Adam Berger

A perfect book

Reviewed: 12-04-24

A perfectly non-linear history of life in the GDR under the inescapable gaze of the Stasi. Few peoples have ever been, or ever will be, as obsessively surveilled as East Germans were. What sets this book apart from other histories is Ms. Funder’s novelistic eye for detail and character. Her interviews of civilians and Stasi men alike are sensitively drawn and she is unafraid to complicate easy moral assumptions. I have a low tolerance for historians inserting themselves into their histories, but Ms. Funder does it unobtrusively, in a way that makes it seem like she belongs in the narrative.

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HEAVY on clerical minutiae of foreign office clerks…

Reviewed: 08-27-24

Far too many words spent on describing administrative details of various bit players in the Munich talks. Harris appears to be building towards some major revelation, some explosive crescendo–this is alternate history, after all–and yet, for me, that moment never seemed to arrive.

Harris almost seems to be suggesting that these sorts of “what if?” historical novels are exercises in futility. Well, I don’t disagree–but an author who writes one should at least try to give the reader their money’s worth in entertainment…

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Like a meal of 100 different bite sized samples

Reviewed: 06-23-24

The format makes this an inherently unsatisfying listen. Even the best of these letters ends all too suddenly and segues awkwardly to another letter writer, often from a radically different time/place.

The brevity of the letters is the real issue. I appreciated the selection as a primer for further reading, but I do wish more of the letters were as long as Fanny Burney’s. Her letter to her sister–describing a life saving mastectomy she underwent in full consciousness–is the best of the bunch.

Longer letters, or multiple letters from individual authors, would have made this a better listening experience. That said, it’s still a good listen, and the narrators get top marks.

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Just one narrator, please

Reviewed: 03-27-24

I won’t pretend to understand everything I heard in this book, though what did penetrate my skull was certainly penetrating indeed.

One of the main things I didn’t understand was why Dawkins didn’t just narrate the entire book himself. He interjects to narrate his footnotes/asides, and this would be fine if he weren’t a prolific footnoter. He clearly seems to relish narration, and has a pleasant voice. Most authors suck at reading their own work. Is he too busy to do the whole thing?

As it is, confusion is the result of his frequent interruptions. It starts to feel like he’s pushing aside the female narrator, who happens to be great at her job. It’s a bit comical. Just go away and let her read! Or do it yourself.

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Enjoyed my time with this fascinating duo

Reviewed: 08-26-23

I never read any of Garth Nix’s YA novels. I pre-ordered this based on the high quality of a few adult stories in recent horror and fantasy anthologies. One of those was a Hereward/Fitz tale: “A Long, Cold Trail”, included in “The Book of Swords”, edited by Gardner Dozois. That story made me hunger for more of the same, and it took a few years for the craving to be satisfied.

This collection will inevitably lead to demands for a novel featuring the knight and his sorcerous puppet. The world they inhabit is a fascinating one; their mission–doing battle with proscribed entities/godlets–seems tailor-made for a series of novels.

I would happily read novel length stories set in this world, featuring these charming characters. But that may not be the author’s intention. The golden age S&S authors he states as influences tended to do their best work in the short form–REH and Fritz Leiber’s famed heroes never appeared in anything but short stories and/or novellas.

So my advice would be to enjoy the ride while it lasts.

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5 people found this helpful

An Intellectual Treat

Reviewed: 06-11-23

This book will deepen and enrich your understanding of modernity–the bedrock of enlightenment thinking and experimentation that underlies so many concepts we take for granted. It all had to be thought out and fought out in the tumultuous centuries between (roughly) the Thirty Years’ War and the French Revolution.

The breadth of Robertson’s survey is astonishing, as is its accessibility. I thought the narrator did a fine job and did not notice any of the flaws in pronunciation mentioned by other listeners.

It would be useful to have a print copy just to have a reference for the hundreds of titles/authors mentioned throughout. That said, the audiobook never left me feeling lost or confused.

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Update: Chapter/ sub-chapter titles have been added

Reviewed: 11-08-21

And with that update this is now a perfect audiobook. I can say that without having listened to a tenth of it after scrolling thru the table of contents and because I have near total faith in Otto Penzler’s capacity as an editor. All three narrators are total pros. Many of the stories are ones I’ve never heard of, but written by authors whose work I’m well acquainted with. That’s always a good sign IME, so I’m just giving this fives across the board. A no brainer use of a credit.

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11 people found this helpful

5 Star Reading of this Poignant Classic

Reviewed: 11-26-20

The ecstasies and sorrows of the youthful first love is a well trodden theme in literature, but this is the finest treatment of the theme I’ve come across. The narration is pitch perfect too. Highly recommended.

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1 person found this helpful

In Awe of Patrick Lee

Reviewed: 10-21-19

This is the 3rd book I’ve read by Lee, the 2nd in this series, and each one has further convinced me that this guy is insanely gifted. Due to the fact that he is a “genre” writer, he will likely never get the kind of recognition he deserves, but so be it. The fact remains that he is the king of the science fiction/techno thriller. The breadth of his scientific knowledge and the depth of his imagination, coupled with his well above average skills as a writer, have resulted in some of the most entertaining thrillers I have read in my life.

Lee’s novels are much more than your average thriller. The stories and scenarios he conjures are rarely predictable and always unique. Sometimes they border on improbability, but I have never felt myself losing my suspension of disbelief while reading these books. They are unforgettable and will provide you food for thought long after you’ve finished them.

I can’t wait to start the next Travis Chase novel. Also, the first Sam Dryden book (Runner) was equally terrific, and I am very happy to see that there are two more books in that series as well. Sometimes it’s nice to be a late comer to a good thing!

Oh, forgot to mention: the narration was really good too! Perfectly complimented the story and writing. 5 stars all around. This is why I spend much more time listening to audiobooks than watching movies or TV shows these days. The entertainment value is exponentially higher.

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Greatest English novel read by the greatest English narrator

Reviewed: 09-02-19

In short, Middlemarch is undoubtedly one of the greatest novels ever written–the greatest, in my opinion. George Eliot’s genius is of the rarest kind, and one that may never be equaled by any other novelist.

This is my second time around with Middlemarch, and I am so glad I chose to do this re-read in audiobook form. Juliette Stevenson was the perfect choice. Though Eliot’s words alone are of course enough to create the sense of living in this 19th century provincial town, and becoming intimately acquainted with its inhabitants, Stevenson’s voice adds even more flavor, texture, and humor to the experience. This is by far the best performance of any novel I have ever heard. She is so good that you forget you are listening to a female narrator when she voices male characters, and you never once question the authority of her voice. For the entire length of this epic work, she essentially becomes George Eliot.

This is the work of a virtuoso at the peak of their creative powers–Eliot and Stevenson.

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2 people found this helpful