much like the narrator issue above
342293
Alia Tero tells the a story of Darrin Datita's early adulthood. We see the lows and highs of Darrin's life in the intriguing mirror earth that Mengesha and Spotson have created, but an inconsistent narrator and a loose hold on narrative threads kept me from enjoying it as much as I think I might have.

While the geographical world of Alia Tero is similar to Earth, the societal structure is unique with a strong sense of order and regular regimine though lacking any government. The narrator explains this to the reader at the beginning of the story is a bold, informal voice but mostly disappears thereafter, only popping in to compare some aspect of society that differs from our own before vanishing again. The loose third person left me guessing occasionally if we were seeing from the narrator's perspective or Darrin's and left me untrusting of the perspective. I wish that either the narrator held a strong presence throughout the whole story or that his personality was subdued in the beginning. The murky middleground bothered me.

Each chapter is a self-contained arc, but I was curious where the story was going for the first half of the book. It wasn't until the chapters began to slowly build on each other in the later parts of the book that I understood where things were heading. There are a number of interesting ideas that are kicked around over the whole course of the story, especially that of who organizes the society if there is no government, and I was frustrated that they go no where, particularly in the early sections of the book. Darrin's narrative does reach an end in a subdued manner that satisfies the need to see him mature and become his own person, but I feel, much like the narrator issue above, the open questions of how the society works should have either been drastically scaled back or explored much more fully.

This story is about Darrin Datita, his life, and his perceptions of the world around him. The world of Alia Tero is intriguing and complex and has tremendous amounts of potential, but though we get to see it through a native's eyes and experiences, we never get to see behind the curtain that we're teased with.
2654753
I received a free copy of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Ren Lewis isn't a particularly nice person. He's got a lot of power and it's easy to compile people to do what he wants. He kind of reminds me of the kid from the Twilight Zone episode who sends people to the cornfield - way too much power and no checks on it.

This is a story being told to you by the main character, which isn't my favorite storytelling device, but it works really well for this book. This does mean there are a couple of places where we get some information that lets us know how things turn out, which lessens the suspense. There were also a few places where important life changing events got glossed over. I'd have liked some more information about the last confrontation with his sister. I also would have liked more interactions with the waitress. She was an extremely likable side character and a good influence.

The narrator was perfect for this book. His voice is almost hypnotic, which works on so many levels for the main character.

The writing is great and the idea was interesting. I didn't realize until I went to post this review that this world encompasses a series of books and I'm guessing some of the stuff that got glossed over was covered  in other books.

Would I listen to this again? Yes
Would I read this author again? Yes,
Would I listen to this narrator again? Yes.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
4764985
The Ghosts of Nagasaki by Daniel Clausen reminded me in some ways of folk art. Not following any particular school or rules of writing, and feeling fresh and spontaneous. However, I suspect it would frustrate a number of readers who like their plot linear. As a friend said in recommending this, if you enjoy reading Haruki Murakami, you've got the right mindset. If a first person stream of consciousness narrative of what often becomes dreamy and surreal doesn't suit, you'll probably want to take a pass.

Nagasaki was bombed after Hiroshima, and those ghosts haunt the book, but the principal ghosts seem to be both memories and guides, bringing back pieces of his life to the young narrator and trying to help get him where he needs to go (he can be stubborn, though). He's acquired a heavy heart over his brief life, and wants to lift it, but doesn't know how. Due to an entrepreneurial friend, he's a financial analyst in Nagasaki who also teaches business English to the local employees. His narration skips around in time, mostly over a four year period, as well as geographically to Tokyo and the U.S. He was a foster child growing up, repeatedly mistreated until he met up with a kindred spirit foster mother, Debra - who grows ill and dies. He's now adrift, trying to find his way, going out with his similarly searching expat friends to nomi-hodai (all you can drink) bashes, singing karaoke, trying to ditch work, and obsessively typing up this narrative.

An excerpt:

* * *

Its a week before payday and the weather has gotten colder. Quickly approaching the state of absolutely broke, the Welshman and I have resorted to drinking cheap beer in our apartment and reminiscing about our pasts. Bad news, because whenever the past comes up, the ghost of Debra appears out of nowhere, sits down to take a load off, and starts talking in vague terms about problemsmine mostly, but sometimes just problems.

Youve got problems, Ive got problems, the whole worlds got problems, she says.

Sometimes I think if we didn't have these problems the whole world would stop spinning on her axis, wed all stop spinning on our axises, axes, or whatever you want to call them, and then wed have to settle into the nasty business of finding a way to be happy.

I listen to her, sip my beer, and try to imagine what in the after-earth kind of problems a ghost would have.

And, because she can read my mind, she says, Oh Lordy, you have no idea, young man. Life ends, but politics, well She leaves it at that. Then she checks her watch, as if she has somewhere to be.

