The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing Audiobook By Melissa Holbrook Pierson cover art

The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing

Long-Distance Motorcycling's Endless Road

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The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing

By: Melissa Holbrook Pierson
Narrated by: Julie Roundtree
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Long-distance motorcycling is not a pastime but an obsession. In this candid, eloquent, sharply observed book, Melissa Holbrook Pierson introduces us to this strange endeavor and the men and women who live to ride impossibly long distances, eating up road, almost without cease. And who find it nothing but fun.

Perhaps the most determined of them is John Ryan, a magnetic, enigmatic man who loves nothing better than breaking records of amazing distance - at no small risk to himself and his health. But why? Pierson, who rediscovered the joys of motorcycling in the midst of a personal crisis, puts on her helmet and joins Ryan in his element in order to understand his singular desire and discipline, his passion and his obsession.

The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing offers an intimate glimpse of an unusually independent yet supportive community as well as a revealing, unforgettable portrait of its most daring member. In electric, pitch-perfect prose, Pierson gives us rare insights into not only a subculture but also the deeply human craving for something more that drives it.

©2011 Melissa Holbrook Pierson (P)2013 Audible, Inc. Engineering Transportation Oceania

Critic reviews

"Pierson is an even better writer than she is a rider." (Boston Globe)

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Excellent writing by Holbrook Pierson as she vividly captures the motorcycling experience. She puts into words what motorcyclists implicitly know about riding but may find challenging to explain. Story revolves around long-distance riding but delves deep into the philosophy and preternatural world of riding and pushing the limits of being human. While I liked the voice of the narrator, it seems clear that she is not very familiar with motorcycles and does not speak the language of motorcycles. I found the pronunciations tortuous at times, making me wince. But, bless her little heart, she tried her best.

For motorcyclists

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Julie has not met a word or name she could not mis-pronounce. One name in paticular was pronounced at least 3 different ways. An overall well written book made less enjoyable by the reading.

reader needs to learn pronounciation.

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Well it’s a old lady narrator for a man and it’s about motorcycles. Too weird

Woman voice for a man?

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MHP is that rare person who not only loves motorcycling but can write about it, and well. However, the production oversight on this audiobook is absent and it shows. I appreciate that narration cannot always be by an insider, but the lady's performance shouts out loud her lack of familiarity with the material, eventually becoming so distracting that even my commute wouldn't induce me to finish the last hour. Issues of accuracy appeared in the first chapter when we hear of the Iron Butt challenge in which riders will complete "eleven hundred miles in eleven days " - no, thats 11,000 miles in eleven days. There are many oddities of nomenclature and fact that it spoiled this for me. I really wish the author had read her own book. As for the narration, the continuous changes of pronunciation, factual misstatements and even larger scale numerical errors demonstrate that the producer simply wasn't on the ball. Hollbrook-Pierson's book grace my bookshelves, I've given away numerous copies and always repurchased them for myself. This audio title fails to uphold its promise. please read her work, rather than just listen.

read the book instead

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If you could sum up The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, challenging , relaxing

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing?

How the motorcycle community pull together to support each other

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When her "friends" pitched in to help her get a bike

Very enjoyable listen

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I saw the reviews about the narration and tried it anyway. I'm glad I did, but if you have the choice to read it instead, do that.

The story is about John Ryan, Melissa Pierson, and long distance riding. It is also about Moto Guzzi. Be prepared for Julie Roundtree's mispronounciations if you choose to listen.

Well Written, Poor Narration

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What didn’t you like about Julie Roundtree’s performance?

The narrator seems to have problems with pronunciation. A few examples:

/mawt-o/ Guzzi instead of /Mow-toe/-Guzzi
/Prud-o/ Bay instead of /Proo-do/ Bay
Russian /Roo-lay/ instead Russian Roulette
Calling Michael Kneebone Michael "Kneeborn" through the first 1/4 of the book.

Was The Man Who Would Stop at Nothing worth the listening time?

Yes

Great story...narration leaves a bit to be desired

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What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I listen to as many motorcycle travel books as I can. I love the topic and most books I've found on audible have been quite entertaining. This particular author misses the point for me. I prefer to hear about the actual experiences of the travel. Maybe she eventually gets to the point but she spends an annoying amount of time waxing poetic about what a "mile" is. I hardly ever write reviews, especially negative reviews, but I feel like I just had $13 taken from me with nothing in return.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Julie Roundtree?

I listen to a ton of audio books and I've begrudgingly listened to many with narrators that I find annoying but something about this persons voice I found particularly annoying. There's a kind of gravelly quality to it that just grated on me. Perhaps other people will not be bothered by the narration but for me it was a deal breaker. I suggest you listen to the sample first to make sure you can tolerate the narration.

Any additional comments?

Audible needs a return policy. I know they provide samples but sometimes it's hard to judge what a book is really like until you're 20 minutes into it.

So annoying I couldn't listen for more than 20 min

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