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jenbsbooks's Reviews (2.41k)
The blurb hails this as "the funniest book" and "witty and crass" ... I've enjoyed Nick Spalding's books, and thought this might be something along those lines. I think it had randomly popped up in my FB feed. I had splurged on a month of KindleUnlimited, and added on the audio.
Story aside (which, while having a fun premise, was just so-so for me) I had some major issues with this book ...
In audio, there was a single narrator, the exact same voice, to give us three completely different personalities (Frank - a snarky 30 something, Elroy - a 12 year old misfit, Sally - a death obsessed 12 year old). All 1st person/present tense. I know it costs production more to hire multiple narrators but THE SAME VOICE SHOULD NOT VOICE ALL THREE. If it was 3rd person, some omniscient narrator overseeing and telling the story to the reader, then there can be a single narrator, but to have little 12-year old Sally saw "I'm a twelve year old girl" in the same voice as 30-year old Frank completely ruins the audio.
In the Kindle copy ... there was NO TABLE OF CONTENTS. There were many chapters (a LOT, some super short) alternating between Frank, Elroy and Sally. If you lose your place, or try to find your spot from audio to text, or want to look up "Sally" chapters to review something, good luck, because you'll just have to randomly flip through. No chapter numbers printed in the book, and no TOC. I think I've only seen this a couple of times before (and one of those the book was a long run on, no real chapters. Here there were chapters). The lack of a TOC was very annoying. Audible had the chapters listed (just the numerical, not the POV ... come on, be helpful and include the POV! It's needed, especially as the voice is exactly the same and coming back into the book, WHOSE head am I in?) BUT ... they were OFF. The narrator would say "Chapter 5" as Audible displays Chapter 6.
These annoyances bugged me so much, that it absolutely impacted any enjoyment of the story. That being said, the story was just okay. Totally over the top. "Laugh out loud"??? Um, no, more "roll the eyes" ... and repetitive, as one POV would give an account of what happened, and then as it switches POV, we get the same story repeated from another perspective.
The idea was good ... but I didn't care for the delivery.
ProFanity x8. Quite a bit of crude/crass content.
Story aside (which, while having a fun premise, was just so-so for me) I had some major issues with this book ...
In audio, there was a single narrator, the exact same voice, to give us three completely different personalities (Frank - a snarky 30 something, Elroy - a 12 year old misfit, Sally - a death obsessed 12 year old). All 1st person/present tense. I know it costs production more to hire multiple narrators but THE SAME VOICE SHOULD NOT VOICE ALL THREE. If it was 3rd person, some omniscient narrator overseeing and telling the story to the reader, then there can be a single narrator, but to have little 12-year old Sally saw "I'm a twelve year old girl" in the same voice as 30-year old Frank completely ruins the audio.
In the Kindle copy ... there was NO TABLE OF CONTENTS. There were many chapters (a LOT, some super short) alternating between Frank, Elroy and Sally. If you lose your place, or try to find your spot from audio to text, or want to look up "Sally" chapters to review something, good luck, because you'll just have to randomly flip through. No chapter numbers printed in the book, and no TOC. I think I've only seen this a couple of times before (and one of those the book was a long run on, no real chapters. Here there were chapters). The lack of a TOC was very annoying. Audible had the chapters listed (just the numerical, not the POV ... come on, be helpful and include the POV! It's needed, especially as the voice is exactly the same and coming back into the book, WHOSE head am I in?) BUT ... they were OFF. The narrator would say "Chapter 5" as Audible displays Chapter 6.
These annoyances bugged me so much, that it absolutely impacted any enjoyment of the story. That being said, the story was just okay. Totally over the top. "Laugh out loud"??? Um, no, more "roll the eyes" ... and repetitive, as one POV would give an account of what happened, and then as it switches POV, we get the same story repeated from another perspective.
The idea was good ... but I didn't care for the delivery.
ProFanity x8. Quite a bit of crude/crass content.
I'd heard quite a bit of buzz about this series. Rave reviews in Facebook groups. I happened upon a paperback in a Little Free Library and picked it up, then checked the library for audio/Kindle copy. Looooong waits, months! I waited, and got the audio (didn't time it well for the Kindle copy, but checked out the sample which had the TOC). Dived in ...
