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Fiona Robison

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Great story, well researched

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

Reviewed: 04-17-25

Such an amazing peek inside the lives of the ancients. I’m only sad that there is not a follow up book. It was unbearably sad at times but that’s history.

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Performance, sound effects so good

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

Reviewed: 04-17-25

I loved the readers. And honestly the book was really good too, it’s just not my style. Too scary and gruesome for me, but Im a lightweight. If you like thrillers this will likely be very tame. The performance was stellar which was why I kept listening.

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Genuine beautifully told tale of life abroad

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

Reviewed: 03-28-25

I thought I wanted to raise my children abroad, and made efforts to do so that were thwarted. When we were in China we tried to enroll our kids in Chinese school’s, but except for the very first time when the kids were 4&5 year’s old we were not allowed to do so. This book was cathartic for me as I was able to see not just the exotic beauty of a life lived in foreign lands that become home, but the reality of the difficulty that families face as they choose a path far from neighborhood swim teams and cousins but instead spend afternoon at the Louvre. This story is beautifully told by the author whose ability to flip between languages is astonishing. She tells the story of each of her children, of their lives, their heartaches, their joys their experiences as they embrace one culture or language only to leave it suddenly for an entirely new land and way of life. I loved this book. I was able to overcome my jealousy of her life and appreciate that we all make choices and there are positives and negatives that come with each decision. I feel as if I know her and could carry on a conversation around the table she carried around the world with her. Her ability to craft a sentence using the perfect words is a gift that brings joy to all is us who love words. Her voice is mesmerizing. The tales she tells will not soon be forgotten.

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Typing cats and talking dolphins

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

Reviewed: 11-14-24

Down on his luck, writer, Charlie has been substitute teaching at a school and trying to find a way to find more meaning in life after his dad passes away. He’s holed up in his dad’s house while his half siblings are trying to kick him out and he has literally nowhere to go. His rich uncle dies, and when he stands up for him at his funeral, he embarks on a crazy quest that includes typing cats and yes, talking very foul mouth dolphins. He’s whisked away to an island where he is embroiled in a scheme of villainy. Off the wall, fun story of a smart guy and his even smarter cat as they try to outwit the good old boys club into saving money that has been bequeathed to him by his uncle.

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Well crafted story

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

Reviewed: 10-27-24

A father disappears, leaving his kids and wife, wondering why he left and if he was ever going to come back. The family comes closer together as they try to figure out how to continue on without the income and support of the father figure. They all seek out on their own individually and together trying to find where their father is and to bring him home. Out on the plains, they meet individuals who help them to work through the obstacles that face each of them as they look for forgiveness and redemption.

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Is there more freedom or joy, or only sadness and fear in knowing the length of our life?

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

Reviewed: 11-01-23

Fascinating premise, and one that I have shared with people, as I have very much enjoyed reading, and then listening to the story of “what if.” I think it was especially poignant to me as I received my stage four breast cancer diagnosis two years ago. While I still have no idea the length of my life, I am fairly certain I won’t make it to old age and because of that, I do live a little bit differently. My perspective of what I can and want to do has a little bit more direction and purpose and while I am still filled with hope, I also do not take for granted that I will be part of this mortal existence forever.

In the story we are included in the lives, and thought processes of many different characters, as well as being witness to the prejudices and discrimination that come as we separate ourselves into groups. the unwillingness of banks to give loans or people to elect a person who’s life is known to be short is an apt description of the discrimination that is all too prevalent among many different groups.

I love the message that for some people it was helpful for them to know how to plan and live their lives because they knew how long they had but for others it was much better not to know. There’s just so much to think about. Would you look? Would you like to know how long you have on this earth? Would you engage in a relationship with someone whose life was going to be much shorter than yours? Is it too much information? There is a lot to agree and disagree with, but mostly it’s just good food for thought.

There are an inordinate amount of homosexual couples and one disturbing and I thought unnecessary scene, but I think the authors point was to normalize and try to help others see that other peoples choices should not impact how we feel about them. I say that with a grain of salt because am someone who is conservative in my values, there were parts that were hard for me to swallow but I am still very glad that I read this book and I’m sure I will continue to think about it for some time.

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Americanah Audiobook By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie cover art

fascinating insights and compelling story line

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

Reviewed: 07-08-20

Now more than ever, understanding race and racism in America is critical to moving forward peacefully. This book tells about the experiences of both African Americans and American Africans living in Africa, the United States and Britain. all wrapped around a love story that keeps the reader guessing until the last few words of the book. The performance of the voice actor was amazing. Her ability to wrap her tongue around all the different accents and to keep them straight was mesmerizing. Loved what I learned and loved the anticipation of a well crafted story.

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fascinating insights and compelling story line

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

Reviewed: 07-08-20

Now more than ever, understanding race and racism in America is critical to moving forward peacefully. This book tells about the experiences of both African Americans and American Africans living in Africa, the United States and Britain. all wrapped around a love story that keeps the reader guessing until the last few words of the book. The performance of the voice actor was amazing. Her ability to wrap her tongue around all the different accents and to keep them straight was mesmerizing. Loved what I learned and loved the anticipation of a well crafted story.

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So many possibilities

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

Reviewed: 01-20-19

Miss Moriarty knows how to weave a story. she knows how to lead you through the thoughts and struggles of people's lives leaving you the reader confused as to what the right choice or the happy-ending might be but all the more real because the right choice may not be a choice at all. you're never sure who should end up with who or why things ended up the way they did but she wraps things up in a very satisfactory way. I love the relationships that she builds between the characters and how we see the characters from other people's eyes. It would be so fascinating to know how our own lives were viewed from afar. The characters become so much a part of your life and I'm grateful that I wasn't the one having to make the decisions that they had to make. she enables you to have sympathy for each of them given us they are pitted against each other in the war of love. late grow. they each learn. And in the end the love of family and forgiveness wins.

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