patricia bitker-golan
- 11
- reviews
- 5
- helpful votes
- 11
- ratings
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Say Nothing
- A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
- By: Patrick Radden Keefe
- Narrated by: Matthew Blaney
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 8,494
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 7,509
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Story5 out of 5 stars 7,459
Jean McConville's abduction was one of the most notorious episodes of the vicious conflict known as The Troubles. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the I.R.A. was responsible. But in a climate of fear and paranoia, no one would speak of it. In 2003, five years after an accord brought an uneasy peace to Northern Ireland, a set of human bones was discovered on a beach. McConville's children knew it was their mother when they were told a blue safety pin was attached to the dress--with so many kids, she had always kept it handy for diapers or ripped clothes.
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5 out of 5 stars
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On a par with I'll Be Gone in the Dark, plus...
- By Grace O'Malley on 03-01-19
- Say Nothing
- A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland
- By: Patrick Radden Keefe
- Narrated by: Matthew Blaney
Fascinating account
Reviewed: 05-03-19
In addition to the praise for the book itself, I found Matthew Blaney's narration absolutely brilliant. This seems to be his first audible narration and I wish him many many more.
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To the End of the Land
- By: David Grossman, Jessica Cohen - translator
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 26 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 144
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 96
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Story4 out of 5 stars 98
From one of Israel’s most acclaimed writers comes a novel of extraordinary power about family life - the greatest human drama - and the cost of war. Ora, a middle-aged Israeli mother, is on the verge of celebrating her son Ofer’s release from army service when he returns to the front for a major offensive. In a fit of preemptive grief and magical thinking, she sets out for a hike in the Galilee, leaving no forwarding information for the “notifiers” who might darken her door with the worst possible news.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Sample first
- By E. Van Hook on 10-08-10
- To the End of the Land
- By: David Grossman, Jessica Cohen - translator
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
Engrossing novel but narration problems
Reviewed: 07-15-16
To quote from a professional reviewer: "To the End of the Land is a breathtaking evocation of the love and solidarity and plain joy of family bonds. It is precisely because Grossman invests his considerable novelistic gifts in realizing the antic goodness at the heart of all decent families that he can take us into more harrowing territory."
The translation is excellent, however the narrator consistently mispronounces nearly every Hebrew word and name. Some of the place names are familiar to everyone, so it is strange that he wasn't coached.
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1 person found this helpful
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The Book of Night Women
- By: Marlon James
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 15 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,204
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 2,770
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,769
The story of Lilith, born into slavery on a Jamaican sugar plantation at the end of the 18th century. Even at her birth, the slave women around her recognize a dark power that they - and she - will come to both revere and fear. The Night Women, as they call themselves, have long been plotting a slave revolt, and as Lilith comes of age and reveals the extent of her power, they see her as the key to their plans.
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5 out of 5 stars
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"A lyrical, heart thumping, engaging masterpiece"
- By ann on 01-07-11
- The Book of Night Women
- By: Marlon James
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
Interesting, if bloody tale, brilliant narration
Reviewed: 10-26-15
This is an epic narrative of master-slave brutality in Jamaica at the end of the 18th century. Its unexpurgated horror is at times so over the top, one has to skip ahead. But it is fascinating, especially the depiction of the slave revolt. The best part of thisaudiobook is the brilliant narration by Robin Miles. ,
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I Pity the Poor Immigrant
- A Novel
- By: Zachary Lazar
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3 out of 5 stars 19
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 17
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Story3 out of 5 stars 18
In 1972, the American gangster Meyer Lansky petitions the Israeli government for citizenship. His request is denied, and he is returned to the U.S. to stand trial. He leaves behind a mistress in Tel Aviv, a Holocaust survivor named Gila Konig. In 2009, American journalist Hannah Groff travels to Israel to investigate the killing of an Israeli writer. She soon finds herself inside a web of violence that takes in the American and Israeli Mafias, the Biblical figure of King David, and the modern state of Israel.
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5 out of 5 stars
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This book is a real sleeper
- By Leif H. Jenssen on 01-25-15
- I Pity the Poor Immigrant
- A Novel
- By: Zachary Lazar
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Intriguing novel, but narrator doesn't get it
Reviewed: 08-25-14
This is, among other subjects, a fascinating retelling of the life of the American mobster Meyer Lansky, The problem for this listener is that the narrator mispronounces nearly every proper name in the book. This is a shame, since the novel is a rich fictional rendering of real events and people.
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1 person found this helpful
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Blood Will Out
- The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade
- By: Walter Kirn
- Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies
- Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 378
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 329
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 332
In the summer of 1998, Walter Kirn - then an aspiring novelist struggling with impending fatherhood and a dissolving marriage - set out on a peculiar, fateful errand: to personally deliver a crippled hunting dog from his home in Montana to the New York apartment of one Clark Rockefeller, a secretive young banker and art collector who had adopted the dog over the Internet. Thus began a 15-year relationship that drew Kirn deep into the fun-house world of an outlandish, eccentric son of privilege who ultimately would be unmasked as a brazen serial impostor, child kidnapper, and brutal murderer.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Compilation of old news
- By Mel on 03-08-14
- Blood Will Out
- The True Story of a Murder, a Mystery, and a Masquerade
- By: Walter Kirn
- Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies
You must read the Mark Seal book first
Reviewed: 07-20-14
"The Man in the Rockefeller Suit" will give you the factual parts of the story, and is a fascinating read. This book is a personal and intimate recording of how the author was duped. There has been a lot of publicity surrounding the publication, and reviews have generally been good. I really liked it, but it would have made little sense had I not read the Mark Seal book first (which ends before the guilty verdict for murder is pronounced.)