I didn't love it. It was fine, but nothing special, and at 500+ pages, it was a bit of a push to get through. Two timelines, the present day, featuring Maia as the MC (first person/past tense), and then the past, starting in Nov1927, Isabela (third person/past tense).
One thing that bugged me as this POV shift occurred, was that the Isabela storyline was presented as coming from letters (and then a story being told by another person at a later point) ... yet the text is not written in letter format, it's absolutely a novel. Why are WE/the reader getting this full story, when Maia only has letters, and what exactly is Maia uncovering, as she couldn't possibly be reading the full entirety that the reader is? It just really felt like a misrepresentation of what Maia was learning.
Both story lines were just typical stuff that I felt like I'd read hundreds of times before, nothing that interesting or memorable.
I'm very picky with my reading time ... even getting 20+ books in a month, a know I'll not get to so many great books in my lifetime. Series ... it takes a lot to keep me going, and I don't think I'll continue on with this one. In my younger years (before digital, when it was more difficult to find something to read) I bet I would have been thrilled to find this, and I would have continued on through all seven books.
I didn't love it. It was fine, but nothing special, and at 500+ pages, it was a bit of a push to get through. Two timelines, the present day, featuring Maia as the MC (first person/past tense), and then the past, starting in Nov1927, Isabela (third person/past tense).
One thing that bugged me as this POV shift occurred, was that the Isabela storyline was presented as coming from letters (and then a story being told by another person at a later point) ... yet the text is not written in letter format, it's absolutely a novel. Why are WE/the reader getting this full story, when Maia only has letters, and what exactly is Maia uncovering, as she couldn't possibly be reading the full entirety that the reader is? It just really felt like a misrepresentation of what Maia was learning.
Both story lines were just typical stuff that I felt like I'd read hundreds of times before, nothing that interesting or memorable.
I'm very picky with my reading time ... even getting 20+ books in a month, a know I'll not get to so many great books in my lifetime. Series ... it takes a lot to keep me going, and I don't think I'll continue on with this one. In my younger years (before digital, when it was more difficult to find something to read) I bet I would have been thrilled to find this, and I would have continued on through all seven books.
I picked up this book used at a thrift store (LFL shopping) and saw it had good reviews. I think it was also mentioned in a Facebook group. I'm not a big Brandi Carlile fan. I know the song The Story. I thought it was used in a tv series (I had the Spin City finale in my head, but checked and it wasn't listed as being used there. Covered in the Grey's Anatomy musical episode). But I came away from the book with an appreciation for her story, her music, a little more insight into some of the LGTBQ issues I may not have been as aware of. While I had the physical book, I also grabbed the audiobook and Kindle copy from the library. Each format has their advantages. I went primarily with audio, and would recommend that for the author's own narration and the included music.
The writing of her life story, the music scene, kept my interest. I'd also recently listened to the audiobook by Dave Grohl, so there was a little compare/contrast for me. I seem to recall him joking that he'd like to include some of the music/sing the songs, but couldn't afford it. Apparently NOT a problem for Brandi, as she sings one or two songs at the end of almost every chapter. As mentioned, I really only knew "The Story" but a some of these other songs, lines/lyrics really hit me (I was in a mood).
There were 21 chapters - with chapter headings (I like that, to glance over the TOC). Basic 1st person, past tense.
I really liked a final statement ... “Write your life. No matter how young or old, even if you feel like you're not interesting enough, do it. Believe me, you are. Your life is in fact twisted, and beautiful. And you'll find that as you peel back the layers, the unexpected side effect is that it feels wonderful to beknown, even if it's just by you.” My family is big into family history/genealogy, and I am lucky that so many of my forebears took the time to write up autobiographies. A college class had that as an assignment, so I do have a personal life history written up to my 20s ... I need to update it.
I liked the title tie-in.
proFanity x25
The writing of her life story, the music scene, kept my interest. I'd also recently listened to the audiobook by Dave Grohl, so there was a little compare/contrast for me. I seem to recall him joking that he'd like to include some of the music/sing the songs, but couldn't afford it. Apparently NOT a problem for Brandi, as she sings one or two songs at the end of almost every chapter. As mentioned, I really only knew "The Story" but a some of these other songs, lines/lyrics really hit me (I was in a mood).
