Maya's Notebook Audiobook By Isabel Allende cover art

Maya's Notebook

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Maya's Notebook

By: Isabel Allende
Narrated by: Maria Cabezas
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Neglected by her parents, 19-year-old Maya Nidal has grown up in Berkeley with her grandparents. Her grandmother Nini is a force of nature, a woman whose formidable strength helped her build a new life after emigrating from Chile in 1973. Popo, Maya's grandfather, is a gentle man whose solid, comforting presence helps calm the turbulence of Maya's adolescence.

When Popo dies of cancer, Maya goes completely off the rails, turning to drugs, alcohol, and petty crime in a downward spiral that eventually bottoms out in Las Vegas. Lost in a dangerous underworld, she is caught in the cross­hairs of warring forces. Her one chance for survival is Nini, who helps her escape to a remote island off the coast of Chile. Here Maya tries to make sense of the past, unravels mysterious truths about life and about her family, and embarks on her greatest adventure: The journey into her own soul.

©2013 Isabel Allende (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Latino American United States Urban World Literature
Compelling Storytelling • Multi-generational Narrative • Multi-cultural Elements • Interesting Dual Storyline
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I usually love Allende's novels and was eager to listen to her latest work. It's okay, but it certainly doesn't match her usual standard. The story just isn't that interesting, and I'm surprised that she produced something so predictable and average. Maya's Notebook has received rave reviews on Amazon, and I'm left wondering what they read that I didn't. Dull and disappointing.

Not Allende's Usual Standard

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A little too many details abt Chile, characters interesting but not riveting like in Ripper n The Island under the sea.

A little slow

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Already have! its a good story!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Maya's Notebook?

Vegas, Vegas was crazy Maya doesn't know how lucky she is to not have fallen to bigger pray. I think the moment I would remember is when she retells when she was in a homeless shelter and steals from a lady with a child... she took her last $5 to get a fix.

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

yes, I think she portrayed Mayas character perfectly.

If you could take any character from Maya's Notebook out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would have loved to meet Maya's popo as she calls him, He was tall dark and handsome He married her grandmother he was an astronomer a professor in uc berkeley, He accepted her grandmothers chilean culture with out giving up his. I love the way the meet, Nidia Visal has bras ball!

I loved it! Maya is crazy lucky easy to love!

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I enjoy this story. I felt bad for Maya at times and at times I wanted to slap her. The narrator was easy to understand. I wanted her to have a more Latino accent but she did a great job. The resolution was super quick and I wanted to know a little more of the aftermath. I loved the plot!

great story!!

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Huge fan of Allende... different kind of story I’m used to from her, still I enjoyed this new style ...

A good story

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this was was low to start but I really enjoyed the book. I liked that everything was wrapped up

some dark moments

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What made the experience of listening to Maya's Notebook the most enjoyable?

Maya's Notebook was enjoyable because the narrator seems to really capture the character and her personality.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Maya's Notebook?

The ending!

What about Maria Cabezas’s performance did you like?

Maya's Notebook was enjoyable because the narrator seems to really capture the character and her personality.

If you could rename Maya's Notebook, what would you call it?

Maya's Story

Great book...surprising ending!

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

it was ok, not well spend.

Would you be willing to try another book from Isabel Allende? Why or why not?

yes, she is a good story teller.

What three words best describe Maria Cabezas’s performance?

neither like or dislike her voice.

Was Maya's Notebook worth the listening time?

I just say, that I just had to finished what I started.

Any additional comments?

the story was very predictable, I knew what was going to happen way before, and that is not good. I knew from the beginning who was who and what have they done. I like Isabel Allende's books, but this one was not the best.

very predictable

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Is there anything you would change about this book?

I love Isabel Allende and found some of her other books truly compelling. Perhaps it's not the book but the narrator that makes this one appear lifeless. If it was available with another narrator I might give it another try

Would you be willing to try another book from Isabel Allende? Why or why not?

Yes, definitely I have read some of her books and loved them.

Would you be willing to try another one of Maria Cabezas’s performances?

No - I just couldn't listen for long without my attention drifting away - there is no depth / modulation to her reading

Was Maya's Notebook worth the listening time?

Not really

Slow pace, bland voice

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Good story tho nothing like the ones that came before. A bit of a mystery to the end but more a story of a young American who has has to fight to keep going on. Good endings make all things better for me.

Keep Going Gets Better

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