Audiobook Review: Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin

30/08/2018Children's Fiction, Classics, Kate Douglas Wiggin3 Comments

Author: Kate Douglas Wiggin
Narrator: Ann Richardson
Release Date: 8th December 2017
Genre: Classic, Children’s Fiction
Series: –
Length: 8 hours 11 minutes
Publisher: Post Hypnotic Press Inc.⎮2018
Blurb:
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm has delighted readers for over 100 years. Published in 1903, when girls were inevitably depicted as pretty, gentle and proper, Rebecca Rowena Randall burst onto the scene of children’s literature. Sent to live with her prim and proper Aunt Miranda, who is expecting her much more demure sister, Rebecca is a “bird of a very different feather”. She has “a small, plain face illuminated by a pair of eyes carrying such messages, such suggestions, such hints of sleeping power and insight, that one never tired of looking into their shining depths….” To her Aunt Miranda’s continual dismay, Rebecca is exuberant, irrepressible, and spirited – not at all “proper” or “demure”. She wins over her aunt soon enough, and the whole town, and thousands of readers and listeners everywhere.
In 1904, author Jack London wrote Kate Douglas Wiggin: “May I thank you for Rebecca?…. I would have quested the wide world over to make her mine, only I was born too long ago and she was born but yesterday…. Why could she not have been my daughter? Why couldn’t it have been I who bought the three hundred cakes of soap? Why, O, why?” And Mark Twain called Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm “beautiful and warm and satisfying”. This recording, narrated by Ann Richardson, whose sweet voice has a facility for accents and character voices, is a satisfying listening experience you’ll want to revisit. Upcoming from Post Hypnotic Press is a new annotated print/eBook edition of this book, with illustrations from the original publication and a new introduction, as well as a work-book f…

Review

★★★★

Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin and narrated by Ann Richardson is a beautiful audiobook that is a must read (must-listen?) for everyone.

It is a beautifully sweet book with a lovely young girly-girl character at its heart who will win your heart by the end of the first chapter itself. Unlike many other readers, I have not yet read Anne of the Green Gables (a reference I came across in many reviews for this book while deciding whether to accept this book for review or not) so I can’t offer any comparison, though what I can say is that this is a very thorough book full of moral lessons and hearty anecdotes of a time that is long gone and is always remembered. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book because of the colourful narration which was fun to listen to.

I’d recommend this audiobook to everyone who loves reading (or more specifically, who loves listening to audiobooks.)

This Review Is Also Posted On Audible and Goodreads

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Book Review: The Boxcar Baby by J.L. Mulvihill

14/08/2018Dystopian, J.L. Mulvihill, steampunk, Young AdultLeave a Comment

Author: J.L. Mulvihill
Release Date: 12th July 2013
Genre: Steampunk, Dystopian, Young Adult
Series: Steel Roots Series (Book #1)
Edition: e-book
Pages: 274
Publisher: Seventh Star Press, LLC
Blurb:
The Box Car Baby introduces the character of AB’Gale Steel who was born in a boxcar on a train bound for Georgia, according to what her papa told her. Bishop Steel, a mechanical engineer for the Southern Railroad, found his adopted daughter snuggled in a basket of cotton on an otherwise empty boxcar in the train yard. When no one came around to claim the baby, Bishop Steel, rather than relinquish the child to the State only to end up at the Workhouse someday, smuggled her home to raise as his own. The name on the boxcar he found her in read, A B Gale Logs, and so he named the baby AB’Gale.
But if the mystery of who her real parents are isn’t enough for fifteen-year -old AB’Gale, Papa Bishop goes missing. Worried for her family and afraid of having to spend her life at the Workhouse, AB’Gale goes into town to see if anyone’s seen her papa, only to find a deeper mystery. At the train station no one seems to know who her papa is even though he’s worked for the Southern Railroad for thirty years.
An encounter with a strange Hobo-man, who claims to know her father, results in the acquisition of a leather eye-glass tube that he says belongs to her papa. Before AB’Gale can question him further the man runs away. When she gets home, she finds the Crushers taking her grandma off to the Oldies-home, so she hides until they are gone.
AB’Gale finds that the leather tube contains a map of the United States, with markers made by various towns across the country. By each marker is a word or a name written in her papa’s handwriting.
Alone, and with only the clues of the map to go by, AB’Gale has no choice but to set out on her own to find her Papa.

Review

★★

The Boxcar Baby by J.L. Mulvihill is a steampunk dystopian with a very interesting plot which unfortunately wasn’t executed well.

Considering the beautiful covers of all the three books in this series, I was expecting the book to be really good and polished, but unfortunately, it proved to be a bit of a disappointment. I have the entire series with me and I was really excited about it, but there is so much telling and not enough showing in this book that it gets difficult to read after a couple of pages itself. Plus, the story progression is way off than should be allowed in an edited book.

The writing was too simple and there was a lot of wandering. The characters felt flat and the overall connection was not established (though I was able to see the effort the author put into it, but it simply didn’t work.)

this review is also posted on Goodreads and Amazon

AudioBook Review: A Witch’s Concern by N.E.Conneely

10/04/2018Magic/Elementals, N.E. Conneely, Paranormal, Supernatural, Uncategorized, Urban Fantasy2 Comments

Author: N.E. Conneely
Narrators: Jeff Hays and Laurie
Release Date: 16th January 2018
Genre: Paranormal, Supernatural, Urban Fantasy, Magic Realism
Series: A Witch’s Path, Book 4
Length: 7 hours 25 minutes
Publisher: N.E. Conneely
Blurb:
Michelle has been figuring out what her life is like now that the demon has been killed and Sylvia and Varro are dead. Even the clans of witches trying to attract her to their way of life have backed off and given her a chance to grieve. Her relationship with Elron is stronger than ever, but there are things left unsaid.On the way to her parent’s wedding, the delicate calm she’d been living in is broken. Witches are out for her blood, her family is caught in the crossfire, and friendships are threatened. Work doesn’t let up either, and she partners up with Elron to deal with magic gone wild. Michelle finds that her problems are larger than one clan of witches, and is forced to choose between the people she holds dear and the way of life she loves.

Review

★★★★

A Witch’s Concern by N.E. Conneely is a refreshing and highly entertaining read, revolving around a young witch and her adventures.

I loved this book; the plot was unique, the characters and their conflicts felt real and the sub-plots were very interesting. I enjoyed listening to the story from start till the end, and even though this is the 4th book in A With’s Path series, I didn’t have any trouble getting into it. So this book can safely be read as a stand alone as well, but I am considering reading all the previous parts before going for the next ones.

The characterization was good, if not brilliant, and even though I wasn’t able to connect to the main lead, Michelle, in a very strong way, I liked her quite a lot and that was enough for me to read about her and her adventures (or misadventures.) Elron’s character felt a bit shaky initially but by the end of the book, he proved to be a strong male lead.

The narration was good for the most part. It took me some time to get into Elron’s (Jeff Hays) narration, though I did love the female lead’s narration a lot! Lauri’s voice and expressions were really good and made listening to this audiobook a very pleasant experience.

I’d recommend this book to all the paranormal and supernatural lovers, along with those who love reading about witches, elves and magic.