There were 21 chapters - with chapter headings (I like that, to glance over the TOC). Basic 1st person, past tense.
I really liked a final statement ... “Write your life. No matter how young or old, even if you feel like you're not interesting enough, do it. Believe me, you are. Your life is in fact twisted, and beautiful. And you'll find that as you peel back the layers, the unexpected side effect is that it feels wonderful to beknown, even if it's just by you.” My family is big into family history/genealogy, and I am lucky that so many of my forebears took the time to write up autobiographies. A college class had that as an assignment, so I do have a personal life history written up to my 20s ... I need to update it.
I liked the title tie-in.
proFanity x25
The last book that featured a Little Free Library (:Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books) was just ehh for me, and so I approached this one with some trepidation. I was pleasantly surprised. I went with the audio edition (British accents) but had the Kindle copy on hand for reference. The Table of Contents in the audio was superior to the Kindle edition, as it showed the POV, which switched between Erin and James. The blurb alludes to their "shared history" and I'm afraid my brain wasn't paying close enough attention, because it took me longer than it should have to pick up on that connection ... duh moment for me.
Both POVs are 1st person/present tense. Two different narrators(dual) for the two voices. I also (some brain fog/not 100% mentally) got a bit confused at Bonnie being there in Erin's room, and talking to her ... when she died three years ago. Not a ghost or anything, just Erin's mind working that way. There WERE some shifts to the past
Heavily annotated books ... I do have a few of my own from back in my school days. Now, Kindle notes are digital and saved in the cloud, not directly to the pages of the book. Generally, I think most people dislike finding writing in a book, although some appreciate insights from others. As a LFL steward, shopping thrift sales, I'll usually pass, as I think it's seen as a negative by the majority of people. I would definitely have to be in a mood to appreciate it.
I liked the mentions of the books (although I haven't been big into classics to have read many of them myself) and some of the thoughts on the books, the exchanges, the things that happened.
ProFanity x64 and some sex.
Both POVs are 1st person/present tense. Two different narrators(dual) for the two voices. I also (some brain fog/not 100% mentally) got a bit confused at Bonnie being there in Erin's room, and talking to her ... when she died three years ago. Not a ghost or anything, just Erin's mind working that way. There WERE some shifts to the past
Heavily annotated books ... I do have a few of my own from back in my school days. Now, Kindle notes are digital and saved in the cloud, not directly to the pages of the book. Generally, I think most people dislike finding writing in a book, although some appreciate insights from others. As a LFL steward, shopping thrift sales, I'll usually pass, as I think it's seen as a negative by the majority of people. I would definitely have to be in a mood to appreciate it.
I liked the mentions of the books (although I haven't been big into classics to have read many of them myself) and some of the thoughts on the books, the exchanges, the things that happened.
ProFanity x64 and some sex.
Lots of buzz about this book - I put the audio and Kindle copy on hold at the library and had a bit of a wait. I'll admit, that when it became available, I wasn't in a great head-space, and that might have affected my perception? For me, this was fine, but nothing outstanding.
Reading the blurb, I think the reader knows before even reading the first page, that the missing girl Ruthie, is the young girl Norma (even if she doesn't realize it herself). Even without the blurb, it's pretty obvious, not an "unexpected twist" or anything. Even the prologue ... "Joe, there's someone here to see us..." we all know what's coming from the start. That Ruthie is raised by another family, and that it isn't discovered for years until this final reuniting so many years later.
The prologue is 1st person/present tense - Joe's POV. Then it shifts to the chapters (17 of them) alternating between Joe and Norma, 1st person in each POV/past tense ... both told as an older person recalling their younger years. I'm one who doesn't like to see a preview of what's coming, I don't want spoilers ... so this all felt a little spoiled from the start. Just filling in the details of what I already knew the ending of.