More haunting to do? I ask, speechlessly.

She shrugs, Or something.

* * *

There may come a time when you may find yourself saying, oh, I see where this is going, and figuring it's going to turn into a simplistic fable despite its crazy quilt format. Luckily it dodges that fate and remains interesting and, for me, brain-opening, all the way to its thoughtful end. At one point he follows red shoes, any red shoes, wherever they will take him, and it turns out they take him somewhere worth going, to someone worth meeting. And in the context of the narrative his doing so is not at all surprising. What is surprising is that this is a creative, well-written book, generally clear of clunkers, that seems to be available in the USA only on Kindle, and at a bargain price of 99 cents. I would expect it to be better-known, pricier, and more widely available. Maybe it will be down the road.
1561002
I read the third book in this series (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Two-for-Sorrow/dp/0061451584/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Two for Sorrow</a>) first, which I guess answers the question about whether this series CAN be read out of order.  I'm no sure they SHOULD be read out of order though.  I am devoted to audio books though and this is the order that the books appeared on Audible.com.

First, this is the same narrator, Davina Porter, who I so enjoyed listening to in Two for Sorrow.  Without relying on broad accents she nicely intimates both the period and nationality of the characters.  One thing that disappoints me is that she is not the narrator of the English audio edition-- what a waste to redo the audio for the American audience with a whole new narrator.

Second, I really enjoyed the theatre background.  I had read quite a bit about the nonfictional Josephine Tey so it was a pleasure to see the name John Terry and know that it was based on John Gielgud who was related to the Terry theatre family.  Gielgud in fact played the lead in the real play Richard of Bordeaux. His Anne was Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies though, not Lydia Beaumont.  However, Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies like her fictional counterpart was a lesbian.

The plot is engaging and draws on both Tey's life and the lingering effects of World War I on both those who had fought and those who had to cope with their loved ones not returning or returning transformed.

Recommended for those who enjoy historical British mysteries.
1709686
First of all, spoiler alert: just a few pages from the end, a minor character accuses the narrator of a terrible crime. The narrator does not respond to her, nor does he say anything to his readers. He walks away, it is never mentioned again. I tried to look at this from every angle. Symbolic crime? Maybe, as the narrator is of mixed ethnicity (German and Nigerian) and the accuser is black African. Or is the accusation a kind of "meta" scene, i.e., included to make us question its very presence in the narrative? This is less likely. But either way, this is basically a realistic novel: a character is accused of a serious crime, they would have a reaction. But...nothing. It makes the reader question who has been narrating this whole time. (Again, something meta about this?) Do we know this narrator at all? We bought him as a "reliable narrator." Is he in fact the ultimate "unreliable narrator"? All this is unfortunate, as the rest of the book, though occasionally preachy, is quite compelling, its best parts being long walks the narrator takes around the island of Manhattan, observing landmarks of oppression as he goes (e.g., the Custom House and its role in the slave trade). As someone from another culture, he finds many such landmarks that Americans might overlook. When he visits Brussels (where his grandmother is rumored to live, but she never turns up), he sees a very different city than an American tourist, especially a white one, would see. The narrator's interactions with disaffected Arab immigrants in Brussels are fascinating, if talky and preachy. Finally, there is another bizarre occurrence, earlier in the book. A genteel older woman, a retired surgeon, is speaking to the narrator and suddenly uses a homophobic slur. The character would never use this word, but the narrator registers neither surprise nor disapproval. There is some terrific writing here, but I was left wondering what the book was about. The narrator does not seem to learn anything or to change. No one does. He's broken up with a girlfriend recently but has no real theories as to why. The break-up depresses him but only slightly. Most events in the book move him little or not at all. The one thing that does move him is art. He is, in fact, quite refined in his tastes and does a lot of name dropping. So this is what we have: a man who is swept away by Mahler's Ninth Symphony but has no reaction to being accused of assaulting a  women. Okay...I still don't understand how I am supposed to profit by reading his story, or what I am to understand about race, immigration, dislocation, oppression, prejudice, or Mahler.
2159844
Alternating the narrators, was confusing at times.  It was disconcerting to have the victim narrate a chapter, after her death.
Author was skillful in creating tension,.
3690227
I like the story pretty well. The pacing was steady. The voice performance was pretty good with distinct voices for different characters.

I had a few issues with many pronunciations by this performer. Enough that I would have to carefully consider whether or not I could tolerate him mispronouncing things in another book.
1487161
While I liked this story well enough, it felt a bit drawn out at times, rehashing the same topics (the past, their feelings for each other, his drinking). The two main characters seemed very immature to me. I understooed them to be between 25-27 years old, but at times, they acted like they were still in high school. I found it hard to believe that someone who went to law school and passed a bar exam would act so childishly.

