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Blackout
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren, Connie Willis
- Length: 18 hrs and 44 mins
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Publisher's summary
In her first novel since 2002, Nebula and Hugo award-winning author Connie Willis returns with a stunning, enormously entertaining novel of time travel, war, and the deeds - great and small - of ordinary people who shape history.
Oxford in 2060 is a chaotic place. Scores of time-traveling historians are being sent into the past, to destinations including the American Civil War and the attack on the World Trade Center. Michael Davies is prepping to go to Pearl Harbor. Merope Ward is coping with a bunch of bratty 1940 evacuees and trying to talk her thesis adviser, Mr. Dunworthy, into letting her go to VE Day. Polly Churchill's next assignment will be as a shopgirl in the middle of London's Blitz. And 17-year-old Colin Templer, who has a major crush on Polly, is determined to go to the Crusades so that he can catch up to her in age. But now the time-travel lab is suddenly canceling assignments for no apparent reason and switching around everyones schedules. And when Michael, Merope, and Polly finally get to World War II, things just get worse. For there they face air raids, blackouts, unexploded bombs, dive-bombing Stukas, rationing, shrapnel, V-1s, and two of the most incorrigible children in all of history to say nothing of a growing feeling that not only their assignments but the war and history itself are spiraling out of control. Because suddenly the once-reliable mechanisms of time travel are showing significant glitches, and our heroes are beginning to question their most firmly held belief: that no historian can possibly change the past.
BONUS AUDIO: In an exclusive introduction, author Connie Willis discusses her fascination with WWII and the historic context of Blackout.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Blackout is the first volume of a two-part novel. To find out what happens to the time-traveling historians from Oxford, we invite you to download the concluding volume, All Clear.
Critic reviews
- Nebula Award, Best Novel, 2010
- Hugo Award, Best Novel, 2011
- Best SF and Fantasy Books of 2010: Readers' Choice (SF Site)
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Time travel is one of science fiction's most popular subgenres. Fans are drawn to its infinite possibilities, offering a glimpse into past cultures, societies, and pivotal events while exploring big what if? questions. What if you knew what would happen next in your life? What if you could go back and change history? What if you did change history? With this guide, you're sure to find an exciting audiobook to transport you to the perfect place in another time.
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Freshwater Pearls and Scottish Plaid
- By Cynthia on 08-14-17
By: Elizabeth Wein
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Secrets of a Charmed Life
- By: Susan Meissner
- Narrated by: Alana Kerr Collins
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Current day, Oxford, England. Young American scholar Kendra Van Zant, eager to pursue her vision of a perfect life, interviews Isabel McFarland just when the elderly woman is ready to give up secrets about the war that she has kept for decades...beginning with who she really is. What Kendra receives from Isabel is both a gift and a burden--one that will test her convictions and her heart.
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Rare 5-Star Across the Board!
- By Imamomof4 on 06-14-15
By: Susan Meissner
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Life Class
- By: Pat Barker
- Narrated by: Russell Boulter
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In the spring of 1914, a group of young students gather in an art studio for a life-drawing class. Paul Tarrant and Elinor Brooke are two components of a love triangle, and at the outset of the war, they turn to each other. After volunteering for the Red Cross, Paul must confront the fact that life, love, and art will never be the same for him.
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In Love and War
- By Cariola on 07-28-09
By: Pat Barker
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Dead Man's Land
- By: Robert Ryan
- Narrated by: Richard Burnip
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Deep in the trenches of Flanders Fields, men are dying in the thousands every day. So one more death shouldn't be a surprise. But then a body turns up with bizarre injuries, and Sherlock Holmes' former sidekick, Dr. John Watson - unable to fight for his country due to injury but able to serve it through his medical expertise - finds his suspicions raised.
