Family Entertainment

By: Sam Vary

Narrated by: Mike Norgaard

A minor league hockey player is left to contemplate his future after suffering a devastating injury on the ice.

©2014 Sam Vary (P)2015 Sam Vary

Something is lacking...

I read what others had to say about the audiobook Family Entertainment by Sam Vary, Narrated by Mike Norgaard, and even though this book wasn't rated the best, I thought, "It's a short story...how bad could it be?" It seemed a good length to start on the way to work (or wherever), and finish on the way home. Well, I listened to it 2x, and I still feel a bit at a loss. I think Author Sam Vary should have elaborated a bit on the storyline. It also seemed to end abruptly. I do not think I would recommend this story to others due to feeling like there is something missing in the story. There is a storyline, but it just feels a bit incomplete. I'm not sure I would read another story by him.

Narrator Mike Norgaard does a good job in his reading of the story. If anything, he added to the listening experience because if I was reading this (instead of listening), I may not have gone through it twice. My only complaint is that he read a bit fast for my taste. Reading the story a bit slower would have allowed it to sink in better for me. I will say that I bookmarked a section that I loved! His imitation of the sports commentator sounded perfect! Wow! All the sudden I felt like I was there at a game...super engaging! I plan to listen to more performances by Mike Norgaard.

One last comment regarding this audiobook is that the plot synopsis provided is too short. It may appeal to more people if a longer description is provided to the listener. Because the title is Family Entertainment, I thought that the story would have more of an inspirational tone to it. Not so much. Those of you who feel this may be a story about an athlete overcoming the odds of what some might consider bad luck while playing a sport, it is not! There is also language that may not be appropriate for kids of younger ages. Therefore, do not choose this story to listen to with the family on the way up north or when you are all in the car together for some clean "family entertainment." For these reasons, I can only give this story a rating of 3/5.

Thank you for reading my review. I hope it helped. :-)

Confusing Title For Me to Compare to Story

Would you try another book from Sam Vary and/or Mike Norgaard?

Sure, with a biased opinion (of Sam Vary, not of Mike Norgaard) this one was to short for me.

If you’ve listened to books by Sam Vary before, how does this one compare?

I haven't, so I cannot compare.

Did Mike Norgaard do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, the majority of characters were male but he was able to give a unique voice to each.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No, it isn't long enough.

Any additional comments?

Violence (it is hockey, eh?)

Publisher's Summary

A minor league hockey player is left to contemplate his future after suffering a devastating injury on the ice.

I'm sorry this isn't much of a review, I didn't feel I had a lot to work with. Revealing anything more would have given the story or big chunks away.

*I was given this book in exchange for my review.

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