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Abseroo

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  • 16
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  • 33
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Straight shooting from a die-hard Republican

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 01-03-24

After the trump presidency and especially after January 6, I didn’t think I would ever take a Republican seriously again. This book has changed my mind. Liz Cheney is a serious, intelligent and patriotic woman who would have us all, including trumpers, adhere to the Constitution (whether the Supreme Court wants to or not). Who’da thought?

Oath and Honor lays out explicitly many of the details that I either missed or that were not explained in the J6 committee’s public hearings. The book also offers insights into the thinking and privately expressed (meaning, not at a news conference, but I don’t think she reveals anything that was said to her in confidence) opinions of many of the trump supporters in Congress and in the White House.

The book is well-written and carefully laid out. As a narrator, Cheney is not an actor, but that just heightens her credibility as far as I’m concerned.

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Wow

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-20-22

The physics was way over my head, but Alan Lightman has managed to write a captivating piece of fiction about the origins of the universe, with all the good and evil that we know so well laid out.

For someone hoping to learn what happens after death, Lightman doesn't know any more than the rest of humanity, but the scenario he explores here is interesting.

The narrator, Ray Porter, is excellent. His voice distinguishes among the different characters so you're never left wondering, and he actually adds to the characterizations in the book. Belhor, for example, sounds just how you would expect eineine like him to sound. I would listen to anything else Porter narrates.

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Kathleen Kent doesn't disappoint

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-24-21

After The Heretic's Daughter, I doubted this author could keep up with her own reputation, yet she does. I will read anything Kathleen Kent cares to write. This is an intriguing, sometimes tense, story about family, friendship, the intrusion of evil, and redemption, all richly and compellingly portrayed.

The narrator is also stellar. She lets her voice differentiate among the speakers while imbuing them with the character and soul they deserve. She actually adds to the story in a way my own silent reading never could.

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Good, as you'd expect

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 12-08-21

John Grisham is always entertaining, even when he gets into describing quotidian events for long swaths of time. The ending of this one felt rushed, as if he was just tacking one on because he knew he was being paid for one, but it was still a good story.

What's more important with an Audible Grisham title is the quality of the narration, which could ruin the whole thing. This narrator is very good, distinguishing between men's and women's voices and from. Character to character so this listener can follow the story line.

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Not the most satisfying ending

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
1 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-22-21

...but John Grisham always delivers an interesting story. DO NOT read this one before you read The Whistler if you don't want spoilers, though.

Mary Louise Parker, the reader, didn't bother herself to make the different voices distinct from one another except in a couple of cases, and that was annoying. Without seeing periods and paragraphs it was hard to track conversations 99% of the time. Well-known actors make the worst readers.

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A great story, stellar narration

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-17-21

John Grisham rarely disappoints. Although it's hard to believe the FBI would get so immediately mobilized against some small time crooks, it still made for an interesting story.

The real surprise here is in the narration. I've suffered through some pretty bad readings (and abandoned several), but Ari Fliakos was fantastic! It was a pleasure all the way through to listen to his inflections, accents, and interpretations of the characters.

This audiobook was fun, light entertainment.

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Another great book spoiled by poor narration

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 11-06-21

Although the protagonist is somewhat slow on the uptake, the questions posed from almost the beginning of the story are fascinating and well-plotted.

However, this reader is nothing short of annoying, his frequent and inexplicable pauses managing to make a single sentence sound like two or three. Why in the world?

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A Skeleton in the Family Audiobook By Leigh Perry cover art

A fun distraction

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
3 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 09-11-21

The premise of this book was a unique experience for me, it being about a talking skeleton and all (no explanation given, BTW), and I enjoyed the telling of it. The narration, however, had me wanting to scream at the reader and ask her who she knows who talks that way.

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A fascinating look at crime

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 08-12-21

Thomas Perry has a fan for life in me. I don't know how he knows so much about organized crime and the hit man business, or even if it's at all accurate, but he weaves a great story here.

I highly recommend this narrator, Michael Kramer, too. His inflection and cadence are perfect for listening to and understanding the story line, and he does a perfect job with the voices of different characters.

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Interesting story, poor narration

Overall
3 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Story
3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 07-27-21

The storyline is intriguing but becomes too dense at he end. It needed more explanation of some characters choices and motives.

Worse, though, was the narration. This reader only does one female voice, sometimes without enough differentiation between them to even indicate a change in speaker. And seriously, who talks like Lois does???

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