Suzy

too dictatorial for me

Reviewed: 11-11-24

I've listened to a lot of books written by sympathetic therapists who appreciate people's differences and try to help them engage in the world. Although I agree with tips like focus on the small stuff, the author talks about bad and good people and bad behaviour meaning you eat sugar rich food and drink alcohol. He infers there is only one right way. He also refences God & religion a lot (with a Christian bias) so if you are not aligned with his view it's distracting and irritating. I didn't finish the book because there are other authors who are a better fit for me.

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not her best

Reviewed: 18-04-24

Listened to the other books from this author first and found them insightful and helpful. However this book was less focused around EIP and was a series of very short chapters covering many different topics of self care. I highly recommend her other books but not this one.

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good premise but overly long

Reviewed: 18-08-22

I wanted to love the book but in the end I struggled to finish because it's very long. so I took a break from listening in the middle which helped. Addie makes a deal with the devil to live forever but there's a catch. There was so much potential to explore places through history but much is glossed over in favour of meaningless and repetitive details about her life. The story is a love story of sorts and inward looking. Her life is pointless and endless until she meets Henry. I liked the spirit of Addie's character and her determination. The narration was good.

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solid classic

Reviewed: 25-06-22

so far I only finished one story (moon) but I really enjoyed it. the narrator was serious and had a tone of voice perfect for the story of two men who travel to the moon. it's like an old fashioned boys own adventure book. the story is simple but engaging. I probably wouldn't ever have bought the paper book so I'm very pleased there's an audio version which allowed me to hear it. it's nice to experience books outside of my usual genre sometimes.

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not a patch on Riders

Reviewed: 05-04-22

I loved listening to Riders which had interesting characters within a backdrop of show jumping. this is book 3 in what became a series (I skipped book 2 as it wasn't about horses). unfortunately this isn't a patch on Riders. the characters are boring and have no depth or direction. the Polo seditions drag on and whereas I found myself cheering for one team in the show jumping of Riders, I couldn't muster the same enthusiasm here as teams merged and the game descriptions overly long. I appreciate this novel is a product of its time but I struggled with the coercive control exhibited by male characters. Whereas Riders seemed empowering of women this was the opposite. overall a dull and uncomfortable listen.

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good story, excellent narration

Reviewed: 11-03-22

I do like Nevil Shute for the simplicity of his novels. there's only a few characters so you really get to know them well. this is the story of a pilot who accepts a job to go to a remote location to photograph the landscape. keeping him company is the professor and his daughter. the only bit of the story I didn't like much was the extended telling of the pilot's dream which was used as a device to show the history of the land. usually there are no such devices in Shute's books and it took me away from the plot for too long. the narration was excellent, very of the time period in which the book was set. overall very enjoyable but younger audiences might feel that nothing happens!

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3 people found this helpful

enjoyable classic

Reviewed: 31-12-21

I remember reading this as a child but I can see now that much of the undercurrent of the story passed me by at such a young age. what I like about the book is that it focuses on a few central characters, it's a linear story, it doesn't have plot twists and turns or gimmicks, but let's the reader interpret for themselves what happened to the world and who are the ones who arrive at the end of the novel. I think many younger readers may not appreciate this style which has a slow pace, but I really enjoyed the book.

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fantastic narration but story was dull

Reviewed: 29-12-21

I heard the author promote this book at a festival. the narration is fantastic, different voices make it easy to distinguish characters and pacing and inflection is spot on. unfortunately I found the story long and dull. a husband and wife move into a guest house. the first half of the book looks at the relationship and interactions between the two guests and resident family. following an incident the second half of the book is a crime procedural. I liked the characters in the first part but by the end hated them all. it was easy to predict some of the plot turns although there are not many surprises. it's more of a character book than an action book. I only listened to the end as I enjoyed the narrator so much. overall 3 stars as the writing is very good, just needs a better story.

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fascinating true crime

Reviewed: 20-12-21

really interesting listen although very depressing. the story was a bit drawn out but I stuck with it. didn't realise there wasn't a resolution or I wouldn't have listened.

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interesting but needed more of his music

Reviewed: 25-11-21

I'm not a huge fan of Springsteen's music but was interested in his story, and I love author narrated audio. He tells it how it was, in his own words and style. thankfully there is limited cursing. I have enjoyed it but it was very repetitive as his career went from one show to the next. what was most disappointing was the lack of music - he explains the meaning behind certain songs but they are not played so I didn't know them. I listen at night and fall asleep before the timer cuts off. with some books I have to rewind but here I didn't bother and I didn't miss anything. good to hear his life story but overly long and slow for me.

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1 person found this helpful