Margaret

Funny, in spite of oneself

Revisado: 06-19-16

Remarkable achievement, that an author can make one sympathetic to a killer, and even find many of the situations funny. This books twists and turns in unexpected ways. Spot-on narration.

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Even if you're tired of WWII stories, listen

Revisado: 06-19-16

Artful weaving together of threads of many characters' lives and what brings them together at one German port to escape the oncoming Russians. I found myself drawn into their stories, one by one, and awed by the author's ability to convey clearly and yet subtley each character's development. Make sure you have tissues handy at the end. Based on an actual incident most of us don't know anything about.

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Glad I stuck with this compelling story

Revisado: 09-04-15

At first I was put off by what seemed like one-dimensional characters, and the almost-laughably bad French accents the narrator used for the characters. But the characters developed and I got used to their voices. This is a compelling look at the difficult decisions members of a French family and their friends made to survive the Nazi takeover of France in WWII. I became completely engrossed in the narrative and at times found myself holding my breath and on the edge of tears. Especially poignant to listen to with the modern-day backdrop of anti-immigrant sentiments -- those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it....

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Gripping story of people you wish you could meet

Revisado: 07-12-15

Story of two young women in WWII, one an air transport pilot, the other a special agent, who become close friends. Story is told half by one, then half by the other as they explain from their own perspective what went awry in a special mission.This is a compelling storytelling device, because as one listens to the second half, one re-interprets the first. THe characters -- including secondary characters -- are well developed. I wished I could meet some of them. I learned a lot about women in special roles in the British military. Excellent narration.

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Enjoyable mix of modern and historical fiction

Revisado: 06-19-15

Interesting juxtaposition of modern-day story with a historic fiction. The modern-day heroine is an amateur cryptographer with Ausperger's, who is sent to France to break the code of a diary of a young woman caught up in a Jacobite-related journey. Sympathetic portrayals of both the modern and Jacobean heroines made this an engrossing story. The modern characters are on the edge of too good to be true, but that was part of the pleasure of the story. Excellent narration: Katherine Kellgren excels at accents and making each character's voice distinct.

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I am so glad I listened to this book

Revisado: 05-14-15

This beautifully narrated book takes one far beyond where one expects to go in its deep development of the main characters. Lesser authors would have ended the story at earlier, predictable, points. I found the book moving, thought-provoking, entertaining in an oh-no-what-will-happen-next way, and I learned a lot, too.

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A mixed exeprience

Revisado: 12-07-14

Excellent narration of a flawed story still worth the listen. I cried at the end so I must have got caught up in the story. There were eye-rolling scenes along the way, however, so some suspension of disbelief is necessary at points. Could have used some additional editing. I enjoyed how the author used cultural touchpoints to convey the passage of time.

A tip to narrators: don't attempt German accents if the only one you know is Sergeant Schulz's parody version. (Fortunately, the character in question was only briefly "on stage.")

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More powerful than when you read it in high school

Revisado: 12-07-14

You probably read this in high school, and found it moving. The novel itself is a classic, proven by the exprience of not always remembering when the novel is set. Frank Muller's narration adds an immediacy and intimacy that transports one into the charaters' lives. Please listen to this during this anniversary year of the start of the "war to end all wars." Or at least buy it to listen to soon: the war did not end in its anniversary year.

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Lightweight imitation of Connie Willis

Revisado: 11-18-14

After listening to the compelling stories and narration of Connie Willis' time traveling historians, I couldn't get into this flippant imitation.

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This is why I listen to audio books

Revisado: 11-15-14

At their best, audiobooks are not just the convenience of listening while doing other things. Or even the enjoyment having a story told. Rather, the narration takes one so much deeper into the experience than if one read the book oneself. That is the case with this recording of The Orchardist. Had I read this book, I would have raced through parts to see what happens next. Instead, I experienced it as the events unfolded, paying attention to every detail. Sometimes, I had to stop listening for a while, because it felt so real. Had I read it myself, the voiice in my head would have been too thin and superficial. The narrator's voice is ideal for the characters, and somehow evoked the era in which the events occurred. A powerful story about pain and commitment, good people doing their best.

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