I went primarily with the audio ... and that might have been a mistake. Neither narrator really had a voice to match the book. I also couldn't listen (and understand) on my usual faster speed (and I only speed up a little, 1.3), not sure if the diction/enunciation wasn't there (or my muddled mind at the moment). Peeking at other reviews on Audible, it seems I'm not the only one who struggled with the narration. As I had the Kindle copy too, I have skimmed some sections and think I would have been better off just reading this one. Then maybe I would have highlighted some portions, delved a little deeper in parts ... with audio, I was just pushing through and ready to be done.
No discussion questions included in the Kindle copy, but I Googled and found some online ... https://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/the-berry-pickers/guide
Reading over those, it did make me think a little more. It could have a decent discussion at a book club.
Profanity x12
Reading the blurb, I think the reader knows before even reading the first page, that the missing girl Ruthie, is the young girl Norma (even if she doesn't realize it herself). Even without the blurb, it's pretty obvious, not an "unexpected twist" or anything. Even the prologue ... "Joe, there's someone here to see us..." we all know what's coming from the start. That Ruthie is raised by another family, and that it isn't discovered for years until this final reuniting so many years later.
The prologue is 1st person/present tense - Joe's POV. Then it shifts to the chapters (17 of them) alternating between Joe and Norma, 1st person in each POV/past tense ... both told as an older person recalling their younger years. I'm one who doesn't like to see a preview of what's coming, I don't want spoilers ... so this all felt a little spoiled from the start. Just filling in the details of what I already knew the ending of.
I went primarily with the audio ... and that might have been a mistake. Neither narrator really had a voice to match the book. I also couldn't listen (and understand) on my usual faster speed (and I only speed up a little, 1.3), not sure if the diction/enunciation wasn't there (or my muddled mind at the moment). Peeking at other reviews on Audible, it seems I'm not the only one who struggled with the narration. As I had the Kindle copy too, I have skimmed some sections and think I would have been better off just reading this one. Then maybe I would have highlighted some portions, delved a little deeper in parts ... with audio, I was just pushing through and ready to be done.
No discussion questions included in the Kindle copy, but I Googled and found some online ... https://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/the-berry-pickers/guide
Reading over those, it did make me think a little more. It could have a decent discussion at a book club.
Profanity x12
I think I stumbled upon this book in a Little Free Library. Just a random pick, that when I checked it out on Goodreads, I saw that it had good reviews/rating. I hadn't heard of it, and it wasn't at my local library (I actually go with audio, and like to have the kindle copy too) but at one of my other (on Hoopla).
General thoughts - the author is the narrator ... I didn't love her voicework, but there was nothing really bad about it. Apparently, while not a series, there were two books written before ... I have a hard time imagining that the first book would be much different than this one? That book, and that experience are touched on here, but I didn't feel like I "should have" read that one first.
This just felt a little preachy ... and honestly, I agree with many/most of her assessments, just to hear them over and over again. How humans are ruining the planet/climate change, how the rich buying up second homes and pricing out locals are ruining communities, how homelessness could be fixed/and how the homeless are treated (they are basically "homeless" while out walking the trail). Talk of nature, pollinators, food production. Also addressing Brexit (which, living in the US, doesn't impact and I don't know that much about it or it's impact ... and still don't after finishing this book) ... and most of this is happening during Covid too.
So. Many. Midges. I did a Kindle search, and "midges" was said 48 times. Now I'm sure this little fly was super annoying to the author, but it was also uber annoying to me! I have this aversion to repetition.
What are blister plasters (x21 mentions) and are they really magically effective? We've had some blisters in the family, and band-aids, even moleskin, nothing really seemed to help except for time and rest from rubbing.
Some of the other reviews rave about the descriptions of nature ... I guess I just didn't get into it that much. While some might see the positivity, I guess I felt like the negativity outweighed it.
While I'm happy that apparently these walks helped the author's husband's health improve ... I do wonder what doctors would think. Does it give false hope. What are the chances? And how many people can just drop everything and go walk a trail for months (physically, financially, time and obligations).
I liked the title tie-in. I liked the cover.
It wasn't bad, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Speaking of tea, in the audio, there is a whole extra section of the author and her husband in the kitchen just chatting (about tea) and reminiscing. I didn't listen to the whole thing ... I was done.
ProFanity x 30.