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Watson is wonderful, amid very grim surroundings
- By L. Gutman on 03-01-18
By: Robert Ryan
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A Duty to the Dead
- A Bess Crawford Mystery
- By: Charles Todd
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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The daughter of a distinguished soldier, Bess Crawford follows in his patriotic footsteps, volunteering to serve her country as a nurse during the Great War. In 1916 she promises Lieutenant Arthur Graham that she will carry his dying request to a brother. When Bess arrives at the Graham house in Kent, Jonathan Graham listens to his brother's last wishes with surprising indifference.
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Terrific period mystery
- By Anne on 12-04-10
By: Charles Todd
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Velva Jean Learns to Drive
- A Novel
- By: Jennifer Niven
- Narrated by: Jenna Lamia
- Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in Appalachia in the years before World War II, Velva Jean Learns to Drive is a poignant story of a spirited young girl growing up in the gold-mining and moonshining South. Before she dies, Velva Jean's mother urges her to "live out there in the great wide world." Velva Jean dreams of becoming a big-time singer in Nashville until she falls in love with Harley Bright, a handsome juvenile delinquent turned revival preacher.
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If Jenna Lamia reads it, I'll listen to it!
- By Susan on 12-17-09
By: Jennifer Niven
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Dying in the Wool
- A Kate Shackleton Mystery, Book 1
- By: Frances Brody
- Narrated by: Nicola Barber
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Bridgestead is a peaceful spot: a babbling brook, rolling hills, and a working mill at its heart. Pretty and remote, nothing exceptional happens...until the day that Master of the Mill Joshua Braithwaite goes missing under dramatic circumstances, never to be heard of again. Now Joshua's daughter is getting married and wants to make one last attempt at finding her father. Kate Shackleton has always loved solving puzzles. So who better to get to the bottom of Joshua's mysterious disappearance?
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Fluff & Nonsense
- By Sara on 01-03-15
By: Frances Brody
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Lavender Road
- By: Helen Carey
- Narrated by: Annie Aldington
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Lavender Road boasts a pawnbroker, a pub, two rows of terraced working class homes, and, at one end, the big house owned by the local brewer. When war breaks out, the lives and fortunes of the families who live in Lavender Road are changed out of all recognition.
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Great story with wonderful, believable characters!
- By Kathleen Bailey on 03-27-24
By: Helen Carey
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Daughters of Eden
- By: Charlotte Bingham
- Narrated by: Kim Hicks
- Length: 13 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Daughters of Eden focuses on the lives and fortunes of four very different young women at the outbreak of the Second World War. Marjorie, left at a boarding school by her emigrating mother; plain Poppy, pushed into marriage with a mean-spirited aristocrat; Kate, despised by her father, but determined to prove herself; and man-mad Lily, who turns out to be the bravest of them all. That all of them are chosen to work undercover for the espionage unit at Eden Park is a surprise, not least to them.
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An amazing book everyone should read.
- By XX on 09-11-05
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The Tea Rose
- By: Jennifer Donnelly
- Narrated by: Jill Tanner
- Length: 28 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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East London, 1888 - a city apart. A place of shadow and light where thieves, whores, and dreamers mingle, where children play in the cobbled streets by day and a killer stalks at night, where bright hopes meet the darkest truths. Here, by the whispering waters of the Thames, Fiona Finnegan, a worker in a tea factory, hopes to own a shop one day, together with her lifelong love, Joe Bristow, a costermonger's son. With nothing but their faith in each other to spur them on, Fiona and Joe struggle, save, and sacrifice to achieve their dreams.
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Wow. Wow wow wow!
- By I like to shop on 04-26-16
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interesting listen. Different from her other books.
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An index for locating stories
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Crosstalk
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In a not-too-distant future, a simple outpatient procedure that has been promised to increase empathy between romantic partners has become all the rage. So when Briddey Flannigan's fiancé proposes that he and Briddey undergo the procedure, she is delighted! Only, the results aren't quite as expected. Instead of gaining an increased empathetic link with her fiancé, Briddey finds herself hearing the actual thoughts of one of the nerdiest techs in her office. And that's the least of her problems.
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It doesn't work like that.
