Samyann's Blog, page 38
July 15, 2015
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee – Audiobook Review
Anyone eager to jump on the current politically correct racial bandwagon, pout about the demonizing of Atticus Finch, needs to chill and spend some time studying the history of the times reflected in Go Set a Watchman. This book was written over 60 years ago. The civil rights movement in the United States was starting to boil; lynchings were still taking place, the KKK was still active, segregation was a normal way of life.
Why force the moral sensitivities of today into the literature of yesterday? It cannot and should not be done!
Atticus Finch came from the mind of an author who was accurately portraying a man of his time and place … unique and different perspectives of the same character in two novels, first in Go Set a Watchman followed by the award winning To Kill a Mockingbird. Both books portraying complex and fascinating characters.
Remember the very beginning of TKAMB? Atticus Finch had to be convinced by a judge to take on the rape case…he didn’t want to. Ever wonder why not? Go Set a Watchman might give you food for thought into his complex mind, as it does for Scout.
With wonderfully developed fictional characters, Go Set a Watchman is a true reflection of American history, one of the most realistic portrayals of the southern mindset and culture of post American Civil War I’ve ever read. Much more realistic than To Kill a Mockingbird. I particularly enjoyed Scout’s Uncle Jack, Atticus’ brother. Well worth the credit.
Reese Witherspoon is an excellent choice, just the right touch of accent. Well produced. Enjoy!
July 11, 2015
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
The Secret Keeper is approximately twenty hours of listening, read by Caroline Lee. This is not a spoiler; this information is conveyed by the author within the first chapter. The story begins with a teenaged girl, Laurel, witnessing a murder committed by her mother in the early 1960s. Jump forward to 2011, and Laurel is middle aged and her mother is dying. Time to find out what happened all those years ago, and why her mother was driven to this heinous act. Laurel begins to research, beginning with an old photograph of two young women, one of these women is her mother.
About half of the story takes place in WWII London during the Blitz, a bit in the 1960s, and the rest in 2011. In my opinion, the book bogs down in the middle when the author jumps to the back story of a main character, to her youth in Australia. This section had my mind wandering, and I didn’t bother to re-wind, just let it go forward. Ultimately, it seems whatever the author wished to convey in this section was superfluous, i.e., apparently the information wasn’t important to the story. I don’t think I missed anything.
You’ll learn a bit regarding WWII lives in London during bombing raids; rich details of the past traverse the pages. A terrific ending, well worth the credits.
Narration by Caroline Lee was clean, a well produced reading. Well worth the Audible credits. Enjoy!
June 29, 2015
The Bees: A Novel by Laline Paull – Audiobook Review
Read by Orlagh Cassidy, approximately ten hours of listening.
A first observation. The religious aspects of phrases like, “Our mother, who art in labor, hallowed be thy womb.”, made me cringe. There are several. It’s a bit of a sacrilege to those that are pious believers, and offensive to compare a queen bee to the Virgin Mary … it’s paraphrasing a well known prayer. I mean, common! I’m not a religious person, at all … but geez.
A second observation. The Bees is one of the most creative stories I’ve read (listened to). This is the story of Flora, a bee. And it is told entirely from her point of view. The author went to extreme detail in the hive mentality, the flora for nectar and pollin, the fauna of other insects and birds, the birthing of bees, the different roles of drones, the queen, her ‘ladies in waiting’, etc. Research for this story and overall creativity is superb.
Narration by Orlagh Cassidy is great. I’ve only listened to her a few times, David Baldacci books, and I have very much enjoyed her interpretations.
Well worth the credits, if you can take some tongue-in-cheek sacrilege, at least I hope it’s tongue-in-cheek. Enjoy!
June 27, 2015
Lock In by John Scazi – Audiobook Review
Read by Amber Benson, eleven hours of listening.
June 26, 2015
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith – Audiobook Review
Narrated by Robert Glenister, approximately 17 hours of listening. For those unaware, Robert Galbraith is a pen name for J. K. Rowling, and stating the obvious, in case you’ve been living under a rock: J. K. Rowling is the well known author of the Harry Potter series. Silkworm seems to be her attempt to penetrate an adult market. Briefly said, in my opinion, she should stick to young adult material. Silkworm is too long, verbose, and the characters are unlikeable … at least by me. I listened to this story for approximately 10 chapters, and gave up. I simply didn’t care “who-done-it” or “why”.
As far as the reader, Robert Glenister … typical English voice reading. The lead character is a private investigator, and Glenister does a credible job. The female voices are weak, however.
