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Anonymous

  • 8
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  • 3
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  • 31
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Clarity and historical context.

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

Reviewed: 11-20-24

In a couple of hours you can become better equipped to understand the world we inhabit, how tyrants rise to power, and most importantly, the role of citizens and society in history. Well worth the time to listen.

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History told in first person

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

Reviewed: 06-17-24

I liked the narration and the enhanced background music was subtle and non-intrusive. I enjoyed that feature of the audible book. The story was certainly remarkable. I was curious if 27 years in prison would make the autobiography boring. It is a long book, and yet it held my interest all the way through. You rarely get to hear a complex history told so well in first person. I am looking forward to seeing the movie too, in order to better visualize the places described in the book. Glad I read the book first, to get a sense of the entirety of the autobiography. This book will stick with me for a long time.

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I liked the audio book even better than the print!

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

Reviewed: 01-22-24

I read this in print first. Enjoyed hearing the voice, and music in the background. It came off as very reassuring and somehow less idealized and more attainable. Was fun to listen to! Helpful.

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Tool kit for emotional skills

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

Reviewed: 02-26-23

True, as others have noted, the narration was not always as smoothly delivered as some other audible titles. The narration did not keep me from appreciating the ideas in the book. It has the benefit of being the author’s own voice, and there is integrity in that which makes perfect sense with both the personal and the practical content of the book.

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Beautiful and thoughtful,

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

Reviewed: 04-23-21

The right book (at least for me) in this time, as we all imagine moving forward together after this odd pandemic experience of isolation and retreat. What will it mean to emerge to live and work among humans again in the Beyond Times? Inspiring in its factual recounting of what mattered in Yo-Yo Ma’s creative life, and by extension, what matters to us all. A short listen, beautiful and expansive. Hopeful. A stone dropped in still water.

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Too advanced for me, alas

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

Reviewed: 04-15-21

This book seems targeted for instructors and advanced yoga practitioners, despite including householder practices. Harder to follow for a curious bystander who listens to books to fall asleep. Also for an audio book, it seems like a missed opportunity to put the guided audio practices themselves on an external web page. I would have explored an audio appendix if it were included here. The book is good for what it is. Even I found some ideas to take away with me. It was just not my cup of chamomile tea. Maybe I will grow into it.

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3 people found this helpful

Great book, great performance

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

Reviewed: 03-03-21

So glad to have listened to this book. The capriciousness of society is like an extra character. One is left with the feeling that so many things could have gone terribly badly for so many of the people, including David Copperfield. A survivors tale, based in gratitude, feels brave and more modern than expected. Keen observation, beautiful language, as always by Charles Dickens. Story is told through the eyes of an adult man, who knows how lucky he was to make it to his happy ending, and is honestly recounting what he experienced. I liked this performance because the voices of the characters were distinct and yet were portrayed thoughtfully with kindness and aimed to stay on the side of reality rather than drifting into cartoon portrayals of these vividly remembered people in David Copperfield’s life. Very enjoyable and satisfying to listen to. I will likely seek out this reader for other books, too. It was very well done.

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Gentle humanity

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

Reviewed: 02-05-21

Essays from one birthday to the next, that remind us of the small human delights that are worth noticing. Made for a good way to end the day. I find myself looking more actively for the next day’s delights, such as they are, steeped in personal history, cultural context and interactions with the world. The Book of Delights is pleasurable for its casually elegant use of language, and shares a self compassionate view of inhabiting a human life in a male black body. I do not have one of those, and yet recognize the physicality and share the delight of honeysuckle and pulling carrots, and memory.
The chapters are short. They share a friendly and enjoyable theme, and because they are from one life’s experience, they feel honest and cohesive even if not exactly a story.

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