great book but alarming screechy sections

Really liked it , but I use audio books to help me to sleep because I suffer from insomnia. This book was not good because the narrator put on awful screechy / screamy voices for one or two characters . Some parts really not restful to listen to.

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Another fascinating story by Anne Tyler

The only rather annoying thing was the person who read it put a particular effort into imitating characters’ accents and volume of their speech, which made me cringe and turn the volume down every time the older characters spoke. This was absolutely unnecessary. Otherwise an wonderful listen!

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A un nother beautifully crafted Tyler story

I see that some other reviewers have expressed views that “nothing happens” but for me, this is a typical Tyler story where what happens is all below the surface and subtly indicated by Tyler’s delicate writing. Don’t come to this expecting pacy drama, – it’s a Tyler story, that’s not why we read her work, but do enjoy the interplay of family relationships and the deftly portrayed interior world of the main characters.
The so-called screechy rendition of the grandmother, I thought was fantastically funny, and gave her warmth and credibility. Read with care and precision.

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Never thought I'd say this about a Tyler novel...

...but this was dull.

I've listened to 4 hours and almost nothing has happened. I don't care about the protagonist or his family. There's a timeless quality to the small town and the families, but it felt like a writing exercise more than an actual novel.

It is of course, beautifully written. I don't think Anne Tyler knows how to not craft sentences well. There's a lovely sense of place and that slow feeling of aimlessly frittering away time. Which is great as an evocation, but not actually that interesting to read about. There's no tension at all and not much happening in general.

I've loved almost all of Tylers books, but this one is a real snooze fest. Unless you're a hard core fan (which to be fair, I thought i was till I read this book, I'd say skip this and read, or re-read Clock Dance instead. That's stunningly good.

This one? I'm going to return it. Which is something I never thought I'd do with her work. but I am that disappointed in it

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2 people found this helpful

Not the usual Anne Tyler treat...

At first I found the narration distracting and the voice of old.man just unbearable but eventually found myself thinking in the same soft drawl.
Not the usual immersion in the central character ( I wonder if she doesn't write males so well as females) which left the story feeling disconnected.
Some nicely atmospheric scenes especially of cold night walks in a small town.
I won't listen again.

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1 person found this helpful