Patti W

On Chapter 3 and not quite sure of this....

Reviewed: 03-20-25

Granted I am only on Chapter 3 of this book. I love the performance and the story started out very intriguing. I read the blurb and it appealed to me. However there is so much time dedicated to the sex between Halit and Edith (old story - White western woman/ "exotic" man = hot sex )- it really gets very tiring. Obviously the relationship between the two is charged but do we really have to down the 50shades of Grey route with every story??? I am quite willing to change my review IF I am able to get to the end of this one, but until then this is how I feel.

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Complicated, James Bond-ish, Anti-Irish

Reviewed: 03-20-25

The first book captured my attention. The reader performs well. By the end of the 3rd book ( I got the 3 books for 1 deal) I thought the physical extremes that Caslin goes through was like a fantastical super James Bond movie. I also started to feel very uncomfortable with the Irish people being portrayed as the "enemy" unless they were on the side of the English. I dont really feel we need more divisiveness in our world. We need truths not stereotypes and hate. So I will not be listening to any more of the Dark Yorkshire series, I do have another Dagliesh book in my library and hope it is not more of the same.

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1 person found this helpful

This could have been so much better...

Reviewed: 01-02-25

I had read that the Author TJ Green really knew her stuff about magic, historical and otherwise and thought that because of the setting this would be a good series. I nearly purchased the hardcover books but decided to give it a listen. In the preview, I was turned off by the reader's voice but the story looked okay. It was quite difficult to get through, I did so only as it was playing in the background as I was tidying up my studio.If the reader had been able to put more into her voice, and not read the female parts as though they were young naive teenagers it may have redeemed it. But sadly that didn't happen. It is, I would say a book for young teenagers, and perhaps the teenagers that have not yet read more sophisticated books. Too bad as I thought I would have a good Fantasy series to listen to.

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One of the best books I have "read"

Reviewed: 06-20-24

Djinn patrol on the Purple Line by Deepa Anappara starts off like an entertaining story about children and their family lives, with the story line heading towards a mystery. Quickly one realises that this is not just an entertaining novel but a deep look and honest commentary about class issues, poverty, racism, child abuse and kidnapping, the illegal sex trafficking and the very real rise of the Right in the World. Listening to this now, in June 2024, with the horrors unfolding in the World, this book is at the forefront of what all of us should be concentrating on.

I loved the writing style, the way the story gripped me, some laugh-out-loud lines, the very scary eluded to scenes, and the heart and gut twisting end.

I absolutely recommend this book to anyone who needs to know how our world has taken a wrong path, hidden before, but now being boldly and horribly revealed to us.

Thank you Deepa for writing this. This is an issue not in India alone, but the whole world.

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Can hardly listen....

Reviewed: 11-18-19

The reader of this book makes listening and understanding quite difficult. She reads like a robotic voice, pausing when she doesnt need to and pronouncing unimportant words with un-needed emphasis. There is not emotion or excitement here, the who,e thing sounds so dry and boring that I couldnt remember what I had last heard, let alone bear to complete listening to it.

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Had this book in my library for a few years now...

Reviewed: 02-28-19

I finally listened to Burial Rites, it has been in my library for a few years. I found it very moving, a reminder about women’s rights and how strong women get vilified. It is read extremely well, a strong story and I dont think anyone would call it slow or boring. Hannah Kent has retold this story in beautiful, honest and respectful way.

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So enjoyable!

Reviewed: 10-25-18

I missed seeing the movie version of A Man Called Ove, so I listened instead to the audible version in my studio instead. After the first few pages I wasnt quite sure about it, the narrator’s voice seemed as though it could possibly be boring. But this was so far from the reality of this extremely charming and interesting book. The narrator’s voice was exactly the voice of Ove, and my feelings went from being slightly irritated by the character to laughing out loud, to holding my breathe and feeling emotionally bound up with his story. Very recommended!

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Joanne Harris - Five Quarters of the Orange

Reviewed: 05-12-18

Joanne Harris is an amazing story teller. Every part of this book was interesting and enjoyable, even the difficult parts. I love the way she weaves childhood memories and experiences into adulthood, and how something quite seemingly insignificant to a child later becomes a huge burden. Or how easily as children our survival techniques kick in and then become these secrets that we wish we could tell. Doesn’t that happen to us all? I can recommend this book and others by Joanne Harris enough. A definite must for anyone who loves stories.
Rula Lenska, with her wonderful voice draws us in and keeps us there, and adds a richness to the story.

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Truthful retelling of a year...

Reviewed: 03-03-18

What made the experience of listening to The Year of Living Danishly the most enjoyable?

I liked the truthfulness of this journal. It was written without embelishments, lots of self humour and no glossing over. Living in a cold country is difficult, expecially when the warm weather only lasts for about 3 months. You go through cabin fever and depression and weight gain and days and days of absolutley freezing weather and snow and grey. This book covers that, adds in humour and deals with cultural differences without trying to put one or the other culture down.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved her husband- full of enthusiasm and took his life one day at a time. He is adventurous and loves change (so refreshing !)

What about Lucy Price-Lewis’s performance did you like?

She read very well and kept it interesting.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes pretty much. I turned it on around 10am in my studio and reluctantly turned it off when I left the studio around 4pm. I listened to it during November, at the begining of winter and it was a cold November in 2017! Needless to say it came to an end quite quickly, much to my regret. I wanted to listen some more!

Any additional comments?

I would totally recommend this book. It also serves as a reminder, especially for people that want to romanticize or criticize cultures when the cultures dont fit their preconcieved ideas.

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Time waster

Reviewed: 03-03-18

What disappointed you about Let's Spend the Night Together?

I read Pamela Des Barres first book and loved its freshness and honesty. Let’s Spend The Night Together was pretty awful- name dropping, older women talking about their youth is one thing but this was kind of gross, especially in this day and age. Boring.

What was most disappointing about Pamela Des Barres’s story?

There was nothing fresh about it. Pamela’s voice is droning. Nothing she talks about or any of the women interviewed talks about anything interesting at all. Its about tired, boring has beens talking about sex. Nothing about personalities, or what these groupies may have learned while hanging out with the male musicians. I found the whole thing pretty boring and distasteful. Didnt finish it.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Pamela Des Barres?

Dont know.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Let's Spend the Night Together?

Mostly all of them! That is the problem. Unless I was editing with a porn in mind. Then would have had someone with a better speaking voice read it.

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3 people found this helpful