Ben

so thoughtful

Reviewed: 06-03-24

as usual, Rushdie delivers humble perspectives along with beautifully described concepts on humanity. this book is fantastic because it isn't too long. it doesn't need to be. one of this author's best skills is saying quite a lot while using few words.

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Colin is the best!

Reviewed: 10-21-23

Local CT radio legend provides thoughtful insights and eclectic topics and guests make this a favorite podcast of mine! highly recommend this podcast!

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Just maybe the best book by MJS yet!

Reviewed: 08-20-23

The performance is amazing. The tale is masterful. You can read this without having read any other of the author's work but I must warn you, once you see the wonder of this world you will want to read everything else by this author!

Could not recommend this book more! Fantastic!

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1 person found this helpful

Wow, perfect

Reviewed: 10-21-22

The absolute best Gardening podcast Ever! You learn something every episode. Subscribe and thank me later!

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a tough listen

Reviewed: 08-27-22

Bob says, Tammy said, Jim said, Angela said, Edgar said, Tony said, Naomi said, said, said, said.... sad!

I don't know what's more unforgivable. The fact that the author uses "said" after every, single line spoken? That no editor would suggest using a variety of words for when someone speaks or replies? The fact that the readers, using different voices for different character still include "says/said" even though by their change in voice it is obvious who is speaking. I have nary 150 titles in Audible and not one of them makes this mistake so egregiously. During one diner scene with 4 people the author literally uses the word "said" dozens of times. Every line of every conversation ends in "____said". What's the point of using different voices if you end every line with "she said"?!?


Did I mention that a few times the author changes tense And from 3rd person to 1st back to 2nd person for no discernable reason?!

Proper editing and guidance would have corrected most of these issues.

As for the story itself, while there is some good here, the author introduces way too many characters and many are unnecessary and ALL of them are left hanging. The ending is predictable and meaningless and cheapens what good the author tried to do. There is also this filter of endless misery cast on all of the characters in the book and I feel that it's really untruthful and disrespectful to "urban indians". it's like the author believes everyone who is native American is simply destined for failure, addiction and despair no matter what their circumstances. There is no hope in this story. It omits that which keeps all cultures going, perseverance.


This could have been a good book but it was not .

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wow!

Reviewed: 06-06-22

The book was beautiful prose and really an amazing set of interconnected vignettes of people affected by a serious pandemic. Incredibly imaginative and really a lot about loss and bereavement.

Mostly it's a story about how different people endure and celebrate life. How we never stop finding a way to see death as rebirth. To see life as not a concept but rather an infinite set of individual beauty. How real love and hope never, ever fail to carry us onward. Even in the shadow of such sadness, we dream, we persevere, because of our love of one another and life, but especially our kids.

It's beautiful, wild, sad and leaves you with hope. A lot like life itself.

❤️

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Cultivate your bedrock of understanding!

Reviewed: 09-09-21

I've enjoyed gardening for about half of my life. Growing up in the Midwest my mother always had impressive vegetable gardens often fertilized by scraps of fish we'd catch at the local reservoir. (This was obviously in the 80s) I'll never forget eating sweet green onions from my Mom's garden and falling in love with all things food.

Having half the table covered in vegetables, and often Miracle Whip (and salt and pepper) was how we grew up eating.

30+ years later I am a working Chef, Dad, kite flyer and hobbyist gardener. I want to give my own kids the same variety of home grown produce. Thus, I garden, or at least attempt to.

The constant in all of my passions is that I never stop discovering amazing new things about what I'm most interested in. To endeavor to cultivate your own understandings about gardening, soil, and the life of your plants is what this Podcast is really all about.

The research and production value of this show is without equal. Guests are always informative, comfortable and enlightening. I've listened to more episodes of this podcast in my greenhouse than any other podcast; I will say my Moby station on Pandora is a close second, but Joe and his team do an incredibly good job at making this available. :) This show is a huge resource to everyone who might want to grow their own food or simply understand how it all works.

+1 for having your show available everywhere and across many platforms. I have learned volumes of information about all things gardening from Joe and his guests. Oftentimes a topic discussed leads me to even more independent discovery!


If you have a garden or even one plant you will most likely enjoy adding this podcast to your favorites. The YouTube channel is also a very informative companion resource.

Thanks again!

@kitethepower (IG)

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Pollan fans enjoy!

Reviewed: 07-08-21

Very familiar presentation style for listeners of Pollan's previous offerings. This Author's sincerity and vulnerability shine in lockstep with his scientific due diligence. I really enjoyed this book! Chapters are well organized and fans are rewarded while newcomers are welcomed seamlessly into the fold.

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5 people found this helpful

this had a chance but suddenly failed me

Reviewed: 11-08-20

What could have been really good ended up as incomplete tale. the audio production was atrocious with both readers mispronouncing several common words and names. the last part of the book needlessly adds additional readers that are unknown and not intentionally, and unnecessary. probably the most disappointing koontz book I've ever read and highly unfortunate because it had promise and interesting characters. i will absolutely be asking for my credit back for this one.

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The Director of this audiobook should be fired.

Reviewed: 09-24-20

I've never listened to an audiobook with multiple readers using distinctly different voices yet whenever any of the characters speak, in their CLEARLY differentiated and learned voices the reader, sometimes one or the other says "Alex Said". And it isn't even consistent. At times the female reader will speak in the voice of one of the major characters she's reading and then say "so and so said" other times the same thing will occur but the male reader says "so and so said".

If you are using distincly different voices for each character after a few chapters we know very well who ks speaking and especially when you have scenes featuring the two main characters talking in a car, you don't need to say, he said, she replied, he retorted etc. It is obvious to everyone who said what because there are only two people in the scene and both male and female readers are speaking. Why bother with character voices and multiple readers when you're just going to tell us who said what. In print this is slightly more acceptable but when dialogue is between two people and we know who is talking when, it is completely unnecessary to include "said Tom" "said Jameson" etc. it's Chapter 76 and we've already learned who the voices represent bc we have been listening for 11 hours. A very unpleasant listening experience and a needlessly convoluted story that represents the least impressive book I've ever read by Baldacci. But the audio direction and the he said, she said nonsense is unforgivable.

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2 people found this helpful