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Deana

  • 6
  • reviews
  • 16
  • helpful votes
  • 40
  • ratings

What went wrong?

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

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!

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2 people found this helpful

Another great domestic history

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

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.

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2 people found this helpful

Charming but not a mystery

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

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.

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5 people found this helpful

Cute Holiday Story/ Mystery

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

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.

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Great Holiday Mystery

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

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.

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5 people found this helpful

The Beekeeper's Apprentice Audiobook By Laurie R. King cover art

Should have a few disclaimers

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

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.

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