J. D. Williamson
- 4
- reviews
- 4
- helpful votes
- 10
- ratings
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Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets
- An Audible Original
- By: John Woolf, Nick Baker
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 18,637
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16,890
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Story4 out of 5 stars 16,827
On the surface, the Victorian age is one of propriety, industry, prudishness and piety. But scratch the surface and you’ll find scandal, sadism, sex, madness, malice and murder. Presented by Stephen Fry, this series delves deep into a period of time we think we know, to discover an altogether darker reality. The stories we’re told offer a different perspective on an era which underwent massive social change. As education, trade, technology and culture blossomed, why was there an undercurrent of the ‘forbidden’ festering beneath Victorian society?
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2 out of 5 stars
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Why the background noises?
- By Candace Russell on 11-04-18
- Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets
- An Audible Original
- By: John Woolf, Nick Baker
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
Not exactly what I expected.
Reviewed: 11-22-18
Although I liked the book and it has a lot of interesting content it may have been more accurately described as an LGBT history of Victorian England. It may have been in the description and I missed it. The book is not focused exclusively on LGBT people and issues in that era but seemed to have spent the majority if the content on the subject.
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Trump: The Art of the Deal
- By: Donald J. Trump, Tony Schwartz
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith, Donald J. Trump
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 12,870
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 11,243
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 11,235
Here is Trump in action—how he runs his organization and how he runs his life—as he meets the people he needs to meet, chats with family and friends, clashes with enemies, and challenges conventional thinking. But even a maverick plays by rules, and Trump has formulated time-tested guidelines for success. He isolates the common elements in his greatest accomplishments; he shatters myths; he names names, spells out the zeros, and fully reveals the deal-maker's art. And throughout, Trump talks—really talks—about how he does it.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Man Who Would be President
- By Jose on 03-20-17
- Trump: The Art of the Deal
- By: Donald J. Trump, Tony Schwartz
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith, Donald J. Trump
Decide For Yourself
Reviewed: 08-01-16
One side thinks Donald Trump is our economic savior and one side thinks he's the devil himself. After listening to this book I have a great appreciation for his experience dealing with government stupidity and entitlement mentality. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to look beyond the media hype and understand who this guy is and why he does what he does. You might be surprised.
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1 person found this helpful
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A Secret of the Universe
- A Story of Love, Loss, and the Discovery of an Eternal Truth
- By: Stephen L. Gibson
- Narrated by: Stephen L. Gibson
- Length: 21 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3 out of 5 stars 23
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Performance3 out of 5 stars 8
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Story3 out of 5 stars 8
This is the story of two high-school pals from the Midwest for whom a personal tragedy sets in motion a journey of inquiry that spans a lifetime of cruel and glorious twists, and culminates in an astonishing discovery. Ian wants answers his faith can't provide, so he abandons traditional religion and its magic, mysticism, and supernaturalism, turning instead to a worldview of pure science and reason.
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2 out of 5 stars
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What Secret?
- By J. D. Williamson on 02-18-09
- A Secret of the Universe
- A Story of Love, Loss, and the Discovery of an Eternal Truth
- By: Stephen L. Gibson
- Narrated by: Stephen L. Gibson
What Secret?
Reviewed: 02-18-09
The premise of honest evaluation of traditional Christianity with the collective knowledge of our time interested me enough to buy this book. I listened with an open mind but the book descended rather quickly into the very blind acceptance of values and assumptions for which the book accuses Christianity of doing. If there was an astonishing discovery I missed it.
There was a lot of promotion of the school of thought that Jesus never existed and the Christian Bible is a collection of recycled myths from other cultures. This could help listeners understand the details of these theories but these arguments are certainly not new. The book says most people don't know about these alternative views because the church has repressed the truth, but many Biblical scholars might say they haven't gained traction in the spiritual market of ideas due to their own lack of merit. The Secret Of The Universe in the book was delivered wrapped in a bunch of spiritual babble and by then end of the book the main characters were making weepy speeches and sounding like they could be members of Oprah's team of spiritual advisors.
Those who embrace more traditional Christian views may have issues with some aspects of the book such as profanity, pre-marital sex by the main characters not seen as inconsistent with their Christian faith, a long-term extra-marital affair portrayed as God's provision of intimacy, an ongoing lesbian relationship approved by the husband because he is glad his wife was able to find another person who could love her as much as he does.
There are discussions in the book about many topics of interest that those who embrace, study, or disagree with Christianity will find helpful and thought provoking. Both sides of controversial ideas are presented for balance, but the balance definitely is not 50/50.
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6 people found this helpful
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The Shack
- By: Wm. Paul Young
- Narrated by: Roger Mueller
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 4,646
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,244
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Story4 out of 5 stars 2,299
Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely the best book ever!
- By thatrachelkim on 07-19-08
- The Shack
- By: Wm. Paul Young
- Narrated by: Roger Mueller
Thought Provoking
Reviewed: 08-08-08
Although there were parts of this book that were definitely outside my comfort zone in terms of my perceptions of God, I'm glad I listened to it. My suggestion to anyone considering this book is to be ready to honestly explore why you agree or disagree with the author's representations of God or theology. I found that if agreed or disagreed with the author I've still gained a deeper understanding of why I believe what I believe.
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28 people found this helpful