Audiobook Review : The River by Peter Heller
Written By: amodini
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Mar•
11•20
Title : The River
Author : Peter Heller
Narrators : Mark Deakins
Genre : Mystery/Adventure
Publisher : Random House Audio
Listening Length : 7 hours 18 minutes
Rating : 4/5
Narrator Rating : 4.5/5
The River is my second Peter Heller book after the magnificent Dog Stars. And this is very different from that post-apocalyptic world, different but still pretty good.
Friends Wynn and Jack decide to canoe the Canadian Maskwa river. Both love this, and look forward to some leisurely boating, pipe-smoking and reading. However this relaxing journey through the wilderness gets dangerous fast. The two spot a huge forest fire heading towards them. To top that they meet a couple of unsavory characters and then a man whose wife has apparently gone missing.
As minimalists who like being close to nature Wynn and Jack have packed the bare essentials. They have not a satellite phone nor a fast boat to take them to civilization and safety, or even to call for help. When trouble comes these normally gentle boys will need to take a stand, and trouble comes in spades.
Peter Heller knows how to tell a story. Yes, he uses sentence fragments, but it fits in the flow, and there’s a certain simplicity, a certain quaint earnestness to his telling. He describes his characters well, at times going into rhapsodies over the outdoorsy details. The book is not quite a heart-pounding adventure, but it has its moments.
I thought that the two boys, and they were young college boys, had the maturity and surety of much older men. Other than that slight oddity, I enjoyed this book very much. It is a well-told tale and has its poignant moments. Mark Deakins enhanced the pleasure of this Edgar Allan Poe Award nominee with his great narration.
Audiobook Review : A Fearsome Doubt by Charles Todd
Written By: amodini
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Feb•
13•20
Title : A Fearsome Doubt
Author : Charles Todd
Narrators : Samuel Gillies
Genre : Mystery
Publisher : Recorded Books
Listening Length : 11 hours 37 minutes
Rating : 3/5
Narrator Rating : 4.5/5
Inspector Ian Rutledge helped make the case that got Ben Shaw convicted and hanged. His death has caused Shaw’s family much misery and when his widow reappears seven years later with what she says is fresh evidence that her Ben “didn’t do it”, Rutledge is torn. Along with reopening that case in Kent, Rutledge must also investigate a series of murders in Marling.
Rutledge goes back and forth between London, Kent and Marling meeting acquaintances and family along the way. He also comes across, or thinks he has seen a familiar from war times – someone long since dead. As the mysteries grow, Rutledge is beset with great self-doubt which he carries hidden within him, along with the voice of Hamish Macleod, a dead Scottish soldier.
This is my first Ian Rutledge mystery, and I liked it, though not for the usual reasons. Ian Rutledge as a character has heft, and Todd beautifully paces events in the book to keep things interesting. His characters are well-fleshed out, and his descriptions of clothes, locales and facial expressions is vivid. I was taken by surprise when I first heard Hamish McLeod’s “speak”, but quite like the author’s ploy of presenting Rutledge’s inner voice as such.
On the negative side – this mystery’s perp came out of the blue. The end when it came seemed unrealistic, so am not too enamored with the plot’s resolution. I do like the Inspector’s character and the writing enough that I will probably give another book of this series a chance.
The narration was fabulous and one of the reasons I will continue with the Rutledge series.
Audiobook Review : When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
Written By: amodini
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Jan•
15•20
Title : When She Woke
Author : Hillary Jordan
Narrators : Heather Corrigan
Genre : Dystopian
Publisher : Highbridge
Listening Length : 10 hours 47 minutes
Rating : 2/5
Narrator Rating : 4.5/5
When She Woke is a dystopian novel set in a future where reproductive rights have been curtailed and abortion is a crime. Punishment is meted out by “chroming” – changing of skin color. Young Hannah Payne has been convicted of abortion and “chromed” red for 16 years. Hannah has been raised a conservative Christian in Texas but loves married Reverend Aidan Dale. Aidan has fathered her child but while Hannah takes the blame because she won’t reveal the father’s name, Aidan continues to lead a mega-church along with wife Alyssa and remains widely regarded as the moral leader of his community.
I picked up the book because of the fascinating premise, especially because I just reread “The Handmaid’s Tale” and am now watching the Hulu series. Hannah was an interesting character and we see her evolve from ardently following the conservative principles her parents have drilled into her head to questioning them. The concept of “chroming” was also thought-provoking – Jordan touches upon the process itself, merits and demerits, the life of a chrome after being released into society.
However, the main flaw, and it’s a big one, is that Hannah is a weak character and not really heroine material. She’s living a cloistered, sheltered life, a little lamb with blinders on, who has no curiosity or opinions although she is suffocating and needs private outlets to live her confined life. She only questions what she does because special circumstances are visited upon her, she has no sense of outrage or questioning on her own. And yes, the change in her comes gradually, but it wasn’t convincing. She seemed too meek and docile to take a stand. I liked her friend Kayla a whole lot more than her.
