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susanna white

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The TERRIBLE narration!!!!Still worth the listen.

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
1 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-01-25

Here’s my original review:
Usually I wait til the end to review a book, but I can’t stand it! I love and have listened to all of Kate Quinn’s other books thus I was excited to hear this one! But sadly the narrator is so awful that I don’t think I can finish it. The story just isn’t powerful enough in the beginning to get me through to when it gets better. It’s gruesome narrative really misfit with the narration. I will keep trying for a few more chapters, but VERY DISAPPOINTED! I’m on chapter 6. How long do I suffer through? Had I read more of reviews I might not have bought it because if you read them it’s clear I’m not alone though there are enough good ones that I will continue a bit longer. If it finally gets better I will revisit this again. Otherwise this is the worst review I’ve ever given!
So…I did make it through and it was worth waiting out the beginning narration until the focus moves away from Lepita. It’s her voice in particular that makes the whole thing pretty challenging to wade through. The story picks up considerably by about Chapter 10ish. If they ever do a re-do of this with a better narration, it would improve considerably. Kate Quinn as usual knows how to spin an engaging tale. Good enough that I’ve just downloaded book 2. So we’ll see!

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Delightful Continuation!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-23-25

It has been a year or two since I read the previous tales. So nice to have them continue with fabulous narration and exciting continuation!

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The strength and tenacity of the bewildered girls who became women under outrageous atrocities.

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 10-15-24

This is yet another very important listen and read. The author is writing narrative nonfiction, which does indeed make it somewhat fiction. She makes it real, using first person accounts and occasionally brings in contemporary comparisons that initially were surprising. Ultimately, this has a powerful pull as listener and reader, not allowing us to escape through the passage of time. By the end as a listener I am left feeling the weight of responsibility to learn more, keep the Holocaust alive in my own life and do everything I can to ensure our world never allows such torture again, to live my life with joy to honor those who did not have that opportunity and to find out the names and people whose lives were cruelly taken by the Nazi regime. It is a hard listen. I didn’t like that the author continually read the numbers of the people she was writing about, yet it is very clear AND important to do so. I only have to hear the numbers in a book. The prisoners had to live with them as their names for years. Required reading!

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The unveiling of the invisible

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-05-24

An outstanding listen and book. WOW! Brutal in its descriptions of combat nurse life during Vietnam war. Remarkably, that is only the beginning. Like a descent from Everest, the journey once home gets tougher. Every American should read this book!

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AI Voice disappoints

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
1 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-12-24

This is an interesting story though the writing is mediocre at best. The story is a good one and if written better and read by an actual human, it could have been great. I chose to listen to the end because I was curious about the plot and I also wanted to see how I felt about an AI narrator. Moving forward I will not listen to an AI narrator. I prefer a real human!

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Sheer brutality

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-29-24

Like or dislike seems an inappropriate response to this book. This should be a must read for all human beings. It is an horrifying account that people should know and understand humans being capable of. There is also a very helpful history at the end of the narrative.

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Powerful story, excellent narration

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-11-24

The actual story of this book is powerful, heartbreaking and well written. As an atheist, there was too much religion for my taste. I’ve listened to it twice and by the end of the second listen, I struggled to get through it because of the heavy religion. On the other hand I did not live through the utter horror of the holocaust and can easily imagine that a strong belief in God would perhaps be the only way through it. I’d still recommend this book highly!

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Extraordinary story

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-18-24

The novel brought real history to life about a courageous woman and true story. I found the narration at times to be very distracting.

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Gripping brutality and cruelty

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-24-24

I’m gutted after listening to this take of almost unrelenting trauma told believably with what feels sadly like some of humanity’s worst broken people. It hurts to listen to it, yet like other Novels of hers, important to listen to as witness to the pain suffered and unleashed by broken people. There is one very lovely and beautiful chapter that leaves a beautiful memory. If you listen to this one, be prepared to ache!

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Riveting!!! Couldn’t stop til it was over

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-13-24

Powerful gut-wrenching tale! I found the narrator annoying, but tolerable enough to listen. Would still highly recommend. An important story about WWIi and its horrors.

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