Anonymous
- 62
- reviews
- 8
- helpful votes
- 294
- ratings
-
Demon Copperhead
- A Novel
- By: Barbara Kingsolver
- Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
- Length: 21 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses.
-
-
Wow! It’s a Masterpiece
- By Billy on 10-25-22
- Demon Copperhead
- A Novel
- By: Barbara Kingsolver
- Narrated by: Charlie Thurston
The Angela's Ashes of Appalachia
Reviewed: 04-20-24
Angela's Ashes had a unique perspective of the life of a boy from a poor Irish family. If you liked that bestseller including the humor that come's from a poor boy's innocent view of life's absurdities with nothing making any sense, you'll like this one too. Tragedy recurrently befalls both boys yet part of their resiliency seems to stem from lack of understanding. Ignorance can be bliss for those in hardship situations. A differentiator is the oxycontin epidemic that killed many youth yet made their seller's rich. The character June brings this epidemic into focus as something that could have been prevented yet wasn't until it was too late. Kudos to Kinsolver for creating a world where this killer drug was a cultural norm and exemplified what was happening throughout the country at that time. Let's all learn from the unfortunate history she depicted.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Fourth Wing
- Empyrean, Book 1
- By: Rebecca Yarros
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton
- Length: 21 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.
-
-
Erotica with Dragons
- By Trev on 05-13-23
- Fourth Wing
- Empyrean, Book 1
- By: Rebecca Yarros
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler, Teddy Hamilton
Twist at the end sets up for a sequel. Ugh!
Reviewed: 02-19-24
The narrators make this book entertaining and enjoyable as it is action packed. However, the relationship tensions are too repetitive, overdone, and predictable that they make the story seem longer than it needs to be. More stars would have been given if the ending didn't leave me upended! Although there is a great twist at the end, the book seems set up for a sequel and becomes disappointing to a reader who bought the book as a standalone, not a series hopeful. There should be buyer beware signs for books that don't end but just want you to buy more assuming their future existence will be justified!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Yellowface
- A Novel
- By: R. F. Kuang
- Narrated by: Helen Laser
- Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena’s a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn’t even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I.
-
-
I've never hated a character harder
- By ashelyn downs on 07-26-23
- Yellowface
- A Novel
- By: R. F. Kuang
- Narrated by: Helen Laser
Too set up for a sequel
Reviewed: 12-17-23
The narrator was awesome and made the book very enjoyable until the end. The book itself was fantastic but the ending seemed like a deliberate set up for a sequel which is presumptuous and unfair to readers who think they are reading a book that ends so the reader isn't left wondering. If a book is to become a series, the reader should have the right to be informed ahead of time. Otherwise, a great book!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Pioneers
- The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West
- By: David McCullough
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The number one New York Times best seller by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough rediscovers an important chapter in the American story that's "as resonant today as ever" (The Wall Street Journal) - the settling of the Northwest Territory by courageous pioneers who overcame incredible hardships to build a community based on ideals that would define our country.
-
-
i would prefer david reading it
- By hooterwah on 05-07-19
- The Pioneers
- The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West
- By: David McCullough
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
Interesting slice of US History
Reviewed: 11-15-23
I saw David McCullough speak about this book at our local church in Hamilton, MA where Manassa Cutler once preached. Given this audience he spoke more of the influence New England and Harvard had on him which he brought west. What wasn't mentioned in the book was the reason why girls were encouraged to be educated which was so they could be literate enough to read the Bible. Interesting story for those from OH and PA for sure!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Housemaid's Secret
- By: Freida McFadden
- Narrated by: Lauryn Allman
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want.
-
-
IDK…
- By C. L. Wells on 03-09-23
- The Housemaid's Secret
- By: Freida McFadden
- Narrated by: Lauryn Allman
Twists are the author's specialty
Reviewed: 10-13-23
I like Housemaid so I read this one next. Both are similar but the twists differ. McFadden delivers great twists which aren't always predictable and make readers want to continue on. Love the vulnerability of the protagonist which makes her heroic actions all the more daring. Clues are subtle but there. Both of these Housemaid books were fun reads!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Hiroshima
- By: John Hersey
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 5 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A journalistic masterpiece. John Hersey transports us back to the streets of Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 - the day the city was destroyed by the first atomic bomb. Told through the memories of six survivors, Hiroshima is a timeless, powerful classic that will awaken your heart and your compassion. In this new edition, Hersey returns to Hiroshima to find the survivors - and to tell their fates in an eloquent and moving final chapter.
