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JSA73

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Definitely worth the time.

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

Reviewed: 06-09-24

This was a really good story with strong characters and a decent plot. The narrators—particularly Libby’s—were great and did right by the characters. The only “complaint” I have is there are a few coincidental things in here that I thought were a bit of a stretch. By no means were they ridiculous or overdone. Just, for my taste, when they surfaced, I was like, “ehh…that was a bit forced” or “… a bit convenient.” That does not, however, mean I wouldn’t recommend this audiobook. It really was, overall, enjoyable and was fairly minimal on slow (ie., non-compelling) parts. Gillian Flynn is definitely someone whose work I’ll be revisiting, for sure. Really good story teller. You won’t be disappointed with Dark Places.

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Good up until…[no spoilers]

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

Reviewed: 01-06-24

It took me a little bit to get used to the narrator (I’d just come off two other books with excellent narration and this wasn’t as good), but the more I listened, the more I thought he was the right narrator for a story along these lines that takes place in the 50s. His manner fit with some of the kind of exaggerated storytelling from that era I’ve seen in movies and TV.

The story grew on me as did the characters; but I thought the payoff was A) predictable (figured it out a good ways from the end), and B) too easy. There was virtually no level of complexity to the ending, as if the author was just ready to be done with it. Obviously, McBain had a lot to say about the 87th Precinct and continued to pump out the tales with regularity but it just felt too neat at the end for my taste. And maybe this is what the hard boiled cop novels of the time were. This is my first foray into that genre and I’ll continue with McBain’s stuff. I thought the first book was all right. I just need to set my expectations for the story resolutions a little more realistically.

I wouldn’t NOT recommend this book, audio or otherwise. I just wouldn’t overhype it.

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Great recommendation.

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

Reviewed: 11-11-23

I found the suggestion for this audiobook on Reddit. The main selling point was the collective agreement that the narrator did a really good job with it. He did an excellent job. His seamless transition between voices was terrific and his inflection was so great. I’m really glad I opt d to listen to the story instead of reading it.

The story was good. Of Andy Weir, I’m only familiar with the movie, the Martian, based off his book by the same name (which I’m reading now). I’ve never really been into space travel books, so though I’m growing more fond of them (I’m reading a lot of Bradbury and he wrote a TON of them). What I like about Weir is his ability to explain, to someone who is not left-brained at all, scientific concepts in a graspable way, and do it in the midst of a compelling narrative. This story is definitely worth the time. Again, can’t say enough good things about out narration.

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Not his best work but far from a waste of time

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

Reviewed: 12-21-20

I’ve always enjoyed Stephen King novels more so for his writing style, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy his stories. I do. Particularly when you take into account the timeframe within which the best of them were written: pre-Internet, when we could still be shocked and awed by the surreal. I’ve tried several times to read Needful Things, but for whatever reason it just never gripped me like some of his other works (Misery, the Green Mile, Christine and The Shining, just to name a few). And so, inevitably I would put it down and go on to something else. But I always came back to it because the premise is so tantalizing that I wanted it to be his best novel. I finally opted for the audiobook because I could passively enjoy the story while tending to other things (driving, folding laundry, etc.). It comes as no surprise that King’s attention to detail and the seemingly natural and seamless way he intertwines his character arcs are absolutely flawless. But, for me, there was just something missing. I think it was that I found it hard to become emotionally invested in the characters. With a concerted effort to not spoil anything, take Polly’s story, for example. The payoff just didn’t rise to my expectations. While admittedly a difficult and delicate thing, I found myself questioning her hesitance to share more with Alan. King did better with Alan’s story, but it still fell short of the mark for me. Leland Gaunt is an interesting character, and having Max Von Sydow from the movie as a reference for him definitely brought him more to life, but as the antagonist, his wickedness didn’t grip me in the way that Jack Torrence’s or Annie Wilkes’s did. I could go on but I don’t want to belabor the point. I think you get where I’m coming from. I would still recommend it to interested listeners, perhaps providing my insight but still encouraging them to judge for themselves. I’ve come to realize over the years that even when King is at his worst, he still bests the best of them. Give it a shot. Perhaps Needful Things will give you that thing you need and compel you to turn each page with nervous anticipation. If there is one thing Gaunt doesn’t lack, it’s a knack for persuasion.

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