Deana
- 6
- reviews
- 16
- helpful votes
- 40
- ratings
-
Death Comes to Pemberley
- By: P. D. James
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate. Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable. Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles. Elizabeth’s sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby; her father visits often; there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy’s sister Georgiana. And preparations are under way for their much-anticipated annual autumn ball.
-
-
doesn't quite work
- By Kindle Customer on 12-07-11
- Death Comes to Pemberley
- By: P. D. James
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
What went wrong?
Reviewed: 07-22-12
What disappointed you about Death Comes to Pemberley?
I love P.D. James, and I love Jane Austen, but somehow this turned out to be one of the most boring mysteries I've ever heard/ read in my life. The language was very contrived, in keeping with the voice of Jane Austen. It was correct and interesting for a short while, but became really insipid and long-winded. And there wasn't much of a mystery-- very, very anticlimactic.
Would you ever listen to anything by P. D. James again?
Definitely. This is the first book of hers that I haven't enjoyed.
Have you listened to any of Rosalyn Landor’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
The performance was great.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Death Comes to Pemberley?
The long letters, the long court scene.. I didn't like the atmosphere much, so it's hard to think of scenes I really enjoyed.
Any additional comments?
Wonderfully written, of course. For myself, it was a problem of not liking the story. I'm sure I will read P.D. James again, but I think this killed Jane Austen for me for a long time!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
If Walls Could Talk
- An Intimate History of the Home
- By: Lucy Worsley
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why did the flushing toilet take two centuries to catch on? Why did medieval people sleep sitting up? When were the two "dirty centuries?" Why did gas lighting cause Victorian ladies to faint? Why, for centuries, did rich people fear fruit?In her brilliantly and creatively researched book, Lucy Worsley takes us through the bedroom, bathroom, living room, and kitchen.
-
-
Compelling.
- By Kirsten on 06-05-12
- If Walls Could Talk
- An Intimate History of the Home
- By: Lucy Worsley
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
Another great domestic history
Reviewed: 07-10-12
Where does If Walls Could Talk rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I love nonfiction, particularly histories about everyday things/ people-- so this was right up my alley. I have to say, it's VERY similar to Bill Bryson's At Home (which I found ten times more entertaining)-- although had I not read that book, I would have liked this one even more.
What did you like best about this story?
The information. There's a ton of history packed into each chapter-- very enlightening and fun.
Have you listened to any of Anne Flosnik’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
She did a great job, but I could have done without all the accents-- began to get on my nerves very early.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Not really. Not because it was dull-- just unnecessary with nonfiction books.
Any additional comments?
I wish I had turned it off at the end of the last real chapter-- before the author went on a bizarre soapbox rant about the horrors of the future.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Murder in the Dark
- A Phryne Fisher Mystery
- By: Kerry Greenwood
- Narrated by: Stephanie Daniel
- Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The delectable Phryne Fisher has been invited to the Last Best party of 1928. When three of the guests are kidnapped, Phryne finds she must puzzle her way through the scavenger hunt clues to retrieve the hostages. This is another sparkling mystery from Australia's Queen of Crime, Kerry Greenwood.
-
-
The Last Best Party of 1928
- By Nancy J on 05-25-13
- Murder in the Dark
- A Phryne Fisher Mystery
- By: Kerry Greenwood
- Narrated by: Stephanie Daniel
Charming but not a mystery
Reviewed: 12-23-11
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I wouldn't. I think it was very well-written, but it certainly wasn't a mystery. It is SO character-driven. The whole plot revolves around developing the main character, who I found irritating. It moved well, and there were moments of excitement. But not suspense and certainly not mystery.
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
I liked the period setting.
Any additional comments?
It's such a petty thing, but there was a lot of singing done by the (excellent) narrator. But the singing was atrocious, and often. It began to drive me out of my mind early in the narrative, and I found myself lurching up to turn the volume down, for fear that the neighbors could hear it. Maybe a small thing, but it really was a crazy-making deterrent in my mind.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
I Am Half-Sick of Shadows
- A Flavia de Luce Novel
- By: Alan Bradley
- Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
- Length: 7 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s Christmastime, and the precocious Flavia de Luce—an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving—is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to ensnare Saint Nick. But she is soon distracted when a film crew arrives at Buckshaw, the de Luces’ decaying English estate, to shoot a movie starring the famed Phyllis Wyvern.
-
-
The Character who brought me back to Cozy Mystery
- By Frobertimus on 11-03-11
- I Am Half-Sick of Shadows
- A Flavia de Luce Novel
- By: Alan Bradley
- Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle
Cute Holiday Story/ Mystery
Reviewed: 12-23-11
Where does I Am Half-Sick of Shadows rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I like this Flavia de Luce series - but maybe not as much as I wish I did. The main character being a child gets old quickly for me. I read the first in the series and realized I wouldn't read any others--- but listening to the holiday mystery at Christmas time seemed like a nice prospect. This isn't much of a mystery-- it's very character-driven and well-written, but in my mind not a mystery. Still, it was nice to listen to-- well-narrated and put me in a festive mood.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Tied Up in Tinsel
- A Roderick Alleyn Mystery
- By: Ngaio Marsh
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Holed up at Hilary Bill-Tasman's manor estate for Christmas, Troy Alleyn is to paint the man's portrait and, while she's there, view the Druid Christmas pageant. Along with a pack of eccentric guests, Troy enjoys the festivities, until one of the pageant's players mysteriously disappears into the snowy night
-
-
Classy Classic
- By Carole T. on 08-27-12
- Tied Up in Tinsel
- A Roderick Alleyn Mystery
- By: Ngaio Marsh
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
Great Holiday Mystery
Reviewed: 12-23-11
Where does Tied Up in Tinsel rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I love classic mysteries and I love Ngaio Marsh. This one is great for the holiday season-- very quirky and enjoyable. I always forget, with Marsh, how long she takes to get into the crime. I still love her mysteries, and I love the atmosphere. It's not the greatest mystery of all time, in my mind, But it's festive and well-written as always.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
The Beekeeper's Apprentice
- By: Laurie R. King
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1914, a spirited American girl named Mary Russell meets a retired Sherlock Holmes in the English countryside. Instantly realizing that Mary is gifted with astonishing deductive powers, the Great Detective emerges from retirement to join her as she tracks down a fiendish assassin.
-
-
Great book!
- By Susan E. Baseman on 07-02-05
- The Beekeeper's Apprentice
- By: Laurie R. King
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
Should have a few disclaimers
Reviewed: 08-22-11
I read quite a few GREAT reviews of this book and this series and, being a huge Sherlock Holmes fan, hoped that I would like them despite the far-fetched plot. Now that I've gotten through it, I wish that someone had mentioned in a previous review that although the story is well thought out and well written, it is also teetering on the corny side-- hard to take when you're not expecting it. The only way I could get through this book was to pretend that the Holmes character was some other person- otherwise the corny factor was too, too overpowering. It wasn't one of my favorite books, and I wouldn't read/ listen to the other titles in the series. But, I can see how it might be entertaining to someone who has a higher threshold for cutesy dialogue and predictable outcomes. The female character (Mary Russell) was the most annoying character in the book. Well written, but lots of triggers for someone who doesn't like the corn.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!