-
-
Hiroshima, the days and years that followed
- By Julia on 04-15-15
- Hiroshima
- By: John Hersey
- Narrated by: George Guidall
Important Book to Read
Reviewed: 10-13-23
Although hearing about the suffering of innocent civilians is difficult, understanding the effects of an atomic bomb should be required of every voter in any country with this capability. The best part of the book is the objectivity of the author who accurately describes the refusal of the Japanese to surrender and the fear of how many US military would probably have been killed if the bomb was not dropped. Innocent civilians seem to be the casualties of every war so let's hope our future leaders will have read this book and think about the consequences of aggressive military actions.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Housemaid
- By: Freida McFadden
- Narrated by: Lauryn Allman
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
I only try on one of Nina’s pristine white dresses once. Just to see what it’s like. But she soon finds out...and by the time I realize my attic bedroom door only locks from the outside, it’s far too late. But I reassure myself: The Winchesters don’t know who I really am. They don’t know what I’m capable of....
-
-
One Big Cliche’
- By Karen Brow on 08-03-22
- The Housemaid
- By: Freida McFadden
- Narrated by: Lauryn Allman
Great Psychological Thriller
Reviewed: 10-09-23
I loved the description of this book regarding the aggressors not knowing what they are up against with the HouseMaid. Not knowing what the HouseMaid was capable of is what kept me guessing throughout the majority of the story. Great twists and intriguing characters. Looking forward to the sequel.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Rules of Magic
- By: Alice Hoffman
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
- Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man. Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the '60s, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique.
-
-
Darkly Fun and Bitterweet
- By Mel on 11-17-17
- The Rules of Magic
- By: Alice Hoffman
- Narrated by: Marin Ireland
Great characters
Reviewed: 10-06-23
The strength of this story is the characters that are developed with their unique abilities, personalities, and dynamic within the immediate and extended family. The Vincent storyline was a little challenging to understand as his existence is there but then again, it's not. Overall, a good book but not spellbinding.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Secrets We Kept: Reese's Book Club
- A Novel
- By: Lara Prescott
- Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan, Cynthia Farrell, Mozhan Marnò, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the height of the Cold War, two secretaries are pulled out of the typing pool at the CIA and given the assignment of a lifetime. Their mission: to smuggle Doctor Zhivago out of the USSR, where no one dare publish it, and help Pasternak's magnum opus make its way into print around the world. Glamorous and sophisticated Sally Forrester is a seasoned spy who has honed her gift for deceit all over the world - using her magnetism and charm to pry secrets out of powerful men. Irina is a complete novice, and is under Sally's tutelage....
-
-
Eh...it was ok.
- By Nunya on 09-06-19
- The Secrets We Kept: Reese's Book Club
- A Novel
- By: Lara Prescott
- Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan, Cynthia Farrell, Mozhan Marnò, Saskia Maarleveld, Jonathan Davis, David Pittu, James Fouhey
Interesting view into the world of the 1950s
Reviewed: 09-07-23
Although I found myself searching for the common thread among the multiple storylines throughout most of the book, it does come together eventually. Not very riveting but excellent at depicting the fears in both the US and the USSR during the 1950s. This is an important part of history which should not be repeated. Although Americans blamed the Soviets for punishing freedom of speech, the US had punishments for personal freedoms at that time as well. Wish I had read Dr. Zhivago beforehand. Will probably enjoy more now.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
- A Novel
- By: Ocean Vuong
- Narrated by: Ocean Vuong
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Poet Ocean Vuong’s debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, a first love, and the redemptive power of storytelling. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late 20s, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born - a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam - and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation.
-
-
Beautifully written, but painful.
- By NB on 06-10-19
- On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
- A Novel
- By: Ocean Vuong
- Narrated by: Ocean Vuong
Non Stop Melancholy
Reviewed: 09-01-23
Ironically, I often think the advantage of listening to authors reading their own books is a perk however in this case, it was a disadvantage. The author's voice is very monotone and melancholic making 7 hours of listening a challenge. I also initially had difficulty following because the author jumps back and forth from Vietnam to Hartford making the story a bit disjointed. His style is poetic with some exceptionally well done and thought-provoking phrases but there were also some parts when I couldn't decipher what he was trying to say. I admit I prefer the meanings of poetry to be easy to discern. Overall, the book was way too melancholic for me. Very sad and depressing.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!