Marsha Holland

Nostalgic prose horror fun...

Reviewed: 03-11-20

Enjoyed Dan Simmons' writing a lot. Part of his charm, for me, is that he is close to my age and spent his childhood growing up in Central Illinois. I know the land and the time he invokes so well. Memories of my youth in the prairie when black and white TV was flooded with cowboy shows, and grade schools were 3 story brick buildings with dark balls and cool wood floors, and somehow slightly scary dark places, all connected to my emotional foundations in education, time, and place. Simmons writes really well. He reminds me of Stephen King when he starts terrorizing the reader. Well done. I enjoyed it a lot, but it is an overly long book, which is my only criticism. Good book, great read.

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1 person found this helpful

Super silly and fun!

Reviewed: 07-26-16

I love Superman. My favorite superhero always; love the Clark,Kent/Lois Lane dynamic. I enjoyed this bit of fluff very much, including the 1930's setting, with cameos from historical figures. The "present" day in this story is 1937, but the listener gets all of Clark Kent's history, including work as a stunt man in early Hollywood. The history is sometimes incorrect, and I found myself thinking this book could have used an editor. For example, when a lovely starlet/seamstress is describing Clark Kent's good looks and comparing him to movie stars of the day, one of the names she invokes is Paul Newman. Mr Newman was born in 1925 and would have been 12 years old in 1937, did not become an actor until the 1950's, and later became a major star. The use of this name took me right out of the story, had me re-listening to make sure I heard it correctly, and sent me to IMBD. That's just sloppy writing and editing in a book using history as a colorful backdrop. Overall, I still liked this book and would enjoy a sequel.

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Cormoran Strike is growing on me.

Reviewed: 04-01-16

Where does Career of Evil rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was a good listen; I like the reader.

What did you like best about this story?

I actually enjoy the tension between the detective, Cormoran, and his partner, Robin. They are well suited, while her choice of life partner seems wrong. Will they?

Any additional comments?

I am growing fonder of this series. These are decent detective novels, and Rowling is a good author. I miss some humor elements that were present in the Harry Potter novels, but her character work is first rate. As a reader, you care about these people. I look forward to the next installment.

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Disappointed.

Reviewed: 09-17-12

What would have made Gone Girl better?

I listened to the entire book. In general, I believe my disappointment was with the story more than the performances. For a best selling book, with the focus on characterization, not plot, I felt the characters were so inconsistent that they made the plot nonsensical. The main female character's personality was plot driven. She had to be a genius with a pathological borderline personality disorder in order for the plot to work, yet her character was very abruptly revealed to the listener. I expected more from a well known title.

Has Gone Girl turned you off from other books in this genre?

What would you call this Genre?

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

I did not love the narrators. They were okay.

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