General thoughts - the author is the narrator ... I didn't love her voicework, but there was nothing really bad about it. Apparently, while not a series, there were two books written before ... I have a hard time imagining that the first book would be much different than this one? That book, and that experience are touched on here, but I didn't feel like I "should have" read that one first.
This just felt a little preachy ... and honestly, I agree with many/most of her assessments, just to hear them over and over again. How humans are ruining the planet/climate change, how the rich buying up second homes and pricing out locals are ruining communities, how homelessness could be fixed/and how the homeless are treated (they are basically "homeless" while out walking the trail). Talk of nature, pollinators, food production. Also addressing Brexit (which, living in the US, doesn't impact and I don't know that much about it or it's impact ... and still don't after finishing this book) ... and most of this is happening during Covid too.
So. Many. Midges. I did a Kindle search, and "midges" was said 48 times. Now I'm sure this little fly was super annoying to the author, but it was also uber annoying to me! I have this aversion to repetition.
What are blister plasters (x21 mentions) and are they really magically effective? We've had some blisters in the family, and band-aids, even moleskin, nothing really seemed to help except for time and rest from rubbing.
Some of the other reviews rave about the descriptions of nature ... I guess I just didn't get into it that much. While some might see the positivity, I guess I felt like the negativity outweighed it.
While I'm happy that apparently these walks helped the author's husband's health improve ... I do wonder what doctors would think. Does it give false hope. What are the chances? And how many people can just drop everything and go walk a trail for months (physically, financially, time and obligations).
I liked the title tie-in. I liked the cover.
It wasn't bad, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Speaking of tea, in the audio, there is a whole extra section of the author and her husband in the kitchen just chatting (about tea) and reminiscing. I didn't listen to the whole thing ... I was done.
ProFanity x 30.
DNF for me, at just 20% ... I wasn't really in the mood for this, but doubt I ever will be. Super snarky, over the top attempt at humor that just annoyed me. But the real issue was that it was mostly about books that either I haven't read yet but want to (and I don't want any spoilers, even as simple as featured here), or books I'm not familiar with, and if I don't know the book, the "letter to the book" really isn't something I "get" or enjoy.
Two sections 1) Books - the Letters 2) Special Subjects
MANY chapters (headers, no chronological listing, so I don't know how many, but LOTS, although most were very short, just a page or two) in each section.
I'd heard about this in one of my Facebook groups, I'm sure it was a glowing recommendation - but this just didn't do it for me. Library borrow, audio and Kindle copy. I didn't love the audio, maybe would have done better with a quick read of the Kindle copy on my own? I'd started with audio and given up already though ...
ProFanity x25
Two sections 1) Books - the Letters 2) Special Subjects
MANY chapters (headers, no chronological listing, so I don't know how many, but LOTS, although most were very short, just a page or two) in each section.
I'd heard about this in one of my Facebook groups, I'm sure it was a glowing recommendation - but this just didn't do it for me. Library borrow, audio and Kindle copy. I didn't love the audio, maybe would have done better with a quick read of the Kindle copy on my own? I'd started with audio and given up already though ...
ProFanity x25
For my Non-Fiction November, I figured I should get at least one book about WW2 (as there are so many out there, and I need to space them out somewhat). I had three possibilities, all I'd picked up physical books for, but could get the audio/Kindle copy from the library. I felt like they all featured "an untold story" ... and while not edge of my seat intrigued, it kept my interest. I'm just not sure if I'll really remember much. I figure it will just fade into all the other WW2 books ...
I'd watched the Apple+ series "Masters of the Air" (didn't really like it, had to push through to finish the season) and several chapters here reminded me a lot of that. The descriptions of the pilots, navigators, man in the turret ... the missions/parachuting out and being if surviving, not sure what to expect on the ground.
One thing that caught my attention was mention of the "Sperry Corporation" (they had designed the ball turret). My dad worked for Sperry some years after the war. He'd shared his history enough that I recognized the name.
I've been noticing the word "route" ... it was in this a lot (well, 10 times), pronounced "root" (I just register if it's root or rout). Also "bucolic" ... I think that's been in the last three books I've read (not that common). No proFanity.
I went primarily with the audiobook. While the narrator wasn't bad, his voice just didn't really match the material in my opinion.
