Robertson W. Shinnick

Superb, and very well performed by the narrator

Revisado: 11-26-24

I’m a fan of sea stories and harrowing tales of expeditions gone wrong (the lost Franklin expedition in particular), so I’m rather surprised I had not previously encountered the story of the Belgica. Perhaps that is, as the author mentioned in his end notes, because relatively few of the accounts are available in English.

Hats off to the author for his detailed research, and to the narrator for an excellent performance (some have said it was a bit over the top- but that did not bother me).

I enjoyed this one enough to order a hardcover copy for my father. It is from him (a former Coast Guardsman) that I acquired my taste for maritime adventure stories.

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Fascinating

Revisado: 08-12-24

A very engaging look at the Byzantine Empire. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was initially worried that it might be too dry or scholarly, but it held my attention just fine.

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Very well produced

Revisado: 07-27-24

Good story, well performed, with good sound design. I liked the music. I will say that I semi-guessed what was going on before the actual perpetrator was revealed, but wow, what a twisted tale. All the more so because it’s allegedly true.

One thing I can’t figure out is what the perpetrator hoped to gain, unless he was just enjoying his sadistic mind games for their own sake. Sadly, there are people like that in the world. Happily, they’re not too common.

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Hot damn, what an excellent memoir.

Revisado: 07-03-24

This is as fine a memoir as any I’ve read, and I’ve read a few good ones lately. “Stories from folks who survived abusive childhoods” is kind of a weird niche genre to fall into, but for some reason, I’ve gone down that rabbit hole lately.

The best such stories are not ALL dark, but rather more nuanced- wherein the abuser(s) are human with a few redeeming characteristics, and not purely evil, one-dimensional cartoon villains. A good memoir from someone who had a tough childhood will delve into some really harrowing stuff, but end on a note of redemption. This one did not disappoint in that regard. I was riveted.

Maybe it resonated with me because I’m the same age as the author, and also a native Southerner. (Lived on a mountain and carried water from the spring in an old milk jug? Been there, done that.) I had an interesting nomadic childhood with a somewhat stern stepfather (who also happened to be a genius), but that’s where the similarities end. Thankfully I was not abused and had a number of blessings and advantages the author did not enjoy. I only wish I had played the hand that was dealt me as well as he apparently has played his.

I reckon you could categorize this as a Southern Gothic tale. The narrator was ideal as well, and did a splendid job.

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Loved it!

Revisado: 02-29-24

I see some reviewers were put off by the author’s sometimes-snarky sense of humor, but, being possessed of a similar style myself, I enjoyed it. She didn’t even spare us her own personal public restroom horror stories. One had me literally laugh out loud.

Though some of the voices were grating (as intended), the narrator did a pretty good job.

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Compelling memoir, well told

Revisado: 02-14-24

This was a refreshing change of pace for me. I read a lot of True Crime and war-related stuff, so it was nice to listen to something more heartwarming for a change. Which isn’t to say there aren’t some gritty parts to this tale. Those make it compelling.

I also thought the narrator was excellent.

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Don’t let some of the critical reviews steer you away from this fascinating story

Revisado: 01-29-23

This author immigrated to America as an impoverished Holocaust survivor who barely spoke the language, then rose in his career to become the personal tailor of multiple presidents and celebrities.

Some of the more critical reviewers have noted that the latter portion of the book contains a lot of name-dropping and what sounds like borderline boasting about his brand, and that’s true. But if I’d come as far in life as he has, I’d enjoy telling it all, even if it risked sounding like a brag. Besides, if Martin Greenfield really experienced everything he recounts (and I for one don’t doubt that he did), then maybe telling the tale is not necessarily the same thing as bragging.

The man certainly measures up, if I may allude to the title. To rise from such soul-searing tragedy to the pinnacle of professional success in his adopted country… well, I must say it’s a remarkable tale, and was well worth listening to, even though I personally have little interest in the fashion industry.

You see, I came for the Holocaust survival story, and that part did not disappoint. Sure, it was as bleak as you’d expect, but there were lighter moments, too. It was an amazing account of a man who survived against terrible odds, and I daresay this man’s journey would have made an interesting movie.

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This was excellent

Revisado: 01-27-23

I had just finished Joni Ankerson’s “To Kill or Be Killed”, which was a similar memoir of a battered wife who shot her husband to death. And that was good, but this book was even better. The voice acting talents were professional and the production top-notch, and the story, though tragic, was gripping.

This book covered the many nuances of the case well. Both Gloria Burtzlaff and her husband Larry deserved some empathy as well as condemnation. Larry was evidently at times an abuser, a mean drunk, and a domineering husband and father. And it sounds like he was a bit of an asshole as well, at least behind closed doors. But he’d also been dealt some really hard knocks in his life, and probably didn’t entirely deserve his fate.

(Spoilers ahead) I think Gloria obviously deserved sympathy as a wife who suffered psychological as well as physical abuse at the hands of her husband. But she also hurt him greatly with her four-year affair with another married man- and she certainly didn’t have to shoot him, though I do believe she was not in her right mind when she did so. This couple probably should have divorced, long before the worst finally happened.

Had I been on her jury, I would have voted to convict her of manslaughter, just as the actual jury did. She did not deserve acquittal. But if we hypothetical jurors were then allowed to make sentencing recommendations, I’d have then recommended a relatively lenient 6-8 year sentence. She was guilty, but with plenty of mitigating factors.

The judge’s actual 20-year sentence is harsher than I’d have given her. I do find it interesting that after being denied for parole several times, she was eventually paroled after six years- right in line with how I would have sentenced her. I’m glad she’s out now and has been able to make something of the rest of her life.

So yeah, this was a good read (listen), I thought. I also liked that the narrative followed Gloria into prison. Most true crime stories end with the verdict and sentencing. This story had a more complete arc.

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Narrator got unfairly bashed in other reviews

Revisado: 12-22-22

Some folks mentioned they found this female narrator’s “man voice” readings annoying. I know what they mean- it can indeed be annoying when a female narrator adopts an exaggerated, lower growl when reading male parts (or conversely, when a male narrator goes into a falsetto to read female parts). But I really did not find that to be the case here. She lowered her voice almost imperceptibly for the male parts, and it did not bother me at all.

As to the story, it was good. Creepy, of course, but isn’t that what one reads serial killer stuff for: to get a bit creeped out?

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Classic Bryson, short but sweet

Revisado: 11-30-22

Nice little holiday treat. Thanks, Audible. This delivered all the little historical tidbits I’ve come to enjoy in Bill Bryson’s books. There’s a touch of dry humor as well. Bryson’s voice is sounding a tad frail in places, and a few words were hard to catch, but I enjoyed the performance. (And to be fair, my own hearing is a tad frail in places.)

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