It is interesting that in these dystopian worlds Canada still remains the bastion of the free, and whether it be “When She Woke” or “Handmaid’s Tale”, everyone who wants to escape oppressive society in America must flee to Canada.
Heather Corrigan does a fine job of voicing Hannah – hesitant, young and unsure. It is a pity that the voice does not increase in surety and confidence but Jordan not Corrigan is to blame for that.
Audiobook Review : Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty
Written By: amodini
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Dec•
04•19
Title : Nine Perfect Strangers
Author : Liane Moriarty
Narrators : Caroline Lee
Genre : Contemporary
Publisher : Macmillan Audio
Listening Length : 16 hours 18 minutes
Rating : 2/5
Narrator Rating : 4.5/5
I look forward to Liane Moriarty’s books. Out of the 5 I’ve read, I’ve reviewed 4 on this blog (my favorite still remains “The Husband’s Secret”). So I had high hopes, but I’m sorely disappointed in “Nine Perfect Strangers”.
The premise is interesting – nine strangers check into a pricey health resort, Tranquillium House. Each of them is seeking different things – weight loss, rest, therapy, couple’s counseling etc. Marsha, Tranquillium House’s Director, is a Russian immigrant and erstwhile corporate boss. She has transformed herself after her heart attack and now wishes to help others do the same.
Thus the ten day retreat promises wonders, but also demands sacrifices. All “smuggled contraband” – chocolates, liquor etc, is confiscated. The guests are taken aback when they realize that about half their time will be spent in the “Noble Silence”. Along with therapy and yoga, they are plied with healthy smoothies by the attentive staff.
I looked forward to these fascinating people interacting, clashing or finding common ground. However it took forever to get things moving beyond the description of each character. Each one of them has an interesting backstory – something Moriarty is very good at sketching. She gives every one a distinctive voice and a unique perspective, but it takes too long to get to the action.
And yes, given the premise, I expected each of these nine people to find absolution or something close to it, by the end of the 10 days. The how and the why was where Moriarty could work her magic! Sadly this book went in an unexpected direction, and the plot went from interesting to completely ridiculous.
Moriarty’s books generally have surprises and a big bombshell or two. The story revolves around this big shocker. However in Nine Perfect Strangers no such surprises were sprung; things progressed rather tepidly, with some mild starts along the way. The ending was extremely weak, and matters wrapped up in a most convenient fashion, no unspooling threads, no frayed edges.
From Moriarty I expect the extraordinary; scintillating plots driven by captivating, quirky people. While her brilliance is visible in some passages, she is in poor form here. Nine Perfect Strangers is a big let-down from the writer of the fantastic “Big, Little Lies”. Narrator Caroline Lee remains her dependable self, but there is nothing she can do to save this book.
Audiobook Review : The Rainmaker by John Grisham
Written By: amodini
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Nov•
20•19
Title : The Rainmaker
Author : John Grisham
Narrators : Frank Muller
Genre : Legal drama
Publisher : Bantam Audio
Listening Length : 16 hours 59 minutes
Rating : 4.5/5
Narrator Rating : 5/5
I picked up the Rainmaker for a change of pace, assured that with Grisham’s skilled writing I’d be hooked instantly. It also helped that I’d seen the movie when it had released, back in 1997, and had loved it. Well, I remembered the basics of the juicy tale, and that it was a classic underdog story.
Rudy Baylor, about to graduate from law school, is one of the few in his class who hasn’t managed a job. Prospects look bleak, so when ambulance-chaser J.Lyman “Bruiser” Stone offers him a job (sort of) Rudy takes it, and brings with him his first case, a potential insurance scam. Dot and Buddy want to sue insurance company Great Benefit who have refused to pay for the bone marrow transplant of their son Donny Ray, and Donny Ray is now dying of leukemia. Dot wants Great Benefit punished but her lawyer, a certain Mr. Baylor hasn’t even passed the bar yet.
The book works because we are all rooting for Rudy, who’s got the odds stacked against him. He is impoverished, sans job and resources, but won’t buckle down because he knows his clients are in the right and he feels for them. He is an interesting mix of good intentions, brashness, naivete and tenacity, and Grisham draws him well. I kept picturing a young Matt Damon 🙂 I also really felt for the Blacks, and their tragic predicament.
John Grisham is a master at the legal thriller; it is his genre. The Rainmaker is no different – it hooks you right from the start and doesn’t let go. There’s lots of courtroom drama, and witness inquisition, and Grisham having already garnered our sympathy for the Blacks, proceeds to give us our money’s worth. Even though I knew how the book was going to end, it was a fabulous listen, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I plan to re-watch the movie soon.
Narrator Frank Muller is wonderful. His carefully enunciated words bring Rudy to life (the book is in the first person, from Rudy’s point of view). The book, as good as it is, is made better by Muller’s narration.