Some of the writing could be improved upon, but it is still an enjoyable read. What I most liked about this story is the way the author handled Cade's drinking problem. she incorporated into the story several different ways to deal with such a problem, without being preachy, and she made his recovery (for me, anyway) the most interesting part of the story.

I had both the e-book and the audible version of this one. I confess, I had to discard the audio version early on as I just could not listen to this narrator. She read too slow and often put emphasis on the wrong words. When both brothers were speaking, i couldn't distinguish which was which. I think the narration also made the characters seem too juvenile.

I liked the book much better after I switched to the e-version.
3492678
This is a review of the audiobook on CD.

No qualms with the quality of the recording.  Narrated nicely, a nice even sound throughout.  An entertaining "read".  I do take issue with the story itself, in that a lot of the pieces are jammed together with very little accounting for reality or how naval operations proceed, both by the US and by the Soviets at the time.

The author has taken great pains to get into the minds of the crew of the Scorpion through existing documents (diaries, letters home, official records, friends, family members, etc.), but goes a bit too far when presenting how the crew came to meet their demise.  With no proof other than rank speculation, the author starts the book with convicted spy John Walker - the understanding runs this way:  Walker sold the Soviets the crypto key material and other procedural documentation for our nuclear subs; the USS Pueblo provided the Soviets (via the Koreans) with the actual comms equipment; the lost Soviet submarine K-129 was presumed (by the Soviets) to have been sunk by a US torpedo (no reason as to why the US would have purposely committed this act of war); the Soviets retaliate by putting a helicopter that hasn't been developed yet in the air carrying a missile it is unable to carry due to weight constraints and, against all odds, sinks the US sub.

What really bothered me most was the author's use of dialogue from the crew during moments that no witnesses have survived to relate.  He explains all of the crew's actions and quoted dialogue in the moments leading up to and following the attack on the Scorpion.  Ridiculous.

The attacks by the US and Soviet sides are alluded to through winks and nods that come across in interviews after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  A lot of "don't ask these questions, because you can't handle the answer".  Rather than simply summarize that we may never know the truth, the author instead creates an impossible scenario and leaves it on our plate.
306791
The book is wonderful however I found the voice reading the audio book hard to follow.  The reader sounds like he is obviously reading the book without an understanding of its content, and I found it hard to stay focused on.  The voice (not Rick Hanson's) was monotone and did not keep my interest. I find it is more interesting when authors read their own books as they have a true understanding of what they are reading to you, and that comes across in their speaking.  Disc 4 was defective.
4243839
I bought this as an audio book, and some of the reasons I didn't like it as well were probably due to the narrator's voice.  It didn't quite fit with the way I hear the author when I read her "in my head."  Took some getting used to.
2178376
While Giilian Tett is a good storyteller, I don't think there is anything particularly earth-shattering about her insights. The debate of specialist vs generalists or silos vs flat organizations will never stop. In any case, the narrator on the audio edition was CLEARLY not coached in street jargon, and it is annoying.  Nitpicking yes, but it is throughout the audiobook: "AAA" instead of "Triple A", and mispronouncing Jamie Dimon's name wrong. How does that happen?
4859634
It was a decent read, but the specific reason for the narrator's repetitive writings wasn't really clarified. Two and a half out of five stars.. Don't know if I'd get another work by this author.
2560016
The Borrower- Rebecca Makkai
Audio version narrated by. Emily Bauer
3 stars  I liked it, sometimes, but not a lot.)

Twenty-something, Lucy Hull, has taken a limited but safe job as a children's librarian in Hannibal, Missouri. An enthusiastic English major, she works hard to introduce her patrons to the joys of reading good literature. The Borrower is her story, told as a personal confession. It's a confidential `Dear Diary' self-analysis that manages to avoid any personal growth while including her judgmental opinions of the rest of the world.
She annoyed me.

Lucy has a favorite, frequent library patron named Ian Drake. Ian is an obviously effeminate boy from a restrictive, fundamental Christian family. His mother approaches Lucy for help in finding appropriate literature for Ian; books with "the breath of God."  When he is alone in the library, 10 year-old Ian actively defies his mother's wishes and chooses other books. Lucy embarks upon a righteous, first amendment, campaign and assists Ian to the extent of checking out his books in her own name. She becomes concerned and personally outraged when she learns that Ian has been enrolled in `anti-gay' classes with a radically fundamental preacher. Lucy's involvement with Ian escalates when Ian runs away from home and takes up residence in the library.

.......spoilers........

