Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) -
Helpful Score: 2
There are thousands of reviews which outline this book's epic plot, so I'll skip that. I want to commend David Pittu for his outstanding reading of this novel. It demanded he voice many characters (male and female), several accents, foreign language phrases, and even a bit of singing, and he mastered all of this. Listening to this book rather than reading it greatly enhanced its enjoyment for me. It's a commitment though - 26 discs is a serious investment of time.
I agree with many of the reviewers who say it is hard to understand why this book is seen as a great work of fiction. First it could have been written and been more readable with about 200 less pages. Second drudging through scene after scene of one drug or alcohol or both induced stupors and the behavior that went with them was a real bore. I work in a treatment center and the clients love this book for them it is memories of lost time, for me it would have been better if the endless drug scenes had not been so endless and the book didn't sensationalize chemical use through constant reminders that it was at the core of this book. The book had a good story and when the art was brought into the narrative it was very interesting but the constant revisiting of someone killing themselves with drugs and alcohol, no thanks.
Margaret M. (margaretlee) -
I am nearly finished listening to this audio version of The Goldfinch and will post it afterward. Though it's not a story for everyone, it's compelling and rich with details and characters you will not soon forget. The narrator does an excellent job of discriminating between each speaker (if you care about that, which I do).
Vanity Fair published an interesting article about the questionable "literary value" of this book, some reviewers claiming that it reads like "young adult fiction" rather than the comparison to Dickens that led to its winning a Pulitzer Prize.
That is for every reader to decide.
Note to the next listener: Please do not sell this CD set! It was expensive and rather than selling it, I'm posting it for another swap member to enjoy. Pay it forward!
Happy listening!
Vanity Fair published an interesting article about the questionable "literary value" of this book, some reviewers claiming that it reads like "young adult fiction" rather than the comparison to Dickens that led to its winning a Pulitzer Prize.
That is for every reader to decide.
Note to the next listener: Please do not sell this CD set! It was expensive and rather than selling it, I'm posting it for another swap member to enjoy. Pay it forward!
Happy listening!
