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Carmelene

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  • 23
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"Oh, Scah-lett! Oh, Ash-leigh!"

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

Reviewed: 03-09-19

A classic story about a beautiful and tough but highly thawed warrior diva, a handsome prince who is also a blackguard, a plain faced (of course) woman who is a so-called saint and a man who is a failed hero with lots and lots of history thrown in and a central message that is true today -- real estate is the only thing you can count on! That being said, the characters come to life in ways that make you cheer, make you cry and make you hate to see the end come at all -- no matter how it ends. Then there's the narration. While the narrator is a little weak on making the men actually sound like uh, men -- she has the drama and the pathos and the emotions and the accent down! In fact, one of the best narrations ever! All in all, if you like this kind of hard-hitting, not to say also politically incorrect for today's taste's stories, this is for you! Very, very satisfying. Highly recommended for it's drama and sheer can't put it down storytelling.

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3 people found this helpful

Cockney accents among the serfs, really???

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

Reviewed: 10-25-18

Was there a reason the narrator used Cockney accents when speaking for the serfs, the soldiers, the maids, the servants, i.e., all the "ordinary folk" when narrating this book? It was a little disconcerting. But then -- in fact -- when I thought about it, all he used was British accents throughout. Too bad.

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2 people found this helpful

Farewell to Manzanar Audiobook By Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston cover art

Japanese Internment Lite

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

Reviewed: 07-20-18

A great book for a middle school class to discuss and learn about history. Just too much of a skim of the surface for me. I read memoirs to learn about how other people overcome the tragedies in their lives, not just the fact that they happened. The narration doesn't enhance or detract from the book in either way -- which is what is wrong with it -- like the writing itself, it's bland. That being said, the narrator has an enjoyable singing voice.

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If They Can Do It So Can I

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

Reviewed: 07-20-18

What a refreshingly simple, straightforward, easily told story. There is no attempt by the author to manipulate the reader as he tells one (tragic, horrific, and even miraculous) event after the other.

Yes. It is possible to write an engaging and powerful memoir without using stupid metaphors or the F-word.

If you like learning about cultures that may not be familiar to you and learning how people overcome under circumstances in which it seems impossible for anyone to overcome anything, this is a good read.

I came away from the book feeling empowered. "If they could do it (whatever "it" is), so can I."

The book was read by the author, which, as I have found, is often the kiss of death when it comes to animated, interesting narration, but in this case, the tale was so well told that the author's monotone just didn't matter.


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Gliding over the surface

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

Reviewed: 07-17-18

I would call this a People Magazine Article on the Romanov sisters. To the author's credit however, there isn't all that much to work with since a lot of the letters (the historical artifacts of the time) were destroyed by the authors themselves. That being said, if you are interested in a more or less "overview" of this highly dysfunctional and tragic family -- this is for you. Be prepared with little to no historical background out of which this drama played out.

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1 person found this helpful

From the Corner of her Bedroom

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

Reviewed: 07-16-18

Just finished "From the Corner of the White House," by Beck Dorey-Stein, which is supposed to be her memoir about working as a stenographer in the Obama White House.

The title of the book would give you to think that the White House was what this memoir was about wouldn't it?

Well, don't be fooled like I was.

What it's really about is the various love affairs of an insecure, misguided, sexually obsessive young woman who uses the backdrop of her job as a stenographer at the White House as an excuse to write her "memoir."

"When," I found myself asking more than halfway through the book, "is the author going to stop talking about herself and the men she "loves" and start talking about the White House?"

Now that I've finished the book however, I see that she did talk about the White House, and about Obama, and about his staffers and about Air Force One and about "how she can't believe how lucky she is" and especially about how easy it is to be a stenographer --- which, sad to say, is painfully obvious -- but it's hard to tease these facts out from under the bed sheets.

Bottom line. There's just not that much to say about setting up a microphone, recording a speech/statement/press conference, etc.and then going back to your office and typing it up.

Which is probably why the author threw in all the stuff about her love affairs.

And oh yeah, about how she figures out that she "really is a writer."

I guess she is. After all, she has had a book published that I can almost guarantee you will be made into a movie -- it has what everybody wants these days. Politics and sex. (Sorry, no violence).

So, do I recommend the book? Let me say if you are an Obama fan you will love it. The author literally drools over Obama and, to be fair, along the way shares some interesting behind the scenes moments with him.

That being said, she doesn't really have anything to say about him that the Obama fan doesn't already think and feel.

If you are into obsessive love affairs, boyfriends who cheat and even people who write memoirs who cheat and write about it ad infinitum then, if you have something else to do (like crocheting so you don't end up feeling like you have entirely wasted our time) while you're listening to this drivel, you might get through it.

Otherwise, if you want writing and storries that matter, insight, perspective, and real historical moments that don't take place at a pool side, in a hotel room, or in a bar then I'd give this one a pass.

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2 people found this helpful

Too Brainy for me.

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

Reviewed: 05-03-18

Okay. I have now Read de Beauvoir -- I don't have to read anything else. Just too cerebral for me. There is a line in Amadeus wherein one of the characters states that (more or less) Mozart's music is good, but that it has too many notes. Ha ha. That's what I would say about this little memoir. Too many words. There were times I felt that the narrator was literally droning on. And the voice she gave the poor Mamam!!! Oh my Goodness. Sounded just like a frog. Actually, it may be worth the listen just to hear that awful voice! But that's about all I can say about this writing -- unless you are a die hard fan of the author.

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3 people found this helpful

A new definition for "melting."

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

Reviewed: 05-03-18

While the author introduces "melting" as a metaphor for orgasm between same-sex (female) lovers -- I found myself melting with boredom. I mean, how many ways can you say they are having sex without saying they are having sex -- while trying so hard to say they are in fact having sex. Nice little story -- but little it is. I had to force myself to finish it. As for the narration, One of them was excellent, I could tell the different characters one from the other. The other? Not so much -- in fact, with the other, I couldn't tell the characters apart.

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3 people found this helpful

And then this happened and then this happened.....

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

Reviewed: 05-03-18

The title of my review says it all. Disappointing read to say the least. Tragic story. Yes. But not helped by the (dismal) writing. At the end of the book, the author reads her wedding vows, saying that it is a "treat" that is not shared with people who "only" read the book. Unfortunately, the vows sound like an outline for the book -- there's not a single thing in them that the author hadn't already said, hashed over, or explicated upon in the body of the memoir. I've not read this author. The memoir was recommended. I myself wouldn't recommend it. I like to learn something from reading memoirs -- that's why I read them. If I wanted a recitation of events, I could have read the Wikipedia article.

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2 people found this helpful

Oh dear, boring. Boring. Boring.

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

Reviewed: 04-23-18

What did you love best about Pearl Buck in China?

The way the author of the book drew from Buck's fiction to elucidate her life.

What did you like best about this story?

Learning about what parts of The Good Earth and other of Buck's books were autobiographical.

How could the performance have been better?

ANYBODY could have done a better job. Someone who actually CARED about the material they were reading would have helped. A little inflection. No hurried, rushed, flat speech totally devoid of intonation. Just because someone has written the book does NOT mean they can narrate it!

Any additional comments?

I will never order another book read by the author without listening to the preview several times.

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7 people found this helpful