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Pattern Recognition" Meets "Office Space
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Timely, beautiful, terrible and haunting
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A psychologist specializing in near-death experiences, Dr. Joanna Lander has spent two years recording the experiences of those who have been declared clinically dead and lived to tell about it. A new doctor has arrived at Mercy General, one with the power to give Joanna the chance to get as close to death as anyone can. Dr. Richard Wright has come up with a way to manufacture the near-death experience using a psychoactive drug. Dr. Wright is convinced that the NDE is a survival mechanism and that if only doctors understood how it worked, they could someday delay the dying process.
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interesting listen. Different from her other books.
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It doesn't work like that.
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Good story, unfortunate narration
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Connie Willis must be really losing it
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Findriddy and Carson are two explorers sent to Boohte to survey the ridges and scrub-covered hills of the planet. Back home, their adventures are followed by countless breathless fans, but the reality is far less romantic as they deal with dust, nitpicking regulations, and uncooperative aliens. Teamed with a young intern whose specialty is mating customs, and a native guide of indeterminate gender, the group sets out for a previously unexplored sector of the planet.
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Passed the betchel test
- By James Nicholson on 02-05-20
By: Connie Willis
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Inside Job
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Rob, a professional debunker, is watching yet another performance by a supposed psychic. But as she calls forth the spirit entity known as Isus, another voice suddenly interrupts. And this one is so unexpected and so real, even the hardened skeptic finds he can't help but believe.
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Terrific, but too short
- By Linda on 05-15-08
By: Connie Willis
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The Calculating Stars
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Performance
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Story
On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the East Coast of the US, including Washington, DC. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the Earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space and requires a much-larger share of humanity to take part in the process. Elma York’s drive to become the first lady astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.
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Never achieves lift off
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Tom, an American, is in London for a conference when he begins to experience unusual forces in the Underground. Is it an easily-explained phenomenon - or ghosts from Britain's past?
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Hugo award winner
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The half-mad Prince Boleso has been slain by a noblewoman he had intended to defile. It falls to Lord Ingrey kin Wilfcliff to transport the prince to his burial place and to bring the accused killer, Lady Ijada, to judgment. The road he travels with his burden and his prisoner is fraught with danger. But in the midst of political chaos, magic has the fiercer hold on Ingrey's destiny, and Ijada herself may turn out to be the only one he dares trust.
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Extremely disappointing
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The Last of the Winnebagos
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In this Hugo Award-winning novella, dogs have become extinct after an epidemic, and the Humane Society has been granted extraordinary police powers to protect the remaining animals. As the Society investigates the death of a jackal on a highway, its attention turns to a photojournalist whose own dog was one of the last to survive.
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Quick and fun listen!
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By: Connie Willis
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A Lot Like Christmas
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No one could ask for a better present than a collection of Connie Willis Christmas tales. These are amazing stories, representing all the best of the Connie Willis experience: true Christmas gifts to her many fans. They are full of humor, absurdity, human foibles, tragedy, joy, and hope. They both send up and embrace many of the best Christmas traditions, such as the Christmas newsletter, Secret Santas, office parties, holiday pageants, and Christmas dinners (both elaborate and spare).
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Very, Very Long Stories
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By: Connie Willis
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Dreamsnake
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Overall
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Story
When the healer Snake was summoned, she traveled the blasted landscape with her three serpents. From the venom of two of them, she distilled her medicines. But most valued of all was the alien dreamsnake, whose bite could ease the fear and pain of death.
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Sets the Mark for Fantasy Excellence
- By 'houla on 03-15-15
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The Windup Girl
- By: Paolo Bacigalupi
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- Unabridged
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Anderson Lake is a company man, AgriGen's Calorie Man in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager, Anderson combs Bangkok's street markets in search of foodstuffs thought to be extinct, hoping to reap the bounty of history's lost calories. There, he encounters Emiko...Emiko is the Windup Girl, a strange and beautiful creature. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead, she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman.