There were 18 chapters, with an intro and an epilogue. The chapters had headers 1) We'll Get Them Out 2) Abandon Ship 3)Counting Parachutes 4)Americanski? 5)Long Journey to Somewhere 6) Escaping Yugoslavia 7) Passports Please 8) Man of the Year 9) Abandoned Ally 10) Screw the British 11) Goat's Milk and Hay Bread 12) An All-American Team 13) SOS ... Waiting for Rescue 14) Sure to Be a Rough Landing 15) Red, Red, Red 16)Going Home Shoeless 17) Gates of the World 18)Secrets and Lies ... some of the headers to nudge my memories of what happened in that chapter. There were also notes and a full bibliography and index. In the physical copy, there was a set of photos in the middle of the book. I couldn't see that the photos were included in the Kindle copy, unless I missed them (I just skimmed the Kindle, used it for reference). I appreciated that all three formats had a Table of Contents (and that they matched up, so I could find my spot from one to the other).
I don't know that "the rescue" really stood out to, more just random war stories ...
I'd watched the Apple+ series "Masters of the Air" (didn't really like it, had to push through to finish the season) and several chapters here reminded me a lot of that. The descriptions of the pilots, navigators, man in the turret ... the missions/parachuting out and being if surviving, not sure what to expect on the ground.
One thing that caught my attention was mention of the "Sperry Corporation" (they had designed the ball turret). My dad worked for Sperry some years after the war. He'd shared his history enough that I recognized the name.
I've been noticing the word "route" ... it was in this a lot (well, 10 times), pronounced "root" (I just register if it's root or rout). Also "bucolic" ... I think that's been in the last three books I've read (not that common). No proFanity.
I went primarily with the audiobook. While the narrator wasn't bad, his voice just didn't really match the material in my opinion.
There were 18 chapters, with an intro and an epilogue. The chapters had headers 1) We'll Get Them Out 2) Abandon Ship 3)Counting Parachutes 4)Americanski? 5)Long Journey to Somewhere 6) Escaping Yugoslavia 7) Passports Please 8) Man of the Year 9) Abandoned Ally 10) Screw the British 11) Goat's Milk and Hay Bread 12) An All-American Team 13) SOS ... Waiting for Rescue 14) Sure to Be a Rough Landing 15) Red, Red, Red 16)Going Home Shoeless 17) Gates of the World 18)Secrets and Lies ... some of the headers to nudge my memories of what happened in that chapter. There were also notes and a full bibliography and index. In the physical copy, there was a set of photos in the middle of the book. I couldn't see that the photos were included in the Kindle copy, unless I missed them (I just skimmed the Kindle, used it for reference). I appreciated that all three formats had a Table of Contents (and that they matched up, so I could find my spot from one to the other).
I don't know that "the rescue" really stood out to, more just random war stories ...
I enjoyed this. I needed a 'read' (with my eyes) book (for my Storygraph Format Pie Chart) so I checked my Kindle cloud to see what I had there that didn't have an audio option. This was short and sweet, and always easy to get into these P&P reimaginings, because I already know the setting and characters. This starts up after Darcy's disastrous proposal/Lizzie's refusal. Bingley has pressed through on his own to reconnect with Jane, and Colonel Fitzwilliam, and his older brother Saye (that's an odd name!) come up with a plan to get Darcy back with Elizabeth. It stays historical/realistic. 3rd person, although we do get a peek into the minds of several characters (Darcy, Elizabeth, Fitzwilliam, Lydia, etc).
Now I know that "making love" had a different meaning (just being romantic) back in the Jane Austen days, but still, it just felt odd when it was used here "listening to Jane and Bingley make love to one another" ... four times. "Gay" was twice, but that (as happy) doesn't feel "ewwww" ...
Some sexual innuendo (Fitzwilliam goes to brothels, Darcy uses a handkerchief ... Darcy mocks his cousin "we all know he has difficulty enough standing to attention" ... again, this just doesn't jive with the Darcy from the original (which he stays true to in most other regards for the book).
"Careered" used instead of "careened" (this IS a correct usage, it's just rare, and something I notice). Perspicacious ... I'm pretty sure I had this in another book recently.
