Melita
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The Zhivago Affair
- The Kremlin, the CIA, and the Battle over a Forbidden Book
- By: Peter Finn, Petra Couvée
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 133
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 119
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 122
In May of 1956, an Italian publishing scout took a train to the Russian countryside to visit the country's most beloved poet, Boris Pasternak. He left concealing the original manuscript of Pasternak's much anticipated first novel, entrusted to him with these words from the author: "This is Doctor Zhivago. May it make its way around the world." Pasternak knew his novel would never be published in the Soviet Union, where the authorities regarded it as an assault on the 1917 Revolution, so he allowed it to be published in translation all over the world.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Read this to understand Doctor Zhivago and Russia
- By KathrynVB on 10-16-14
- The Zhivago Affair
- The Kremlin, the CIA, and the Battle over a Forbidden Book
- By: Peter Finn, Petra Couvée
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
Non-fiction as Spellbinding as a Thriller
Reviewed: 10-29-14
Where does The Zhivago Affair rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Well researched from what seems to be a large number of different sources, the story takes us on a journey of history, literature, espionage and human drama.
What other book might you compare The Zhivago Affair to and why?
I have never come across a work of non-fiction as thrilling as this one. The listening is equivalent of a page-turner.
Have you listened to any of Simon Vance’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
The narration is superb, doing justice to the text with elegance.
Any additional comments?
I was at the same time entertained and learned a lot about the history of the country I currently happen to live in.
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1 person found this helpful
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Uprooted
- By: Jasmine Aherne
- Narrated by: Lyra Cullen
- Length: 5 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 8
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 7
Landscape designer Marianne Dawson thinks she's hit her head pretty hard when she wakes up to the handsome face of Dr. Noah Campbell in the hospital, and she's delighted when Noah turns out to be the blind date she agreed to as a favor for a friend. But Mari is still finding herself and she's in no hurry to settle down with an instant family. Noah finds himself falling for Mari's sharp wit and ready smile, but his life's complicated enough as it is: He's just found out he has a twelve-year-old daughter.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Predictable, shallow, bland
- By Melita on 03-11-12
- Uprooted
- By: Jasmine Aherne
- Narrated by: Lyra Cullen
Predictable, shallow, bland
Reviewed: 03-11-12
What disappointed you about Uprooted?
The end is predictable from the first scene: woman meets man, they will fall in love. All characters are monodimensional, I have seen more complex personalities in comic strips. To make up for the lack of plot development, the author adds lots and lots of irrelevant details, e.g. about clothes people are wearing or a taxi driver's mood.
Would you ever listen to anything by Jasmine Aherne again?
No
What three words best describe Lyra Cullen’s voice?
Lyra Cullen reads a bad text very well and does her best to make this non-story digestible.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Uprooted?
Forget it.
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