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Good and also Frustrating
- By txkimmers on 11-16-09
By: Paolo Bacigalupi
What listeners say about Blackout
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Eggert Eggertsson
- 08-19-17
Bedtime story
Would you try another book from Connie Willis and/or Katherine Kellgren and Connie Willis ?
I might as well. I've listen to book one in the series, Doomsday book which was excellent in my opinion. However Blackout is kinda boring in comparison and therefore I'll be more hesitant in my next choice of a book by Connie Willis.
What could Connie Willis have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
It lacks some suspension and excitement. Somehow there is nothing going on, mostly chit chat in daily lives of ordinary people, something Connie Willis tries not to disguise in the prologue. This book is simply not my cup of tea and really not mine to criticise as lots of other people like it.
What about Katherine Kellgren and Connie Willis ’s performance did you like?
Various english accents, specially as old ladies.
Did Blackout inspire you to do anything?
Not really - it helped me sleep though.
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- Judy
- 03-31-15
Willis creates characters you care about
Blackout is the first part of a two-part series set in the London blitz. I would strongly advise buying both this and All Clear together because Blackout leaves you hanging and you will want to move straight on to the next book. My criticism of the first two of Willis' Oxford time travel series was that they were over-written - too much detail that left me wanting her to just get on with it. I didn't feel this with Blackout - not sure if she has tightened her writing style or I've just got used to it, but this was much better.
Willis' fascination with the London blitz comes over in the book and I started to think about what it must have been like for people living in that time. I warmed to the characters she created, and this was helped by Katherine Kellgren's narration. I wanted to keep listening to find out what happened next. I was surprised when I listened to Willis' introduction to the book to discover that she is American because she seemed to create England so well. There were, however, two factual issues that annoyed me. First, she had multiple matrons in her hospitals when the matron is the nurse in charge of the whole hospital and the term she wanted was either ward sister or charge nurse. Second, there is no way that Oxford University would have a mere "Mr" in charge of their time travel labs. Dunworthy would have been much more credible as Professor.
My only criticism of this as an audiobook is that it switches backwards and forwards between different times and places and while it tells you when and where you are at the beginning of each chapter, I sometimes got a little confused early on and would have liked to have been able to go back to the beginning a little more easily than one can whilst listening to an audiobook when out and about.
I would probably give this 4.5 stars if that was an option.
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- -dan'l
- 09-17-19
Action and drama overtaken by mental anguish
I enjoyed the historical perspective, drama, and action in this story, but it was dragged down continually by the incessant internal dialog of the characters repeating over and over and over again their mental anxieties, overly optimistic expectations and mental gymnastics at every decision. I almost stopped listening when this became burdensome, but it was intriguing enough, by a hairsbreadth, to keep me going.
I believe these two could have become one novel without the repetitive litany of internal stream-of-thought.
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- RB
- 04-29-12
Endless agonizing but good basics
Would you try another book from Connie Willis and/or Katherine Kellgren and Connie Willis ?
Yes but I would have to allow some time to pass - as I did after reading The Doomsday Book before starting Blackout/All Clear (together really only 1 book). The time allows the endless agonizing and repetition to fade in my memory so that I am left with the basically good story.
Would you recommend Blackout to your friends? Why or why not?
Yes, but only with the caveat that the story can drag as the characters second guess their every action and miss each other as soon as they are out of sight. Against this is a sound story, some really good characters and good atmosphere.
What about Katherine Kellgren and Connie Willis ???s performance did you like?
Very good narrator. Different voices done very well.
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- Waldorf
- 01-24-20
Only half a story and very repetitive action
I don't usually read time travel sci fi but I enjoyed Connie Willis's Doomsday Book so much that I thought I would give this book a try, based on the high ratings and the Nebula and Hugo awards. Unfortunately, I didn't like this book nearly as much as the Doomsday Book. The action in this book was so repetitive. Over and over again, the story mentioned that Mike Davies was worried that he had changed history and maybe caused the war to be lost. Polly and Merope were always talking about getting back and wondering where the rescue team was and kept getting stymied in their attempts over and over and over again. But I slogged through the book, hoping that it would at least have a decent ending. Unfortunately, the book ends right in the middle of the story. I'm surprised the author didn't end it in the middle of sentence to get you to buy the next book in the series. I won't be reading the sequel.
