solving of those murders will be taken seriously. I found myself re-listening to many chapers thinking that i had to have missed some clues or some genuine concern about what was happening in the storyline, but i hadn't. Finally, I simply couldn't believe the ending. Where was justice for the victims? If there was none, why write the book? This series is very highly rated for many good reasons, but if, in the end, like me, you expect a sense of order to be restored beyond just a "who did what to whom" solution, this may not be the series for you.

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Simply Outstanding!

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

Reviewed: 01-06-20

I read very little fiction. I am a history junkie. I do read mysteries to give myself a rest between my history readings. However, PONT NEUF by Max Byrd was excellent. Some reviewers had a difficult listen with the narrator's reading speed. I slightly increased the reading speed to 1.05, and I found myself completely drawn into the story. In fact, I listened to sections over again before moving into the next chapter because the writing and the narration were so well done. I will be reading more by this author, and I hope the same narrator.

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I don't think this genre is for me.

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

Reviewed: 12-17-19

This is my first time reading a " domestic" thriller as other reviewers called this story. I pushed myself along the story line set up. The narrator was very good, but the initial chapters were boring, and I began to wonder if I could finish the story. I did. The ending was not what I expected at all. I don't anticipate reading another story by this author or from this thrillet sub-genre.

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Excellent Great Course!

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

Reviewed: 08-04-19

While I have always enjoyed intellectual history, I have not always had the background or the ability to understand philosophical concepts, theories, philosophers or schools of philosophy in spite of my interest. In my undergraduate and graduate college years, I was exposed to many of the early modern philosophers such as John Locke, the Enlightenment philosophers, David Hume, John Stuart Mill (a favorite) then later Huserl and phenomenology, which was difficult for me to grasp. I tried Sartre and Camus and felt that I had a limited understanding of existentialism. However, I was in over my head with Bertram Russell, and much later, Derrida and Deconstruction mystified me. So, it was with some trepidation that I decided to listen to this extensive survey course on modern philosophy.

Professor Cahoone is excellent. He has an enormous understanding of and ability to communicate the subject matter. The course chapters were about 30 minutes in length, and I was amazed at how much information he was able to discuss in that time. Also, the organization of the material was excellent. The chapters flowed one into the next. There was continuity of information that linked the concepts of one philosopher or school of philosophy to the next in historical time and development. If I struggled with the material, and the material was often very challenging, I still connected with the philosopher and the context of the ideas enough to know that i would relisten to the material. I was not so overwhelmed that I wanted stop the course. In fact, I am beginning my second listen.

The ideas presented in this course are important. They have had or will have great impact on society, politics, and history. It is important to me to have a much better understanding of them. It isn't so much whether I agree or disagree with a philosopher or a concept. These ideas are impacting my life now and will impact future lives. I am grateful to have found a course that will help me continue my effort to understand them. It is well worth the investment of my time and energy.

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1 person found this helpful

Magnificent Biography and Narration

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

Reviewed: 07-31-19

This author brought John Quincy Adam's to life as uncompromisingly as Mr. Adam's lived it.

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Excellent Story of Three Great Men and Their Era

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

Reviewed: 07-13-19

This book is an outstanding history. I have read it three times already. Ten stars!

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