James
- 39
- reviews
- 67
- helpful votes
- 853
- ratings
-
The Fortunes of Africa
- A 5000-Year History of Wealth, Greed, and Endeavor
- By: Martin Meredith
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 26 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A sweeping history of the fortune seekers, adventurers, despots, and thieves who have ruthlessly endeavored to extract gold, diamonds, and other treasures from Africa and its people.
-
-
VAST & WELL RESEARCHED
- By Odomite on 02-03-21
- The Fortunes of Africa
- A 5000-Year History of Wealth, Greed, and Endeavor
- By: Martin Meredith
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
Good Overview for the Long Period
Reviewed: 01-24-23
The book consists of 71 chapters which are organized into Parts I through XVI with between two and seven chapters being allocated to each Part. The parts themselves are unnamed and lack dates or regional designations while the chapters are often obscurely named: Zanj, The Black Guard, The Magnificent Cake, etc. With this deficiency, the author often loses the opportunity to help the reader mentally organize the material about to be described.
One could organize the large book’s content into three main groups:
Early Group: The first two parts (with 9 chapters) cover earliest time in Egypt to the mid-1400s.
Middle Group: The next twelve parts (with 48 chapters) cover earliest European contact in the 1400s until Independence (1940s). This large section is roughly chronological switching between northern, eastern, western, central and southern Africa's affairs.
Later Group: The final two parts (14 chapters) cover Independence and until time of writing.
One can observe that material in periods prior to 300AD is heavily focussed on the north and northeast of Africa – either from cultures with their own/nearby writing systems or cultures in contact with external sources (Roman, Greek) who wrote about them. Material in other parts of Africa is sparse and this is apparently due to the relative scarcity of archaeological research in these pre-literate regions of Africa.
As North Africa become Islamic and literate and traders from those regions started to trade with sub-Saharan regions and regions on coastal East Africa, more parts of Africa start to have available history. Descriptions of sub-Saharan regions are generally told from the point-of-view of literate outsiders who came to trade. This “outsider view” of African history continues with European contact as their ships landed on different parts of the African coast to trade goods and engage in slave trade. Presumably, through much of the period, there is little written material available produced by Africans native to the sub-Sahara.
The historical content becomes broader as the book progresses and there is presumably more source material to reference.
Overall, given the historical materials available to consult, the author does a good job describing the history over this continent over the long period.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Ancient African Kingdoms
- A Captivating Guide to Civilizations of Ancient Africa Such as the Land of Punt, Carthage, the Kingdom of Aksum, the Mali Empire, and the Kingdom of Kush
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Africa is the continent where the first humans were born. They explored the vast land and produced the first tools. And although we migrated from that continent, we never completely abandoned it. From the beginning of time, humans lived and worked in Africa, leaving evidence of their existence in the sands of the Sahara Desert and the valleys of the great rivers such as the Nile and the Niger.
-
-
A wealth of information about African history
- By Windchill-06 on 02-20-21
- Ancient African Kingdoms
- A Captivating Guide to Civilizations of Ancient Africa Such as the Land of Punt, Carthage, the Kingdom of Aksum, the Mali Empire, and the Kingdom of Kush
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Jason Zenobia
Content is OK but the Writing is amateurish
Reviewed: 01-06-23
The book is OK for an introductory work. The book doesn’t explain why the kingdoms chosen before 300 were all well to the north (and mostly northeast) of the continent – one expects that it’s a matter of where written records are available to historians. Including the Ghana and Mali empires in a volume of ancient history is a stretch according the standard usage of “ancient history”. The book’s writing is OK but it should have been regularly improved by a more articulate editor. It would be hard to count the number of times I improved wording of a just finished sentence in my head.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Lolita
- By: Vladimir Nabokov, Claire Messud
- Narrated by: Jeremy Irons, Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Awe and exhilaration—along with heartbreak and mordant wit—abound in Lolita, which tells the story of the aging Humbert Humbert's obsession for the nymphet Dolores Haze. Lolita is also the story of a hypercivilized European colliding with the cheerful barbarism of postwar America.
