
Be Brave, Be Strong
A Journey Across the Great Divide
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Narrated by:
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Sharon Olivia Blumberg
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By:
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Jill Homer
About this listen
Jill Homer, a newspaper editor in Alaska, has an outlandish ambition: a 2,740-mile mountain bike race from Canada to Mexico along the rugged Continental Divide. But in the tradition of best-laid plans, Jill's dream starts to unravel the minute she sets it in motion. An accident during a race on the Iditarod Trail results in serious frostbite. As she struggles with painful recovery and uncertainties about leaving a good job to pursue a seemingly impossible pipe dream, her employer hands down an offer she can't refuse. Just two days before their departure date, her boyfriend ends their eight-year relationship. This final blow dismantles everything Jill thought she knew about life, love and her own identity. Be Brave, Be Strong: A Journey Across the Great Divide is the story of an adventure driven relentlessly forward as foundations crumble. During her record-breaking ride in the 2009 Tour Divide, Jill battles a torrent of self-doubt, anger, fatigue, loneliness, pain, grief, bicycle failures, crashes, violent storms, and hopelessness. Each night, she collapses under the crushing effort of this savage new way of life. And every morning, she picks up the pieces and strikes out anew in an ongoing journey to discover what lies on the other side of the Great Divide: astonishing beauty, unconditional kindness, and boundless strength.
©2011 Jill Homer (P)2016 Jill HomerListeners also enjoyed...
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ESPECIALLY Good for Those of Us Who Don't Run!
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"...I said."
...he said."
"...I said."
...he said."
"...I said."
It made the writing seem a little lazy. In place of the word "said," I'd have been pleased to hear other words such as: exclaimed, cried, called out, interjected, chortled, etc.
As for the performance of the reader, I'm saddened to say it's the worst I've heard in an audiobook. I was able to tolerate it and finish the entire story, but the poorly-done male voice impressions and the numerous mispronunciations of place names (among other things) were sigh inducing at best, and served as a significant distraction.
Kept my interest, but there are issues...
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Worst reading ever, however ...
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Truly enjoyed this journey with author
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend this audiobook because it is one to the best books I have read about the Tour Divide Race. I'm obsessed with the race and plan to do it summer of 2018...I've listened to the book over three times on my commute.What did you like best about this story?
Jill Homer gives a very entertaining, highly personalized and detailed account of her experiences on the Great Divide.How could the performance have been better?
The Narrator is wrong for this book. She would be perfect to narrate an Agatha Christie novel, but not a story about a young, very athletic woman. I actually Googled Jill Homer so I could associate her face with the story...instead of picturing a 70 year-old female librarian bombing down a trail on mountain bike.Great book...poorly narrated
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Great book if you can get over narrarator’s voice
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Was a really good story...
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The worst reader ever
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Pretty decent story
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Listen to a sample first
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The narrator could use some coaching in how to read for audiobook content. It's truly worth getting past any initial judgement of the narrator so that you can enjoy the writing.
content, subject matter, depth of emotion all superb storytelling. Quality of narration is difficult.
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