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Shannon Vance

  • 14
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  • 26
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Great finale for the first 4 novelas

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

Reviewed: 06-20-25

It was great to have the same narrator throughout the novela series. The Murderbot Chronicles are deeply engaging, thought-provoking, and entertaining. There are moral/ethical issues, great action scenes, and perfect world building. I love Murderbot!

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Delightful

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

Reviewed: 05-05-25

The story is rather predictable, as far as murder mysteries go, but no matter. Vera Wong is a force of nature and now I wish there was a real Chinese tea house nearby since coffee probably is making me rather anxious, as Vera would say. It is a lovely little heart warming story with an ending that makes you smile, but is not treacly. I loved it!

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An innovative approach to time travel

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

Reviewed: 05-23-24

In many ways this is such a good book. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and I thought the time travel element was intriguing. But the narrative was also laborious and sometimes frustrating. I believe the author could have gone on with the story instead of circling and recircling the internal agonies of June, the main character. I appreciated the attention to detail with the old ways of tobacco farming. I also think the timeline would have altered more due to June’s actions, but who knows, it is time travel.

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Excellent Narration Brings a Gripping True Tale to Life

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

Reviewed: 01-04-24

This is an engaging and provocative narrative, well researched and imagined. As a professional historian, I am inspired by the engaging nature of this account. It encompasses a range of elements - nature of man, forces of nature, the named and unnamed agents/victims of colonialism, poor choices, dubious leadership, and human tenacity in the face of incredible odds.

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Haunting Cautionary Tale for Us All

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

Reviewed: 12-18-23

This is a beautiful book. You will care so much about the narrator and her family. You will be rooting for the family and their future. And you just might be more grateful for your loved ones and think hard about what is really important in this life and the kind of experience you want to have and legacy you want to leave.

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Thorough Enchanting

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

Reviewed: 11-18-23

I enjoyed this Audible book very much. Narration was perfect, light music occasionally was welcome. The story is like an old quilt, comforting and familiar, but at the same time it is like a bright flame of a lantern, new and urgent.

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Gorgeous. Finally someone truly got southern Appalachia right

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

Reviewed: 06-26-23

My roots run deep through the hills and hollers of southern Appalachia. Generations back. My immediate family moved back when I started high school. Extended family had never left. County school. Cars with fancy sound systems driving around the AMC theater parking lot on Saturday nights, slow, cruising. Friday night football games. Addicted sister, to so many things including oxy. Mamaw in government housing. Salted watermelon running down my chin in a park with rhododendron and a quietly laughing creek on land first stolen from Native Americans, and then from my kin. Kingsolver has written a masterpiece. You might know the general plot points of Dickins’ David Copperfield and thus you will know general plot points here too. But this is an Appalachian book. It seared my soul, and it is true. As true as any history book or documentary. I do wonder how people not from Appalachia experience this book. For me, it was like excavating my soul. And the narrator - Thurston - so perfect. I mean, perfect. I have spent 45 years reading, first little golden books, then everything from Shakespeare to Ngugi to Lee Smith. And this is one of the Greats. To me, it is the unparalleled Great American Novel.

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An Academic Approach to Murder

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

Reviewed: 05-24-23

Or, deletions, as one might say if they are a graduate of McMaster’s. A witty, engaging romp through an elite boarding school with deadly dangers and thrilling lessons, then a satisfying observation of 3 students’ cumulative graduating thesis projects - or murders. I thought it dragged a bit during the “university” section, but I teach at a real one, so perhaps I am jaded. The Dean of McMasters did make a very good argument for a well rounded liberal arts education. You can’t help but root for the students, and it is a cleverly imagined narrative. The delivery by the voice actors, Simon Vance and Neil Patrick Harris, was just spot on and delightful.

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The sweetness of a well crafted novel

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

Reviewed: 04-19-23

First, I must commend the exquisite verbal performance of the narrator. Bing from the South, sometimes performers of southern accents bring pain to my heart and my ears. Not so here. And the ability to create different characters of the performer of this book is awe worthy. On to the story itself… It is a profound narrative. The characters are people you care about. The scenes are wrought in spare words yet evoked so clearly. The thread of the narrative spools out and envelopes you, creating a rich tapestry. I loved this book. As a human, as a historian. I hope you will appreciate its shimmering beauty, tragedy, hope, and complexity that stills echoes from this era into our own.

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Beautiful and Imaginative

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

Reviewed: 04-12-23

There is no easy way to summarize this book nor its beauty. Original, epistolary, breath taking. Narrators do a great job. Try it, give it a chance, immerse yourself. You won’t be sorry.

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