Overall, a quick and easy adaptation that I enjoyed.
Now I know that "making love" had a different meaning (just being romantic) back in the Jane Austen days, but still, it just felt odd when it was used here "listening to Jane and Bingley make love to one another" ... four times. "Gay" was twice, but that (as happy) doesn't feel "ewwww" ...
Some sexual innuendo (Fitzwilliam goes to brothels, Darcy uses a handkerchief ... Darcy mocks his cousin "we all know he has difficulty enough standing to attention" ... again, this just doesn't jive with the Darcy from the original (which he stays true to in most other regards for the book).
"Careered" used instead of "careened" (this IS a correct usage, it's just rare, and something I notice). Perspicacious ... I'm pretty sure I had this in another book recently.
Overall, a quick and easy adaptation that I enjoyed.
I found this at a thrift shop and picked it up for my Little Free Library, and I decided I'd give it a read first. Being a fan of Julie Andrews, and challenging myself to Nonfiction November, this shifted up my TBR. Per usual, I went ahead and borrowed the book in audio and Kindle copy from my local library, and went almost exclusively with the audio. Narrated by Julie Andrews herself, as needs must!
I always felt like I "knew" Julie Andrews ... but really, it was quite superficial. Here, we get a detailed history of her childhood, and early years on the stage. There is a second book (which I also have in physical format and plan on getting the audiobook to) HomeWork to continue on (this one ends right as she's committed to Mary Poppins, but hasn't started it yet).
Julie Andrews was a child during WW2, and I'd never thought to imagine that childhood. There were certainly family issues (parents divorced, Andrews is her step-father's name, turns out her biological father is a 3rd man). Her early years as her talent was discovered. LOTS of recognizable names as she came in contact with so many people over the years. I think I was aware of her stage work (Cinderella, My Fair Lady, Camelot). SO interesting as these were just being written, not the iconic musicals we know them as now.
Just basic chronological chapters (49 of them). This stayed simple/chronological, simple 1st person/past tense. A few memoirs I've read played with a present tense/in the moment(future) then shifted to past memories. I think I preferred this straightforward approach. One does wonder about the memory of everything, but Julie does refer to her journals at one point, including a small excerpt. I keep journals and refer back to them to jog my memory of events, so I'm betting that played a part here. Her life does seem very memorable!
I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much reading it on my own - I loved having Julie telling the story, hearing her voice. I didn't love the little musical/piano interludes between some chapters, but I DID like the small clips (there weren't many) of her singing.
I really enjoyed this, very easy to listen to and I feel like I learned a lot.
Words I note: bucolic, ablutions, rifled, cacophony, dais, Carnegie(Hall - regular pronunciation)
I always felt like I "knew" Julie Andrews ... but really, it was quite superficial. Here, we get a detailed history of her childhood, and early years on the stage. There is a second book (which I also have in physical format and plan on getting the audiobook to) HomeWork to continue on (this one ends right as she's committed to Mary Poppins, but hasn't started it yet).
Julie Andrews was a child during WW2, and I'd never thought to imagine that childhood. There were certainly family issues (parents divorced, Andrews is her step-father's name, turns out her biological father is a 3rd man). Her early years as her talent was discovered. LOTS of recognizable names as she came in contact with so many people over the years. I think I was aware of her stage work (Cinderella, My Fair Lady, Camelot). SO interesting as these were just being written, not the iconic musicals we know them as now.
Just basic chronological chapters (49 of them). This stayed simple/chronological, simple 1st person/past tense. A few memoirs I've read played with a present tense/in the moment(future) then shifted to past memories. I think I preferred this straightforward approach. One does wonder about the memory of everything, but Julie does refer to her journals at one point, including a small excerpt. I keep journals and refer back to them to jog my memory of events, so I'm betting that played a part here. Her life does seem very memorable!
I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much reading it on my own - I loved having Julie telling the story, hearing her voice. I didn't love the little musical/piano interludes between some chapters, but I DID like the small clips (there weren't many) of her singing.
I really enjoyed this, very easy to listen to and I feel like I learned a lot.
Words I note: bucolic, ablutions, rifled, cacophony, dais, Carnegie(Hall - regular pronunciation)