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  • 10
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  • 3
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  • 34
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Abslutely enchanting

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

Reviewed: 10-15-24

I was anchored off Floreana LAST WEEK! There was a shipboard talk about the Galapagos Affair. This book was mentioned and I downloaded it immediately, Post Office Bay which plays a big part in the story was one of our stops. I was told that Frido and Hacienda Paradiso, central locations in this riveting story no longer exist. The mystery of what happened to the Baroness has never been solved. The interactions of the characters in this story is suspenseful with loyalties changing around. If you have not already been to the Galapagos this book will sure make you want to go there.

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Anarchists!

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

Reviewed: 05-30-24

This was not as good as Murder in Bombay which I read in print.. Too many characters who kept changing sides so it was hard to decide who was a good guy. Interestingly, the May 19, 2024 New York Times Sunday Magazine had a feature about these same or similar anarchists planting bombs and doing other terroristic things. I don't really know if the danger to the Exposition is based on any historical facts. In any case, it was a good history lesson.

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French Accents

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

Reviewed: 02-01-24

I enjoyed the story BUT the narrator's faux French accent is so over-the-top that sometimes it's hard to follow. It's worse when she's speaking female characters then male. It doesn't add anything to the story to have to struggle decoding the accent. Her English speaking voices are just fine.

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Love Minnesota

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

Reviewed: 12-01-23

Story was interesting; good description of a small town where everyone is in everyone else's business. The narrator was able to make the various voices natural sounding. I had volume control problems because when he was speaking some of the female parts it was so quiet I had to crank the volume up and then got blasted when he reverted to the next thing.

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Angels and Demons and Gabriel Allon

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

Reviewed: 07-20-20

It was hard to remember that I was listening to Daniel Silva, not Dan Brown.
But it was a page turner nevertheless. And I like the settings in Rome with which I am familiar.

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Real Life In Old New York

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

Reviewed: 06-27-20

I just love learning about old NYC. I grew up there ànd a lot of the time the history, from the Dutch to modern times just went in one ear and out the other.

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Confusing

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

Reviewed: 08-31-19

A hard listen. Difficult to keep track of the characters. I am very familiar with Dante's Inferno and this was way to convoluted to be enjoyable. Narrator was good; all those Victorian era Boston fussbudgets were well characterized.

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Peculiar Geography

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

Reviewed: 07-05-19

Loved the book but hated the trick ending. The marshes of North Carolina are nowhere near Asheville. I would have believed Charlotte for a day trip.

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Amazing

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

Reviewed: 05-22-19

I've read a lot about WWII but never about what happened in Northern Italy. Amazing.

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Intereresting Travelogue

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

Reviewed: 02-08-18

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I enjoyed the book; mostly because I listened to it in the car and didn't pay attention 100 percent. Dan Brown's novels are formulaic; they seem to involve Langdon at some important event or being summoned by an important person (both in the case of Origin) and a beautiful "damsel" in semi-distress. However, what I enjoy most is his use of various locales. Never having been to Barcelona or Bilbao I immediately started researching the cities with an eye on future vacations. Did not know that much about Gaudi and that also led to research.

Would you recommend Origin to your friends? Why or why not?

I would recommend the book to folks who already enjoy Dan Brown's books but not to those who curl their lips and call him a hack.

Have you listened to any of Paul Michael’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I do not recollect if I have heard this narrator before. However, I thought he did an admirable job with the different voices and accents.

Do you think Origin needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

This one does not need a follow up.

Any additional comments?

When I mentioned "travelogue" in the title of this review I remembered taking my then 16-year old niece to Rome for a week. I knew she would not read any guidebooks or have any opinions about what she wanted to see. I handed her a copy of "Angels and Demons" on the plane and she read it cover to cover in two days. We used it as our sightseeing plan and had a wonderful week chasing Bernini all over Rome. She loved it! You might want to use "Inferno" as a guide to Florence, at least for some of the parts where tourists don't often go.

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