Minor point: Why does the picture on the book cover show a squadron of 4-engine bombers dropping bombs? Germany used twin-engine bombers exclusively or virtually exclusively in the Battle of Britain.
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- SHARON
- 08-07-12
Blackout by Connie Willis
What made the experience of listening to Blackout the most enjoyable?
I very much enjoued this book. I am very fond of time travel stories and their intricacies.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Blackout?
One of the best moments in Blackout was when Polly tries to go home and finds that her portal does not work. Also when the windows of the Department store are blown out and they think they are seeing multiple bodies in the debris but find that they are really the store window mannequins.
What about Katherine Kellgren and Connie Willis ’s performance did you like?
I loved the performance. The accents were wonderful.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, but it is very long and I had to break it up into several days.
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- Wolf's Mommy
- 10-22-14
A History/Sci-Fi mash up!
Which character – as performed by Katherine Kellgren and Connie Willis – was your favorite?
Binny and Al. Loved them
Any additional comments?
I loved the premise of this book. I liked hearing about WWII history form this point of view. I was drawn it and couldn't stop listening to it. However, at times I was sooooo annoyed with the characters doom and gloom outlook and some of the decisions that were made. Don't get me wrong, I have not idea how I would react if I time travelled to WWII and got stuck but these 20 somethings acted as if they were young teens at times. And the lack of communication?!!? Come on guys! The three of them are stuck there together, why keep things from each other? It's not going to change the circumstances. I guess this is a testament to Connie Willis' writing: She made it very real to me like; I was right there wanting to shake some sense into them.
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Performance
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Story
- Curt Lynch
- 01-23-15
This book was recommended to me by Audible.
What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
The only hope to have made this a good book would be a compleat rewrite. It seems to have been written for a grade school audience but with adult situations. I could recommend this book to any audience.
Has Blackout turned you off from other books in this genre?
This genre has some wonderful books I would recommend but this is not one of them.
How could the performance have been better?
The performance may not be possible to improve.
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Blackout?
Starting at chapter 1 and removing through to "The End".
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- Angi J Toth
- 12-16-16
worth the confusion
Would you listen to Blackout again? Why?
yes, because now i have a better understanding of all the different characters....
What did you like best about this story?
the era it was written about
What does Katherine Kellgren and Connie Willis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
? the accents?
Any additional comments?
It was a little confusing in the beginning trying to keep track of all the different characters that come at you like rapid fire. But the story itself was very good and kept me wanting more.
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- anon
- 09-07-21
Editor Sent Elsewhere In Time Apparently
I enjoyed Willis' To Say Nothing Of The Dog, which lead me to read Blackout. The narrator is excellent, with a clear voice and precise diction. She reads at a good pace, does characterizations very well, and is easy to understand. However because the characters are in a panic 80% of the time, she (perhaps appropriately) reads those passages in a piercing voice fraught with anxiety. It can be exhausting to listen.
Eventually, thanks to the fact that the book is too long by at least a third, I was able to ignore the tone. In fact, I listened to Blackout when I was recovering from flu and nodded off several times with the story running, but it never seemed to matter. When I awoke, there they all were in a similar circumstance to where I'd left them, usually engaged in a panic. Toward the end, I wished I had paid more attention to each character's critical thinking because I felt (hoped?) perhaps they weren't all ninnies all the time, but I certainly did not want to relisten to any of the book.
Then the ending ... Booo! Cheap trick! This is what my family calls a "wall book" because the ending is such rubbish that you want (and sometimes do) throw the book at the wall. Unfortunately this really only works for paperbacks, not iPhones, but I was very, very tempted. Blackout and All Clear should have been one book and with proper editing could have been. I've read the reviews of All Clear and will probably listen at some point. Or I may just look up the ending somewhere. Getting through this one has been a bit of a slog.
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