Susan
- 14
- reviews
- 6
- helpful votes
- 43
- ratings
-
The Poisonwood Bible
- By: Barbara Kingsolver
- Narrated by: Dean Robertson
- Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14,514
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 12,126
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 12,148
The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it - from garden seeds to Scripture - is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Listen to the sample first!
- By Cheryl D on 07-30-08
- The Poisonwood Bible
- By: Barbara Kingsolver
- Narrated by: Dean Robertson
Narration nearly ruined this book
Reviewed: 11-16-10
What was a well-thought out and beautifully written story was nearly lost in the terrible monotone narration, it sounded as though she was just trying to rush through it. Passages that begged for what in musical terms would be called dynamics were passed over in a flat irrelevant tone. This was the second worst narration I've heard in the years and years I've been a member of audible.com (since the beginning!) and narration really does make or break a book in this venue. Consider reading the book instead of listening to it, as it is quite a story...or wait until Audible.com does it over with a better narrator.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Lowcountry Summer
- A Plantation Novel
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 382
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 299
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 293
Dorothea Benton Frank is a native of the South whose novels vividly capture the wild beauty, laid-back atmosphere, earthy characters, and charming eccentricities of life in South Carolina's Lowcountry. Written with compelling honesty and emotional depth, her stories have touched readers from coast to coast, and propelled her to the top ranks of bestsellerdom nationwide.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Not my favorite, but still a good listen
- By Susan on 11-16-10
- Lowcountry Summer
- A Plantation Novel
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
Not my favorite, but still a good listen
Reviewed: 11-16-10
I love Dorothea Benton Frank, every book I listen to or read is a pleasure and I would recommend this book to anyone, but I didn't enjoy it as much as some of the others. Her characters are vivid, but I don't think there were enough enjoyable characters to balance the ones you want to throttle. Even the protagonist was a bit full of herself, and the wrap up made me feel a bit uneasy. That being said, however, the book was well written and worth a try for anyone who loves this genre.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
The Help
- By: Kathryn Stockett
- Narrated by: Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer, and others
- Length: 18 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 45,697
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 30,712
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 30,683
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
What a great surprise!
- By Jan on 12-02-09
- The Help
- By: Kathryn Stockett
- Narrated by: Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer, Cassandra Campbell
Worth the time and money
Reviewed: 01-26-10
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The setting, the subject, the storyline and the narration was fascinating. I NEVER read/listen to a book twice, but this was the one exception. I highly recommend a very unique experience.
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 Color of a Dog Running Away
- By: Richard Gwyn
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 7
Lucas, a musician living in Barcelona, receives a cryptic invitation. When he appears at the appointed time, he sets in motion a series of bizarre events that disrupt his passive existence. He meets the alluring Nuria and they begin a love affair. He is approached by a band of mythic roof dwellers and has a run-in with a fire-eating prophet. But when he and Nuria are kidnapped by a religious cult with roots stretching back to the 13th century, Lucas realizes that his life is spinning out of control.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Colorful Canine
- By Michael Gates on 11-28-08
- The Color of a Dog Running Away
- By: Richard Gwyn
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
A droner
Reviewed: 04-25-09
This book just drones on and on. I have never stopped listening to an audiobook, but this one I had to just quit. Perhaps the narrator had something to do with it, his voice just had a depressing monotone, it felt like everything was doom and gloom, even when it wasn't. I just couldn't get into it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Land of Mango Sunsets
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Nanette Savard
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Abridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 114
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 75
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 77
Meet Miriam Elizabeth Swanson, in a full-blown snit, buoyed by a fabulous cast who run the gamut from insufferable to wonderful. Miriam spins out from the revolving door of her postured life as a Manhattan quasi-socialite while she thirsts - no, starves - for recognition. How did she become what she hates the most and what does she endure to realize it? And where are the answers? It takes a few spins, dips, and one spectacular fall before Miriam gets her head on straight.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
awesome
- By Kimberly on 06-13-07
- The Land of Mango Sunsets
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Nanette Savard
Lovely story
Reviewed: 04-25-09
This is a lovely story, the kind of book you want to just put the world on hold and lay in your lounge chair listening to it until it is done. The narrator did a great job of creating that Southern feel to the story. I loved it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
