The Shell Collector

De: Anthony Doerr

Narrado por: Hakeem Kae Kazim

The exquisitely crafted stories in Anthony Doerr's acclaimed debut collection take listeners from the African coast to the pine forests of Montana to the damp moors of Lapland, charting a vast physical and emotional landscape. Doerr explores the human condition in all its varieties - metamorphosis, grief, fractured relationships, and slowly mending hearts - and conjures nature in both its beautiful abundance and crushing power. Some of his characters contend with tremendous hardship; some discover unique gifts; all are united by their ultimate deference to the mysteries of the universe outside themselves.

©2002 Anthony Doerr (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Loved both the stories and the narrator

Great outdoor themed stories, with some fish tales thrown in. Narrator’s voice well matched with content. Had me laughing out loud with some of the analogies.

Amazing & compelling set of short stories!

newfound LOVE for this author
storyteller leaves a bit wanting, but very beautiful & poignant stories

Doerr, A Masterful Story Writer

Doerr spins highly imaginative, believable tales of a rich variety of characters. A Hunter and his wife with a gift for somehow reaching the lives of deceased creatures, including humans and conveying her visions to those touching her. A fisherman, who is having an affair. A blind shell collector living an ascetic life on a small island near Zanzibar that is interrupted by his encounters with a deadly poisonous snail. Another story involves a natural history museum curator who meats an extraordinary young Tanzanian woman in the jungle while on a solo dig for a prehistoric bird. All of characters are fascinating and relateable. I won’t describe the plots for the other stories, but I found myself engrossed in each of them. I strongly recommend this book for everyone.

Loved Every Story

This was Anthony Doerr's, author of the wonderful "All the Light We Cannot See," debut book. A collection of beautifully written short stories that are as much poetry as prose. Each story is so full of bold emotions and exquisite descriptions that I wanted every one to become a full length novel. Hakeem Kai Kazim was the perfect narrator.

Absolute best book I've read/ listened to so far

Where does The Shell Collector rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This has been the absolute most entertaining book I've listened to so far. I'd feel so much excitement when I approached the end of my day, knowing I would listen to this book before bed.

Have you listened to any of Hakeem Kae Kazim’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't but he is now my favourite audiobook narrator I've ever heard. His voice adds so much to the earthy feel of this book. I wish he would narrate more books.

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

I really enjoyed the whale sequence in 'the caretaker'. The description of their large bodies and agonizing deaths was really captivating.

Any additional comments?

Anthony Doerr rights in such a beautifully poetic way, but never reaches the side of excess. All of these stories have such an earthy feel to them which made them so much more entertaining to me. I have a deep passion for the wilderness and this book expresses so much of nature's magic.

The Shell Collector

I really liked the first couple of stories, then I got bored. Nothing really grabbed me in the last stories. I didn't even finish the whole book...

Very solid collection of short stories.

Stories covering a wide variety of situations, carried off with impressive depth and technique. Compelling.

Love All the Light We Cannot See, so tried this

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

Yes. I don't normally read short story collections, but i tried this because I loved All the Light we Cannot see. I am glad I did.

What did you like best about this story?

Diversity of stories, although I was a bit taken aback at first when some character traits carry between stories, and between his other books, but keep reading. It is OK if many of them like the sea, or the creatures therein.

What does Hakeem Kae Kazim bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He did a good job.

Any additional comments?

In one of his stories a character, while, um, sinning, tangles his fishing line while moving his fishing pole. The author's description of the chaos caused by a small line/pole is wonderful. I fish, and I never thought of it that way. How can such a thing create such a mess? Infer larger life lessons...

I couldn’t make myself care about the characters

I loved All the Light We Cannot See, but I ultimately was not invested in the characters in these short stories. The language is amazingly visual and did not disappoint. The narrator has a rich voice. I would recommend this book if you specifically like short stories.

Fantastic Stories

My only wish was there to be longer spaces between chapters. It was hard to shift gears and barely any time to process from one to the next. Other than that, fantastic!