Candor

By: Pam Bachorz

Narrated by: John Lavelle

In the model community of Candor, Florida, every teen wants to be like Oscar Banks. The son of the town's founder, Oscar earns straight A's, is student-body president, and is in demand for every club and cause.

But Oscar has a secret. He knows that parents bring their teens to Candor to make them respectful, compliant - perfect - through subliminal Messages that carefully correct and control their behavior. And Oscar's built a business sabotaging his father's scheme with Messages of his own, getting his clients out before they're turned. After all, who would ever suspect the perfect Oscar Banks? Then he meets Nia, the girl he can't stand to see changed. Saving Nia means losing her forever. Keeping her in Candor, Oscar risks exposure...and more.

©2009 Pam Bachorz (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Good background listening

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I listened to this book while doing yardwork. It kept me engaged enough while still allowing me to focus on manual labor tasks. The characters were somewhat weak and under-dimensional, but I was interested enough in the storyline to keep listening. It's a decent listen if you're doing other things. The target demographic for the writing level/style is perhaps age 12-14.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

The most interesting was the interactions between Oscar and Nia. The least interesting was the character of the father, whose actions kept imposing on my suspension of disbelief.

What does John Lavelle bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice was well suited to achieve the 'teenage' vibe of the book. I thought he did well, speaking at a good pace and distiguishing the voices so that I could tell which character was speaking.

Do you think Candor needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I would probably listen to a follow-up, as I was unsatisfied with the ending. But I wouldn't pay more than $5 for it.

Getting the Message

A unique Science Fiction novel that immediately grabs your attention and then leaves the reader in suspense even if you can guess the ending - which I did not.

A perfect book gift for a younger reader but even the most adult reader will enjoy the suspense of Candor.

A Harrowing Tale of Mind Control

Would you consider the audio edition of Candor to be better than the print version?

The Performance was excellent and added a great deal to the overall experience of this fascinating story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Candor?

The ending section recounting the protagonists Father's surveillance and countermeasures, along with the protagonists sacrifice was particularly moving.

Have you listened to any of John Lavelle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

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

The bittersweet ending.

Any additional comments?

The Author's creation of credible and sympathetic characters was quite good and their quirks and sense of real depth was very good.

predictable but fun to read

Yes, very predictable although book is well written and interesting so you hope it would finish in an unexpected way. Reader is very good . All in all it's worth a credit.

Surprising

I only downloaded this book because it was on sale. I wasn't sure it would be my style. However, I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed the story. The narrator was great and the ending was not predictable. I would recommend to my friends.

worth a listen

I liked this book, very enjoyable. It was a mixture of a distopian novel, and a teenage novel. A '1984' for young readers.

Predictable story ....

You've seen it a lot. Perfection can't be achieved in a cultist way. There are always one or two people resistant to the conversion. I kept hoping something may really make it different . But disappointing.

Decent, ending not the best

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes. I didn't care for the ending. I thought it might be the first in a series, but since it doesn't appear to be, I was just sort of let down when it ended. If it were the first in a series, I would have given it a higher rating.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Made the ending different or something along those lines. The ending made it feel like the entire story didn't matter since nothing changed and all of the hard work of the main character was almost for nothing.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I thought the performance was pretty good.

Could you see Candor being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

It would be a good TV series. But it would need more to it. As a stand alone book it felt unresolved at the end.

Any additional comments?

I liked the premise a lot. I enjoyed the story and characters, I just wanted a better resolution. Or a sequel. While listening, I enjoyed it a lot. After it was over, I was disappointed that nothing changed with the main character's situation. I liked the backstory as to how the town came about and why, and I really thought that the author could have done more with it.

Cloying - and I'm usually not too critical

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

I am a very easy going audible listener - I like almost anything - so I wanted to make sure I reviewed this because it stands out to me as a particularly bad audiobook. The story itself has the potential to be interesting but the writing is juvenile. I have nothing against YA fiction (Hunger Games, for example, is amazing, as well as a book called Dare Me that I recently tried). However, in this case, it felt very dumbed down. Additionally, and, again, I am not usually too picky about my audible books, the narrator really bothered me. Mainly because every female that he gave a voice to sounded like a weird Valley Girl/Mall Chick bimbo - even the heroine of the story, which I am sure was not the author's intent. It was basically just an annoying listening experience so I wanted fellow listeners to be warned.

Has Candor turned you off from other books in this genre?

Not at all.

Would you be willing to try another one of John Lavelle’s performances?

Perhaps - I think the issues were mostly with the material. But I won't seek out a book narrated by him just to hear him (as I do with other readers).

What character would you cut from Candor?

Honestly? They were all pretty one dimensional.

Any additional comments?

Sorry - I don't want to be mean - I just want to help people to have a good listening experience. Overall I really enjoy audible.