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As I previously stated in last month’s free audible reviews (March’s Surprising Audible Book Reviews) the books offered are often “performances” rather than straight narrated books. Though I prefer books, because I appreciate the literary tricks of wording used to pull in a reader’s attention with words alone to entice his or her imagination, I do appreciate some audible performances.
True West by Sam Shepard, narrated by Kit Harington and Johnny Flynn
Though I don’t like to complain, and I like to say that I’m open to different genres, I wasn’t too fond of this particular story. This audio book was a performance, utilizing music between chapters, sounds of crickets chirping in the background, and the different actors’ voices of the two brothers constantly bickering through the story. The bickering is where I lost interest. I don’t find arguments enjoyable to listen to anymore than I want to be a part of them. But, that’s me.
From a literary perspective, I can appreciate how the title, True West, plays on the brothers behavior – acting like an old fashioned movie while they fight about whether one brother’s western screenplay is “realistic” enough.
The irony is not lost on me.
Wishes and Wellingtons, written by Julie Berry, narrated by Jayne Entwistle
This short story was a cute adventure I hope to share with my daughter one day. It’s an altered version of a genie in the lamp story, though the genie is not in a lamp this time and the setting is in England during a time when rambunctious girls were sent to boarding schools and orphans were seen as vagrants.
The audiobook satisfies several cravings for me as a reader: the hunger for fantasy, adventure, travel, and a good narrator. I enjoyed traveling with the children to far off countries, and I was sucked in to the story all the more when the narrator, Jayne Entwistle, skillfully altered her voice for each character with realistic pivots of her voice. The whole package made for an enjoyable read for my ears.
The Darkwater Bride – an Audible original, written by Marty Ross, narrated by Clare Corbett, Donal Finn, Jamie Glover, Freya Mavor, and Adrian Scarborough
This performance pulls out all the stops in regards to actors, thump-clump noises, and occasional music. But, what I appreciated about this audiobook is how the main narrator describes scenes like an actual book, which plays to my own tastes very nicely.
The story is meant to be on the creepy side with this ghostly bride stalking and entrancing people. Honestly, I was more creeped out by the regular people in the story than I was with the sironess bride. The theme of death and mystery were well detailed, but I’m more scared of real criminals than I am of a creepy mist, murky water with a mind of its own, and curses.
But, that’s just me. Someone else would find this much more appealing, I’m sure.
Other Freebies
I should mention that I recently discovered the New York Times Digest and the Wall Street Journal Digests are also apparently free on the Amazon Audible subscription. However, I chose other books for the month of May.
May’s Free Audiobooks Picks
This month, I went with a suspenseful YA audiobook, The Mystery of Alice. And, a female-centric fantasy adventure called Black Crow, White Snow.
I’m always fond of young adult literature, though we’ll see how I fair with a suspenseful story. Hopefully, it won’t depress me since I’m rather sensitive to realistic books lately, though I don’t know how real the story is.
The adventure of female heroes feels suiting as my own WIP is about amazons. I thought this book would keep me in a strong-women, hear-me-roar state of mind.
So excited about Wishes & Wellingtons that I am going to order my audio version. Thank you for the review!!
Yay! Let me know what you think of it. I’d love to discuss 😁
Thank you for sharing your personal reviews, it is appreciated when the times comes to choosing a new book to entertain me.