From the description this is a book that should have delighted me. I'm something of an expert in children's literature and this book is full of references to some of the best. (The "If you give a librarian a closet" spoof on the Laura Numeroff books was very well done). I happen to agree emphatically with the liberal gay rights viewpoint of the narrator. Having a liberal viewpoint gives me the parental rights to raise my own children from that perspective. It gives me the right to vote my beliefs and express them as I choose to other adults. It does not give me the right to interfere with someone else's children on ethical or religious issues. As to agreeing to transport the child across multiple state borders to find a fictional grandmother..... this scenario is never remotely believable.  The road trip portion of this book goes on and on interminably while going absolutely no where. Ian has a fun diversion from his real life, while Lucy digs herself deeper and deeper into a hole. In the end, there is an unlikely rescue/resolution, and Lucy seems to have gained nothing in self-knowledge or growth.

The main character's lack of growth leads me to the biggest problem with this book. The story is just a platform for the propaganda. And even though this is a viewpoint that I support, propaganda does not make good reading. As a springboard for discussion the book has a lot of potential. Makkai has approached issues that are worth serious thought and debate. She has unfortunately created a character, Lucy Hull, who is immaturely incapable of either.
776422
Re-review on JUNE 2016

I wrote a review on the Audio CD, but then I deleted it in favor of a newer review. I have the 2001 paperback reprint of the 1997 edition. REBECCA is a good book, but I am afraid that this book centers on the rich class, so the readers might have trouble relating themselves to the important characters. Most of the characters are very isolated, especially the servants, including the housemaid who dresses in black and has icy, ghoulish countenance. Nevertheless, the fall of the rich class is symbolized and would intrigue the readers.

The narrator of the story, albeit nameless, is poor at the beginning of her life, but then she marries a widowed rich, sophisticated, elegant gentleman named Maxim de Winter. Then the pair heads to the manor named Manderlay. There, they have a lot of servants and a lot of food. The servants, especially the same housemaid named Ms Danvers, cannot take the second Mrs de Winter seriously due to her poor background. Instead, they favor the previous late Mrs Rebecca de Winter. Also, Maxim's peers look down on her. Worse, the narrator feels inferior about herself because she hasn't done or possessed anything that Rebecca did, like activities, sports, charm, elegance, beauty, etc.

Near the end, the faade of Rebecca is exposed, enabling the narrator to overcome her insecurities and to be in charge of the manor and to gain social status. Unfortunately, Maxim murdered Rebecca and admits it to the narrator. Ironically, the narrator decides to stay by his side, and Maxim is able to get away with murder. Consequently, Manderlay burns down.

Rereading the novel makes the mystery tone draggy and pointless to readers. However, that should not affect the quality of the novel itself. A reader would be good for analyses on characters, but most of analyses center on the titular character herself. While the narrator herself might not intrigue readers much, the narrator can be seen as interesting. The narrator starts out as young, nave and weak-willed; in the end, she becomes mature, worldly and courageous. Maxim has been always an angry man throughout, but he presents himself as kind, quiet, poised, and helpful. He is helpful AND reliable because he rescues some diver from the waters and he speaks other languages.

Troubling with the novel is the possible escapism from real-world events. REBECCA was published at the time when Europe was threatened by the expansion of Nazi Germany and when the United Kingdom's then-King Edward VIII abdicated, leading to George VI's accession. Also, REBECCA was told in flashbacks throughout the 94.44% of the novel. The novel starts with the narrator's dreams of Manderlay and then the couple trying to survive tragedy that struck upon them. However, I'm startled by Maxim and the narrator's unknown current location. Europe would no longer be safe when the threat of war was upcoming. One wonders whether they are in America, but the novel says that they are staying in a not-too-shabby hotel somewhere outside England. Maybe Wales or Scotland? Where else?

Of course, REBECCA is about Rebecca, eh? No need to tell readers about European politics. But at least readers would enjoy this by re-readings.
1007235
So the story is good here. I'm fond of urban fantasy and dystopian type novels and read YA novels every once in a while for a change. They tend to be more angsty with less sex and violence which I guess is good (though I do tend to like more sex and violence LOL). The issue I had was the narrator because at times it just grated on my nerves to the point I'd have to switch off the CD's. It wasn't all the time - but when it happened it pulled me right out of the story as it kind of startled me - nails on a chalkboard thing.

The story itself was interesting - the concept is fairly unique and the characters were developed well. The world building is extensive and really lend an air of reality to what was happening. I didn't have a hard time following things or understanding the why's of what was happening. With that said there weren't too many surprises - which surprised me since I thought the concept so unlike other things I've read.

Overall the story is a 4 but the narration is a 2 so I settled on 3 since I am reviewing the audio CD version. I just didn't feel it fair to knock the story itself which was good - I'm going to pick up the remainder of the series.
3339045
I really enjoyed this book.  The narrator may have been a bit hard to believe from time to time, but I still really enjoyed it.