The Christmas Pearl
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Celia Weston
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 446
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 377
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 373
Theodora is the matriarch of a family that has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. While she's finally gotten them all together in South Carolina to celebrate, this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey holidays of her childhood.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Never too old to learn or to love
- By Debbie on 12-20-13
- The Christmas Pearl
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Celia Weston
Magical
Reviewed: 01-02-08
This was just the story I needed to generate a little Christmas spirit. It hits all the right notes: Nostalgia, Love, humor, imagination and the eternal hope that the Christmas season evokes without being too sappy. The narrator is delightful, I would swear she was just sitting next to me telling me her life story and the comeuppins her family gets. I think I will listen to this one every year from now on, I have a fondness for Christmas stories and this is my favorite so far.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
A Thousand Splendid Suns
- By: Khaled Hosseini
- Narrated by: Atossa Leoni
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 14,772
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9,867
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9,885
Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss, and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them, in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul, they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Completely brilliant
- By Suze Weinberg on 06-01-07
- A Thousand Splendid Suns
- By: Khaled Hosseini
- Narrated by: Atossa Leoni
Another gem
Reviewed: 10-20-07
I chose A Thousand Splendid Suns on the off chance that it might be half as good as The Kiterunner. To my delight it did not disappoint. The characters were compelling and I was immediately drawn into the story. The experiences of these women moved me. Although I believe the story could have only been improved by a woman's insight, Hossein has done a superb job of storytelling, again. One of my best listens, I recommend it highly.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
A Wreath for Rivera
- By: Ngaio Marsh
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 190
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 140
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 140
When Lord Pastern Bagott takes up with the hot music of Breezy Bellair and his Boys, his disapproving wife Cecile has more than usual to be unhappy about. The band's devastatingly handsome but roguish accordionist, Carlos Rivera, has taken a rather intense and mutual interest in her precious daughter Felicite. So when a bit of strange business goes awry and actually kills him, it's lucky that Inspector Roderick Alleyn is in the audience.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Don't worry About "Alleyn's" pronunciation
- By Sally A. Jackson on 03-31-22
- A Wreath for Rivera
- By: Ngaio Marsh
- Narrated by: Nadia May
ZZZZzzzzzzzz
Reviewed: 08-30-07
I found this devastatingly boring. Whether it was the narrator and her exaggerated pronunciation of everything, particularly the French accents, or whether it was the story itself, I don't know. I stuck it out, hoping it would "catch" and I'd want to know what happened next, but it never did. I hate to think about the time I wasted, not to mention the money. I didn't like it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
The Glass Castle
- By: Jeanette Walls
- Narrated by: Julia Gibson
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,590
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 412
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 422
This extraordinary memoir from Jeannette Walls is a stirring and distinctive story that has won tremendous critical acclaim. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly applauds the author's "fantastic storytelling knack", saying, "Walls doesn't pull her punches...in this excellent, unusual book."
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Three and a half stars, actually
- By Jass on 05-16-05
- The Glass Castle
- By: Jeanette Walls
- Narrated by: Julia Gibson
Horribly fascinating
Reviewed: 04-17-07
This memoir relates a devastating family life and inconceivably horrible living conditions. The story is well-written and a very good "read" but not a very good listen as the narrator has a sort of arrogant whine that takes away from the bare bones truth of the story. Thumbs up for the book, thumbs down for the narration.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Naughty or Nice
- By: Eric Jerome Dickey
- Narrated by: full cast
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 341
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 211
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 208
Hot on the heels of his summer blockbuster, The Other Woman, Naughty or Nice arrives in time to heat up the winter holidays. Eric Jerome Dickey's fans have come to expect a spicy callaloo, full of richly drawn relationships, subtly developed conflicts, and witty dialogue, served up in some of the hippest prose being written today.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
misleading to men
- By Bubba on 12-22-04
- Naughty or Nice
- By: Eric Jerome Dickey
- Narrated by: full cast
Waste of time
Reviewed: 01-31-07
This book bored me to death. Eric Jerome Dickey evidently wrote about three women so he could put all of his sexual fantasies in one book. Certainly doesn't give a voice to the women I know. There was only a shadow of a plot and the ending was oh so predictable. Save your money, buy another book instead.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful