G. Berton Latamore

Excellent Characterization, No Plot

Reviewed: 04-18-23

I enjoyed every word of "Pineapple Street" and am looking forward to Jenny Jackson's next book. While the plotting is very weak, the deep character development is fascinating, and the exposure of the shallow lives of many of the very rich has a ring of truth. The big failing of the book is the lack of a strong plot. Marlin Ireland does an excellent job as narrator, bringing the right feeling of light tension along with matter-of-fact sense of realism.

This is not a high tension novel. It is a book about normal life told with a hint of amusement. If you read for plot this is not the book for you. If you are interested in the inner lives of young women faced with fairly normal challenges, and you are looking for a light read that explores the lives of young, privileged women, give this a try.

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Sexual Adventures of a Young Woman

Reviewed: 01-24-23

Written as a series of journal entries, this book docents the fictional (?) sexual Adventures of a Young woman, from thw time she is 13 until she is married, a PhD in psychology, and the mother of two young children. Tllhe book is full of graphic sex scenes from her point of view. the character development of both the author/main character and her four male lovers is excellent. This is light reading, focused entirely on consensual heterosexual sex with it's attached emotional experiences. Within those limits it is well written. If you are into hetero sex and enjoy thinking about it, you will enjoy this book, whether you are male or female. and who knows, you might learn something.

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A Complex Maze

Reviewed: 10-27-22

This unique alternative world fantasy has everything it needs to revolutionize its genre and reach beyond that to become a literary classic. It presents a world that in its own way is as complex as Tolkien's Middle Earth filled with complex, fully realized characters. But where Tolkien resorted to archietypes of good and evil, the writing partnership known as M.A. Carrick has filled this world with complex human characters all seen from a distinctly female viewpoint.

Where men might use brute force, the two female main characters must survive and ultimately thrive in a world of fully realized characters, each with his or her unique strengths and weaknesses, good and bad impulses, and the complex contradictions of real people. To do that they mish understand those people and. the pressures and desires that drive them. They must use that understanding of the forces surrounding them to find a place for themselves, manipulating others when they need to, balancing them against each other to expandd their own space, and carefully choose their own allies. They must form carefully chosen alliances and earn the trust, help, and protection of those people they have chosen, while preserving their own secrets. And ultimately they must play key roles in defeating an evil power that is seeking to destroy their city.

Nikki Massoud is the perfect story teller for this tale. She adds her own talent with multiple voices to bring the story to life znd present it clearly for the listener.

This is a complex book that demands the reader's full attention and deserves multiple readings. If it leaves the writer with a feeling of regret when the story ends, then the good news is that the second volume in this planned trilogy has recently been released and is available on Audible. I hope for many more equally fascinating, complex books from M.A. Carrick in the future.

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Strong Portrayal of the World of Chess

Reviewed: 09-19-22

Walter Tevis has written a page turner about the world of international chess. Set in the 1960s and '70s it tells the story of a young girl orphaned when her mother dies in a caar crash, who has an incredible talent for the game. In some respects it is a Horatio Alger story as she rises from life in an orphanage to the rarified world of the chess grand masters. However, despite her huge talent, nothing comes easy. When she reaches the level where her talent is not enough, she has to learn to devote long hours to studying games and playing with the best competitors she can find. She also has to deal with drug ediction and alcoholism that almost destroies her. The book focuses largely on her internal struggles, and in the end her destiny balances on a knife edge as she goes alone to Moscow to take on the world's top players, who are all Russian men. Amy Landon does a flawless job, never missing a syllable or a step, keeping up with the fast pace of the book. Even if chess is not your interest (it is not mine), this book is well worth the time.

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Tolkien's Masterpiece Stands the Test of Time

Reviewed: 06-14-22

Reviewing Tolkien's Masterpiecein a few words is like explaining the Old Testament to someone who has never read it. This is a unique work, more a collection of interlinked stories spanning millenia in which two forces, one basically good and the other evil and driven by envy and greed, clash. I have read "The Silmarillion" several times over the years, but last opened it decades ago. this is my first time listening to it as a recorded book, however.

Martin Shaw did an excellent dramatic reading. I found listening to the book to be a good review to prepare for the new TV series, "The Rings of Power", to be released this fall.

If this is your first time reading the book, be prepared. This is a complex work, with multiple races of beings ranging from an active pantheon of gods (the Valar), to demi-gids (the Mayar), to the immortal and magical elves, the tough Dwarves, down to humans. it takes place over a huge geography, and you may want to get the maps that Tolkien provided in the printed books. It also demands your complete attention, particularly if you are not already familiar with the book. It is an excellent introduction for those who have not read it, and a good review for those who already have the text.

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King Lear Like You Never Heard it Before

Reviewed: 05-11-22

When American author Christopher Moore decided to write a humorous book about King Lear's fool, people might have thought him a little mad himself. Lear, after all, is the epitome of a Shakespearean tragedy.

Moore, however, was more that up to the task. If you are looking for the funny side of tragedy, then look no farther. This book combines real scholarship with a laugh-out-loud interpretation of the human foibles that abound in the story. It even provides a happy ending at least for Cordelia and the fool. Euan Mortin does an excellent job of bringing the book to life.

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Fine Spy Novel Excells at Character

Reviewed: 04-12-22

Cara Black's "Three Hours in Paris" is an excellent page turner. At the very start of WW II in England a young American woman loses her British husband and 18-month old child when a Nazi U-boat penetrates the British naval base in the Orkneys and sinks a British battleship, the Royal Oak. The sinking is an acual event, btw.

Lost and considering suicide, she buries herself in her work and in her one hobby, target shooting. She grew up in the American West on a cattle ranch and isa crack shot, which leads to her recruitment into the British Special Forces.

From there the book plunges into a spy drama in newly conquered Paris.The plot is flawless and smooth, but what makes this novel stand out is the way the events change the main character. When I was in college, my lit. prof. told me that character development is the heart of literature. This novel has that in spades.

As the heroine fights her duel against German professional police detective who is determined to capture her, we see how she changes, applies all her skills, and evolves into something very different from what she was at the start of the book. When the German finally catches up with her, they find that they are not very different, both master hunters. The end is spectacular and a little unlikely, and her final confrontation with the man who recruited her and sent her to Paris shows how she has learned the hard truth about life and how to survive.

Elizabeth Rodgers does an excellent job as narrator. Overall, this is well worth the listen.

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Excellent Naval Mystery/Adventure Novel

Reviewed: 03-26-22

"Nimitz Class" tells the story of something that could have happened, indeed still could happen theoretically. The plot, about a successful attack on a U.S. Navy nuclear aircraft carrier and it's aftermath, is well thought out. The details of naval procedure are amazing, making me think that author Patrick Robinson must have served as a fleet officer on either a carrier or submarine. either that, or his research was incredibly thorough.

The novel is not all plot, however. What makes it a superior example of it's genre is the character development. Robinson fills the book with several well rounded characters. He falls short in one area. His main character does not display any real growth as a result of his experiences.

Narrator George Guidall brings the right time of military authority and factual presentation to the book. Overall, if you like military novels, and in particular if you are interested in the details of naval procedure and of the culture of the sailors and fliers of the U.S. Navy, this is an excellent read.

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A True Story of the Effort to Save the FL Panther

Reviewed: 03-21-22

This excellent piece of long journalism chronical the half-century effort to save the Florida panther from extinction. It is a story of fighting against great odds, including incredible incompetence and massive corruption. Crain Pittman did an incredible, thorough investigation and created a clear, documented telling of this often sad story. Mike Chamberlain's performance as narrator was excellent. If you want to see how go ernment in the United States really works, this is an excellent true book that shows both the good and bad. Everyone who is concerned about environmental segregation anywhere should read this book.

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1 person found this helpful

A Modernization of "Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hide"

Reviewed: 03-15-22

This is an almost word for word retelling of Robert Lewis Stevenson's story, modernized to the present day and relocated from Edinburgh to London and with a female main character. Since the original story is famous, the retelling has no real mystery or tension. the performance is excellent, but more imagination could have gone into the plotting and overall idea.

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