Samyann's Blog, page 36

First Sight by Danielle Steel – Audiobook Review

Read by Arthur Morey and approximately thirteen hours of listening. Ah, joy … another sweet, sappy, ridiculously romantic Steel story. The formula you can easily guess. Glitter and opulence surround the life of the lead female character, a … wait for it … fashion designer. The lead male character a ridiculously handsome French doctor. Riddled with cliches, predictable to the extreme, First Sight is an  eye-rolling beach read.

In mid-July, maybe early August 2015, Audible provided a special deal on many Danielle Steel audiobooks, and I’ve been listening to them consecutively. ALL the stories follow the same basic formula that ultimately ends with the typical DanielleSteelesque boy-gets-girl happily-ever-after ending. Based on the author success, the formula is a profitable venture.

Morey does an okay job with the French doctor’s voice, but frankly, I’d rather listen to romance novels read by women. Although Steel novels never contain graphic sex, love-making and thoughts of love-making from the point of view of a female, read by a man, always makes me giggle.

Don’t hesitate to give as a gift, but be careful the recipient isn’t someone who would rather be reading Anna Karenina or a Tom Clancy thriller. Danielle Steel novels are not gray-matter material, they aren’t intended to be more than mawkish romantic escapes.

No surprises, the audiobook is difficult to finish; you’ll fast-forward through very repetitive, sickly sentimental prose. I found myself saying aloud, ‘Okay, get on with it; I get it.”. However, if you are among the legions of Steel fans, a teenaged girl, an an incurable romantic, you’ll likely enjoy.

 

A Perfect Life by Danielle Steel – Audiobook Review

Read by Edoardo Ballerina and close to nine hours of listening. Very typical of Danielle Steel, repetitive. But, her die-hard romantic bent is very evident in A Perfect Life. Don’t hesitate to give the book to a teenaged girl. Reflected in all of the stories written by Danielle Steel is the pattern of a strong woman who has searched for and been denied great love for her entire life, possibly a bit like her own life since she is a strong, successful author and she’s been married four-five times.

A Perfect Life doesn’t vary from the formula. A famous journalist, globe-hopping and beautiful, struggles through life balancing a challenging career, a disabled daughter, and her own DanielleSteelesque broken heart until the happily-ever-after ending. All of Steel’s books focus on human relationships and a seemingly insatiable need to bond, mate, and find meaning. This story is a girly romance and some readers will giggle and roll their eyes at clichès and forced, over-the-top silliness – but hey, it’s Danielle Steel and I envy her success :-).

I’m pretty simple with regard to narration critique. If I don’t have to rewind to determine who-is-talking-to-who, I’m good. Ergo, my jumping the Audible app to 1.5 speed was because of the predictable nature of the story, not the reading by Ballerina — it’s okay. If you like Danielle Steel romance novels, you’ll enjoy.

 

The Lone Wolf by E. D. Martin – Audiobook Review

About a year ago, I read and reviewed the paperback/ebook version of The Lone Wolf  by E. D. Martin, and very much enjoyed this character driven story. Because I found the story so engaging, I purchased the audio version via Audible.com .

The Lone Wolf is just over eleven hours of listening. There is an old axiom about audiobooks and this story falls well into the parameters: A good narrator will make an already good book better. It is wonderfully narrated by Holly Adams, all voices nicely done, including those of men and a child. This is a story of infidelity, loss, love, frustration, parenting, belief in one’s self and God, tragedy, joy, sadness, the travesty of post-traumatic-stress … it’s really all there, and very true to life.

Even if you have the paperback and/or Kindle/ebook, do yourself a favor and listen to this story. It is truly an amazing insight into the human condition and delightfully read by Holly Adams.

 

Hotel Vendome by Danielle Steel – Audiobook Review

Narrated by Fred Stella, Hotel Vendame is about 9.5 hours of listening.

Very girly, romantic, no erotica, great reading for a teenaged girl. Typical of Steel, there is considerable repetitiveness and you may roll your eyes and giggle at some mushy scenes and phrases. You may also grit your teeth a bit with regard to the wimpy lead male character … his foolish attitude, in addition to that of his selfish daughter. This issue had me stop reading (listening) a few times, and I actually hit fast-forward through some sections that were blood-pressure raising in tedium. Also typical of Steel books, you’ll have no trouble turning the page, however predictable the tale.

The story is well narrated, no trouble determining who-is-talking-to-who. This particular production, a Brilliance Audio released 11-01-11, had a bit of an audio problem, volume fading on occasion, but it was listenable.

If you are a fan of the genrè and the Danielle Steel diehard romantic prose, you’ll enjoy.

 

One Lavender Ribbon by Heather Burch – Audiobook Review

One Lavender Ribbon is just under eleven hours of listening read by Emily Sutten-Smith. A divorcee invests in a sea-side mansion in need of restoration and discovers a hidden treasure of letters written by a soldier during WWII. The story surrounds the woman’s efforts to solve the mystery of a U S soldier with the 101st (think D-Day, Battle of the Bulge heroism) and letters that profess love and his motivations to survive the war and come home. A nice love story, very romantic, but sometimes you may struggle not to role your eyes. I actually had to fast-forward through some of this gooey stuff, and grit my teeth a few times regarding the two lead characters (She should have kicked him to the curb, in my opinion he was an ass, but … no spoilers). Wonderfully poetic prose in places, specifically in the letters. Don’t hesitate to give as a gift to a teenaged girl.