-
-
An Absolutely Gorgeous Audible Experience
- By Jim on 10-26-05
- Lolita
- By: Vladimir Nabokov, Claire Messud
- Narrated by: Jeremy Irons, Cassandra Campbell
Story from a pedophile's viewpoint
Reviewed: 01-02-23
The book centres around a scholar in his 30s who is obsessed with per-pubescent girls and his desire for them. After he marries a woman to open opportunities for her young daughter, the story continues to describe his efforts and "successes". The book is told from the perspective of this main character. Most of the narrative centres around the main character’s paedophilic obsession -- both with his step-daughter and for others “young nymphettes” that his step-daughter meets and brings into his proximity.
The work is variously praised for its ingenious wordplay and eloquence as well as its exploration of obsession, desire and lust on a topic rarely discussed in the mainstream. However for me: the book’s much-praised turn of phrase didn’t come close to overcoming my revulsion for the main character or most of the book’s narrative. Had the book not been so widely praised, I would have discontinued it after one or two chapters. I did stick it out to the very end and I despised the work.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
New Teeth
- Stories
- By: Simon Rich
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
- Length: 4 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Laugh till you cry in this new collection of stories from the “Serena Williams of humor writing” (New York Times Book Review) about raising babies and trying to learn how not to be one.
-
-
Kind of like an SNL skit...starts out funny then..
- By Curtis Hauge on 02-07-22
- New Teeth
- Stories
- By: Simon Rich
- Narrated by: Fred Berman
Aimed at a pre-teen audience
Reviewed: 01-02-23
If you were a child, the humour in this book might be just your thing.
However, I have difficulty seeing how an adult would find the book entertaining. The story contents and the narrator's voice are what you'd expect for someone around the age of 5.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Why We Swim
- By: Bonnie Tsui
- Narrated by: Angie Kane
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Humans, unlike other animals that are drawn to water, are not natural-born swimmers. We must be taught. Our evolutionary ancestors learned for survival; now in the 21st century, we swim in freezing Arctic waters and piranha-infested rivers to test our limits. Swimming is an introspective and silent sport in a chaotic and noisy age; it’s therapeutic for both the mind and body; and it's an adventurous way to get from point A to point B. It's also one route to that elusive, ecstatic state of flow.
-
-
Sublime Swimming
- By Jason on 05-22-20
- Why We Swim
- By: Bonnie Tsui
- Narrated by: Angie Kane
Some interesting bits intermixed with dull content
Reviewed: 10-17-21
I found the author's personal accounts of swimming dull. And if you missed it from the dozens of time she repeated it: yes, we understand that she herself greatly enjoys swimming. I swim twice a week myself but just as one pastime among others.
I found that she went into way too much detail for many of her subjects -- generally swimmers that I didn't know or frankly gain much interest in from her telling. Perhaps a third of her subjects were interesting -- like the swim teacher in Baghdad who taught so many to swim at no charge.
Some of the content relates to the story title but not very much. The overall story lacks a coherent story line. It jumps back-and-forth on: a) the history and importance of swimming in human history, b) stories about her various swimmers from the present time or recent past and c) her own experience and love of swimming.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
The Evening and the Morning
- Kingsbridge, Book 4
- By: Ken Follett
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 24 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns. In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined.
-
-
I was really waiting for this book!
- By Firebolt on 09-20-20
- The Evening and the Morning
- Kingsbridge, Book 4
- By: Ken Follett
- Narrated by: John Lee
Simplistic Characters
Reviewed: 06-18-21
Follett can write a good plot but almost every character are either very good (generous, kind, thoughtful) or very bad (to a comic book degree). The author seems to lack ability to include a reasonable proportion of characters who aren't saints or devils.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
When I Was You
- By: Minka Kent
- Narrated by: Erin deWard, Will Damron
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After barely surviving a brutal attack, Brienne Dougray rarely leaves her house. Suffering from debilitating headaches and memory loss, she can rely only on her compassionate new tenant, Dr. Niall Emberlin, a welcome distraction from the discomfiting bubble that has become her existence. But Brienne’s growing confidence in her new routine is shaken when she stumbles across unsettling evidence that someone else is living as...her. Same name. Same car. Same hair. Same clothes. She’s even friended her family on social media.