Sorry, J.K. Loved the Harry Potter books, they are brilliant children’s literature. You taught an entire generation to love reading books … kudos to you. But, this Robert Galbraith stuff? Not my “cup ‘o tea”.
June 25, 2015
The Inner Circle 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!
If you’re a fan of Brad Meltzer, you’ll like this book. 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.
If I say any more about the brilliance of Scott Brick’s narration, it’ll just go to his head. 
A good book. Enjoy!
June 22, 2015
They’re Watching by Gregg Hurwitz – Audiobook Review
Read by Scott Brick, approximately 14 hours of listening. First, let me definitively state I am a fan of Hurwitz. He is a very prolific, provocative writer, and I’ve enjoyed many of his thrilling books. Not this one, however. In fact, I couldn’t finish. I listened to well over half of this book, and still have no idea why anybody would go to the extremes defined to freak out the main character. No hint whatsoever, no foreshadowing of a possible reason as to why he is so viciously terrorized. Nothing. Just a long diatribe describing hidden cameras, un-nerving events, a dysfunctional relationship, a weak main character. I got burned out by Chapter 20.
The main character is a nobody, a failure at everything including his marriage and career. It might even be worth continuing if the lead was a significant success at something. I decided I didn’t care enough about the guy to listen any further to find out who was after his sorry ass and why. Sorry, Mr. Hurwitz. This one is one of your ‘oops’ books.
Unless you simply enjoy listening to Scott Brick, which is understandable … this book is not one I can recommend.
June 21, 2015
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey – Audiobook Review
Read by Debra Monk, approximately eleven hours of listening. The Snow Child has a few gazillion reviews, ergo not much for me to add. There are only a few observations. First, the reader must suspend belief. This is an ethereal, ephemeral fairy tale based on the creation of a child from snow who grows into a beautiful young woman. Second, the reader must be into descriptive prose, there is considerable. The setting is the Alaskan wilderness, the 1920s homestead efforts of a childless couple in their 50s. The Snow Child is character driven, and the story is one of parenthood, familial relationships, friendship, love, and the hardships of a wilderness life in a breathtaking world of mountains and snow.
The story is beautifully written, the narration nicely done. Although I listened to an audiobook, I had no trouble ‘turning the page’. Enjoy!
June 19, 2015
The Survivor by Gregg Hurwitz – Audiobook Review
Read by Scott Brick, 13 hours of listening. This story is very dark, depressing, and very sad. A PTSD stricken man is in the process of committing suicide. He’s lost pretty much everything he loved, wife and child via divorce, a friend in war. Add to this, he has ALS and not much longer to live. If you’re looking for feel-good reading, this isn’t for you.
Nate, the lead character, finds himself a hero, killing a slew of bank-robbers, except one. The remaining bank-robber is the vicious liaison to a psychopath resulting in a cat and mouse thriller, life and death traversing the pages. The minute you think this poor guy can take a breath and relax … boom, he’s off and running in a fight for his life or the lives of others.
It’s a great thriller, but be prepared … the killers are chilling and to them, life means nothing. This audiobook was released in 2012. Scott Brick, as usual, does a stellar job. Well worth the purchase, if you’re in the mood for some thrilling, and depressing, reading. Enjoy!
June 17, 2015
The Fixer by Joseph Finder – Audiobook Review
Read by Steven Kearney, approximately ten hours of listening. The Fixer is the victim of a debilitating stroke, fifteen years ago. The main character is The Fixer’s son, an investigative journalist. Following a slew of personal failures, i.e., loss of fiancè, job, apartment, etc., Rick Hoffman crashes at his childhood home, virtually abandoned since his father’s stroke. Long story short, he finds a few million dollars hidden in his father’s home office wall. Now what? Thus is the premise of The Fixer.
The Fixer put me in mind of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. Many clues are drizzled through the prose and new possibilities suddenly pop forward. The story will keep you guessing and you’ll find yourself working through a complex mystery and empathize with Rick Hoffman. Initially, I was prepared to dislike the guy, finding himself suddenly wealthy and flaunting with some obnoxious attitude. Didn’t take long, though, for me to root for him to solve the dilemma, restore a familial relationship, and not get killed in the process.
Judging the narrator of an audiobook is simple for me. I need to clearly understand who-is-talking-to-who without needing to replay a segment, and not be distracted from the story because of the reading. Ergo …. Steven Kearney is okay!
If you’re a fan of Joseph Finder, you’ll surely like this mystery and find it well worth a credit. Enjoy!!