Emily Sutten-Smith does a fine job, nice voices, male included. If you’re a fan of sweet romance, meaning no erotica, are Nicholas Sparks, Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts love-story fan, you will enjoy!

 

You Are One of Them by Elliott Holt – Audiobook Review

You Are One of Them is 8.5 hours of listening, read by Cassandra Campbell. There is considerable creative license taken with this book but it is based on a true story. Do a Google search for Samantha Reed Smith for the facts. I know there are many authors who do this type of historical fiction, but personally I’d rather the author presented the facts. They are equally interesting. When a novel includes historical detail that is true and integrates it with fictitious characters, that’s one thing . But when the history of a character is distorted for the sake of a book … it’s quite another, and that isn’t doing justice to the real-life character, the reader, nor the author.

The reading by Cassandra Campbell was fine, a nice production. The topic and history, not so much.

 

 

 

Family Ties by Danielle Steel – Audiobook Review

Just over ten hours of listening, Family Ties is read by Susan Ericksen.

Danielle Steel is one of the most prolific writers in America today. As a reader, you either love her or hate her, there really is no in-between, and she has legions of fans. If you are ever in the mood for sweet romance, meaning a teenaged girl can read the book, pick up a Danielle Steel novel. It’s easy to become absorbed, the stories are not gray-matter growth material; they aren’t intended to be. Danielle Steel is a die-hard romantic, and directs her talents to that end, pretty much exclusively.

Most stories involve a strong female lead, as does Family Ties. There are ome unique, and sometimes quirky, characters and the trials and tribulations of each traverse the pages. A typical, Danielle Steelesque, satisfying conclusion.

 

The Culper Series by Brad Meltzer – Audiobook Review

Approximately fourteen hours long and read by Scott Brick. The Inner Circle is Book 1 in a series, and I purchased it because Book 3, The President’s Shadow, was just released. Thought I’d start with the beginning of the series, Culper Ring, and I’m not disappointed.

Early on, the story tells of a National Archives employee getting engulfed in a mystery of American history, the ‘circle’ of security surrounding the presidency, and the loyalty of friends. Who’s the bad guy? Who is loyal to the president? Is the president himself one of the good or bad guys? The story will keep you guessing and you’ll get damned near the end of this thriller before you figure it out! The remaining books in the series continue with the adventures of the National Archives employee.

If you’re a fan of Brad Meltzer, you’ll like these books. I’ve been looking for a good series to enjoy ever since the death of Vince Flynn. I was/am a huge fan of the Mitch Rapp character and the Washington political scene. I’m looking forward to subsequent thrillers by Meltzer and a continuation of this series.

The Fifth Assassin, also fourteen hours of listening, and also read by Scott Brick. As of this review, the last in the series is The President’s Shadow, a little shorter at just over eleven hours.

If I say any more about the brilliance of Scott Brick’s narration, it’ll just go to his head.

Good books, you’ll enjoy!

 

Legacy by Danielle Steel – Audiobook Review

Legacy is about ten hours of listening, read by Arthur Morey, and is two stories. The book opens with a modern-day girl losing her boyfriend and job in Boston and, with the prodding of her New York mother, researching her familial heritage. The second story is that of a mid-18th century Dakota Sioux girl, kidnapped by Crow indians, ultimately escaping with the help of a French explorer. Thus is the premise of Legacy. 

Steel does a nice job merging the two stories into a pleasant read of terror, joy, romance, history. Nice beach-read, not intended to build gray matter, but to simply escape … which is very DaniecleSteelesque. As with most Steel books, this is a ‘sweet’ romance … feel free to let a teenaged girl listen/read.

Arthur Morey is okay, but I’d rather have a female reader with books having a female lead character, i.e., all of Steel books. Just my preference. But, I had no trouble determining who-says-what-to-who.

If you like Danielle Steel, you’ll enjoy Legacy.

 

Matters of the Heart by Danielle Steel – Audiobook Review

Matters of the Heart is ten hours of listening, read by Mel Foster.

You’re pushing fifty, divorced, a well known and professional photographer, smart.  Life has hardened you with the death of an adult child but, you’re content with your life. You have no financial worries, the ex has left you very wealthy. This is the main character who suddenly develops the brains of a doorknob. Typical of Danielle Steel books, our lead character is going to be swept off her feet. Her paramour shows immediate signs of blind obsession, extreme possessiveness, and childish jealousy. He lies about pretty much everything. The guy is an out-of-control high-speed train that hurtles toward the main character and she stupidly allows him to bully her in every way … even pregnancy! It’s like women over fifty become completely brain dead with the ‘love’ of a man! Really….

Yikes. Not an uplifting story. After the half-way mark I started skipping chapters and didn’t miss a thing. Transparent and repetitive. Maybe I’m getting too old to enjoy Danielle Steel books. I used to, but ….. hey, come to think of it … Danielle is getting older, too. So……?????

Mel Foster does an okay job, but I’d prefer Steel books are read by a woman. All of her main characters are women, so …. a female reader is more realistic with regard to point-of-view. Just my opinion.

Love Steel and you’ll like the book. I suppose if a book can evoke emotion, it’s a good story. Given that, the main character did evoke frustration. I wanted to shake her and say, “You stupid f**k!”