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2 people found this helpful
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On the Grand Trunk Road
- A Journey into South Asia
- By: Steve Coll
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 40
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 35
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Story4 out of 5 stars 35
The audio edition of On the Grand Trunk Road is finally available, revised and updated with new material. Focusing on Coll's journeys in conflict-ridden India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Afghanistan as a bureau chief for The Washington Post, On the Grand Trunk Road reveals a little-seen area of the world where violence, corruption, and greed have had devastating effects on South Asians from all walks of life.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Another good book ruined by appalling narration
- By AG on 03-01-16
- On the Grand Trunk Road
- A Journey into South Asia
- By: Steve Coll
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
Fascinating but out of date
Reviewed: 06-09-14
Unfortunately I didn't realize that this was written in the early 1990's, and though much has not changed since then, it is still very out of date today.
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The Founding Father
- The Story of Joseph P. Kennedy
- By: Richard Whalen
- Narrated by: Richard Whalen
- Length: 26 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 67
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 23
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 23
Boldly original and fully documented, this unauthorized yet definitive biography tells the almost incredible story of Joseph P. Kennedy, grandson of a poor Irish immigrant, controversial founder of a great American fortune, and father of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy.
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3 out of 5 stars
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Read the book, don't listen to it.
- By Boston Harbor on 10-12-05
- The Founding Father
- The Story of Joseph P. Kennedy
- By: Richard Whalen
- Narrated by: Richard Whalen
The writer should not have been the narrator.
Reviewed: 05-04-13
Having recently listened to Robert Caro's latest volume on Lyndon Johnson, this biography suffers from being even longer. Though extremely interesting, the author's narration slows the book down almost painfully, expecially in his insistance on saying "quote"- "end quote" before and after every single utterance. Totally unnecessary. A professional actor would not even feel the need to do this.
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Gone Girl
- A Novel
- By: Gillian Flynn
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kirby Heyborne
- Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 59,522
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 52,670
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 52,738
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Demented, twisted, sick and I loved it!
- By Theodore on 01-20-13
- Gone Girl
- A Novel
- By: Gillian Flynn
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kirby Heyborne
The performance makes this a riveting novel
Reviewed: 01-04-13
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This is a clever "page-turner" of a novel, which grows on one slowly. I don't think I would have enjoyed it as a read, but because the narrations were so good, it made the story - which has lots of holes - compelling.
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The Hemingses of Monticello
- An American Family
- By: Annette Gordon-Reed
- Narrated by: Karen White
- Length: 30 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 852
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 636
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 631
This epic work tells the story of the Hemingses, whose close blood ties to our third president had been systematically expunged from American history until very recently. Now, historian and legal scholar Annette Gordon-Reed traces the Hemings family from its origins in Virginia in the 1700s to the family's dispersal after Jefferson's death in 1826. It brings to life not only Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson but also their children and Hemings's siblings, who shared a father with Jefferson's wife, Martha.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Worried at first
- By Phillip Goodson on 12-13-08
- The Hemingses of Monticello
- An American Family
- By: Annette Gordon-Reed
- Narrated by: Karen White
Poor narration of fascinating background
Reviewed: 11-10-12
What did you like best about The Hemingses of Monticello? What did you like least?
The text, while interesting, tends to be repetitive. The narrator consistently errs in inflection and has a monotonous voice.
Would you recommend The Hemingses of Monticello to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes, to read, not to listen to.
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A Rage in Harlem
- A Grave Digger & Coffin Ed Novel
- By: Chester Himes
- Narrated by: Samuel L. Jackson
- Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,314
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,173
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Story4 out of 5 stars 1,165
Academy Award nominee Samuel L. Jackson ( Pulp Fiction, Star Wars films), fresh off the success of his uproarious, Audie-nominated performance of the mock children’s book Go the F**k to Sleep, delivers a swaggering, darkly-humored rendering of Chester Himes’ classic first novel.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Go the f--k to Audible and get this now!
- By Julie W. Capell on 03-22-12
- A Rage in Harlem
- A Grave Digger & Coffin Ed Novel
- By: Chester Himes
- Narrated by: Samuel L. Jackson
A brilliantly narrated tragi-comedy
Reviewed: 04-21-12
If you could sum up A Rage in Harlem in three words, what would they be?
rip-roaring period tale
Which character ??? as performed by Samuel L. Jackson ??? was your favorite?
Jackson's voicing of each of the characters was so well-done and spot-on, that one would have thought there is an entire cast performing.
Any additional comments?
I was unfamiliar with this author and bought the book because of the actor. Not everyone will find the dialect easy-going, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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1 person found this helpful