-
-
I Was Flabbergasted By This One
- By Brian on 02-20-20
- When I Was You
- By: Minka Kent
- Narrated by: Erin deWard, Will Damron
Whining and self-doubt
Reviewed: 03-01-21
I stuck with it for 8 chapters but there is 10% plot and 80% whining and self-doubt. And the narrator's breathy tone makes it even worse. Usually I try to get through more before giving up on a story but I had to stop my suffering.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
- By: Frans de Waal
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
De Waal reviews the rise and fall of the mechanistic view of animals and opens our minds to the idea that animal minds are far more intricate and complex than we have assumed. De Waal's landmark work will convince you to rethink everything you thought you knew about animal - and human - intelligence.
-
-
Enlightening but not earth-shattering
- By Mark on 07-06-16
- Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
- By: Frans de Waal
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
This book could have been so much better
Reviewed: 05-12-20
The author presents so many interesting facts, behaviours and studies about a range of animals. The book had the potential to be an excellent book. However, the author would present the interesting facts and then go on to spend 2 or 3 times as long presenting differing or opposing views to his beliefs and then give reasons why he thought those views were incorrect (this annoying approach was more prevalent in the first half of the book). I am OK with presenting differing views but he shouldn't have spent SO MUCH time building up straw men and then knocking them down. The author often comes across as a disputatious academic rather than a learned teacher.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
A Prayer for Owen Meany
- By: John Irving
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 27 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Of all of John Irving's books, this is the one that lends itself best to audio. In print, Owen Meany's dialogue is set in capital letters; for this production, Irving himself selected Joe Barrett to deliver Meany's difficult voice as intended. In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys – best friends – are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary and terrifying.
-
-
Outstanding
- By Alan on 03-28-11
- A Prayer for Owen Meany
- By: John Irving
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
Great at Times, Too Preachy at Others
Reviewed: 03-27-20
The part of the story that describes the two main characters' childhood years was very well done. Even brilliant. But the other parts are not.
Throughout the book, it jumps forward into the 1980s. These are irrelevant page-filling sections which are also very preachy. OK, so the author despises Reagan and abhors the Iran-Contra affair. Save it for a current affairs columns and don't come back to it time-after-time-after-time in a book, especially when it has no relevance to the story or plot.
The 1960s section of the book is much less interesting than the childhood portion (which runs late '40s to late '50s). The author gets on his anti-Vietnam War horse (fine, I respect that view) but I don't want to hear about it from so many different characters and in so many different ways. There are far better documentaries on the topic so don't ruin a novel. Even the characters in the book are far less interesting as they reach their adult years in the 1960s. The author is so busy with his Vietnam War diatribes that good story-telling takes a back seat.
The book could have been outstanding with a firm editorial hand. But Irving is a big author by this time so he gets to drone on about his pet topics and it all goes through to publication. Too bad because with tough editing, it could have been a five star book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
History's Great Military Blunders and the Lessons They Teach
- By: The Great Courses, Gregory S. Aldrete
- Narrated by: Gregory S. Aldrete
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Military history often highlights successes and suggests a sense of inevitability about victory, but there is so much that can be gleaned from considering failures. Study these crucibles of history to gain a better understanding of why a civilization took - or didn't take - a particular path.
-
-
Martial Chaos
- By Cynthia on 08-16-16
Three Main Problems with this Book
Reviewed: 12-31-19
1. His Words
As others have pointed out, the narration is poor, the author mispronounces many words and he uses many words incorrectly (e.g. you don't "dispose an emperor", painted armour is fancy not fanciful and so on).
2. His Analysis
All too many of his cases involved the losing side not adjusting to very new technology or new tactics as quickly as the opponent. To me, a blunder involves key mistake(s) by the losing side that lead to the loss. A brilliant tactical innovation (or rapid adoption of technology) by the winning side is more of a credit to the winner than an unforgivable mistake by the loser. Also: why select minor (almost inconsequential) incidents like Dieppe or convey PQ17 in WWII instead of battles that were key to the overall tide of events?
3. His Obsession with Singling out the British Errors
Every mention of the British (if we include the single Scottish case) was an examination of a British screwup. 60% of the stories from 1500 (when England became something of a power) were focussed on British blunders, including 5 of the 6 blunders that author thought worthy of analysis from 1899. Through this time-frame, the British amassed a large Empire, helped beat Revolutionary France and was on the winning side in two World Wars but the author selected British errors time and again through the period. The author should have broadened his outlook -- blunders abound from a range of nations.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!