The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - Audio Book Review
Hardships, friendship, regret, and redemption - This is the focus of the fantastic audio book, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
The story begins in the 70’s, with a boy named Amir, and his most loyal friend, Hassan. Amir, vying for his father’s attention and approval, struggles constantly to come to grips with his apparent inability to do so. Hassan, a servant of the family, is always there to serve and protect Amir from Afghanistan’s unruly neighborhood kids. Together, they formed a bond that was as tight as the bond of brothers.
Amir, his courage and integrity tested over and over, finally broke that bond with Hassan, in an afternoon of horror, betrayal, and weakness. With that fateful afternoon, the two drifted apart. Life moved on for both kids, until years later, Amir was called upon to redeem himself with one final request - one that would change his life forever, and to find within himself, a small measure of peace.
Narration
Written and narrated by the author, Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner audio book was fairly simple in it’s delivery. It’s one of a few audio books that I’ve listened to where not much effort was given to distinguishing the characters. However, this doesn’t detract from the audio book. Instead, Khaled Hosseini did a wonderful job in describing characters, and their subtle nuances within the novel, that it wasn’t terribly hard to imagine exactly what he wanted us to imagine.
Characters
When a book can stir up deep emotions, you know you’ve found a good one. The deepest emotion I felt (within the first quarter of The Kite Runner) was anger, embarrassment, and unfortunately, some hatred. This was all aimed towards the little boy, Amir, and his regrettable acts, particularly when Hassan was the one in trouble, and Amir did nothing to help. I’m sure his portrayal, in this manner, was the author’s intention, and he did a fantastic job in that sense.
Amir’s father, Baba, was a character that was developed well, and I could relate to Amir’s struggles with him. I felt saddened near the end of the story, with his passing. The other characters: Hassan, Rahim Khan, and Sohrab were also developed well, with Hassan being the better of the bunch.
Other Notes
There was a movie, starring Kevin Costner, and Robert Duvall, called Open Range. Have you seen it? It’s good, but that’s beside the point. There was one quote in that movie that’s stuck with me since I’ve watched it: “…there’s things that gnaw at a man worse than dying.â€
If I could pick a quote that best described this audio book, it would be that one. A story of cowardice, life-long regret, and redemption.
Interested in listening to the story too? You can download The Kite Runner audio for free, by signing up with Audible today. Please feel free to drop us a comment and let us know what you thought of the story.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - Audio Book Review
The road of life - a series of twists and turns, sometimes so sharp that it throws you off for one hell of a ride. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is the story of Jacob (Jake) Jankowski, an Ivy League veterinary student, so close to finishing exams and ready for the big world, when his life is turned upside down by the untimely death of his parents. Followed soon by financial troubles, Jake is left with no choice and heads off into the unknown.
Joining up with a troupe of Ringling Brothers wannabes (the Benzini Brothers) , Jake doesn’t realize what he has stepped into, and who’s lives he will ultimately affect because of his actions. Nor does he realize how drastically his life will change for the better because of it.
Narration
Both narrators, David LeDoux and John Randolph Jones, did a fantastic job in the narration of the Water for Elephants audio book. David LeDoux as the young Jake, and John Randolph Jones as Jake at 90 (or is it 93?). Both are gifted at properly portraying character emotions, and at moments, are passionately involved (i.e., during the furious outbursts that Jake and August both have).
The narration is separated as a series of flashbacks between old and young Jake. Although still entrancing, I will say that jumping forward to older Jake got a little annoying, as some of the fast paced action had to be delayed (guess that’s part of suspense building). Nevertheless, listening to older Jake’s story and current experiences were still fascinating.
Characters
Jake, being the protagonist of Water for Elephants, was of course the most developed of the entire lot. However, I couldn’t say quite as much for the rest of the characters. Marlena, whom Jake found astonishingly beautiful and hypnotizing, didn’t come across in that manner to me. I couldn’t picture her well, as I could picture Jake, and couldn’t quite empathize with her during her ordeals. August, the temper-prone man-boy seemed thought out well - although I kept thinking of Billy Zane - don’t know why. And of course, let’s not forget Rosie. Sara Gruen did a great job with this character! I cheered for her during her good times, and felt horrible and angry during more “punishing” times.
Other Notes
Although the Water for Elephants audio book was of average length (roughly 12 hours), it was plenty of time for me to thoroughly engross myself into the story. And even though I’m more into suspense/horror novels, I still found this one good enough to finish in a day and a half.
This particular audio book won the Book Sense Book of the Year Award, and was chosen as the finalist for the Audible Audie Awards for Fiction. Also, it seems to be a big hit among other audio book lovers, which has a very high rating.
If you’re interested, download the Water for Elephants audio book, and drop us a comment to let us know what you thought.
Stephen King's Duma Key - Audio Book Review
“I can do this” is Edgar Freemantle’s mantra - one that he often repeats to himself in order to overcome many of the tribulations that Stephen King presents throughout the novel, Duma Key. And believe me, there were many.
The story begins with Freemantle’s arduous, and painful ordeal in recovery, after being nearly crushed to death by a construction crane. The fateful event leaves Edgar without an arm (at least initially…), a terrible limp, rage, and unfortunately, the loss of his marriage - just to name a few.
Close to suicide, his therapist suggests a change of scenery and to pickup a hobby, as a “hedge against the night”. Little did Edgar know that his particular “hedge”, on Duma Key, would lead to something so much more than simple recovery - it would lead inevitably to death.
Narration
What makes this Stephen King audio book a good listen? Well, for one, John Slattery is the narrator. This would mark the first time I’ve listened to his narration, and was impressed. He’s no Frank Muller, but he did get the job done. His ability to differentiate the characters, particularly between Edgar Freemantle and Jerome Wireman, made it engrossing.
Characters
King took his time in slowly developing the main characters of this novel, giving them a richer personality. This is more than true for Wireman, whom I think Stephen King (and a certain Peter Straub) had practice, with the earlier character of Henry Leyden - from Black House. The two characters, Jerome and Henry seem awfully alike.
Other Notes
The length of the audio book is 21 hours. If you’re a die-hard Stephen King fan, you likely wish that some books would never end. It gives you ample time to immerse yourself into his world(s). This is likely why I fell in love with the Dark Tower series, and am not too fond of his short stories.
Oh, and don’t be concerned when the paranormal doesn’t happen right away. Duma Key is one of those novels that builds the suspense, and presents more, and more, to the reader as time goes on.
Overall, Stephen King’s Duma Key audio book was enjoyable, and gave me my usual King fix. If you’re interested, you can download Duma Key here.
Have you already listened to it? Feel free to drop us a comment to let us know what you thought of it.