7 Oct 2011

Audio Friday #1 - Critical Judgement

So some of you know a couple weeks ago I listened to my first audio book and I liked it.
I asked if I should review it and some people said yes so I came up with the imaginative name of 'Audio Friday' and decided to make it a feature.
It's actually going to be every fortnight but that would've made the name to long and the reviews won't just be from me, the reviews will switch between myself and Wanda Hart, one of my cult followers, so we'll be posting one a month each.
Wanda will be going first and here it is...
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Since this is a new frontier I wish to explain in every review why I personally find and audio book to be a viable alternative to that of printed books - No it wont take long.
I Love audio books because I can clean house, do the washing and prepare a meal all while listening to a book. Now that is time well spent. See, that did not take long.
Critical Judegment by Michael Palmer.
Available Now
Read by Michael Cramer.

In the tiny town of Patience, California, newcomer Dr. Abby Dolan has noticed a frightening syndrome among her emergency room patients. It begins with a baffling, seemingly minor set of symptoms, but builds relentlessly until it plunges its victims into insane, murderous rages. As she searches for clues to this deadly mystery, Abby's superiors make it clear her probing is unwelcome. Soon Abby will learn just how high the cost of the truth may be—and how far someone will go to keep a lethal secret. But she may not find the answer until it's too late to save her patients, her career...her life.

Review:
The tale of Abby is interesting but not riveting.  I am a staunch follower of Michael Palmers’ work but this book is definitely not one of my favorite reads by him.  I felt as if I, the reader was left out of the loop with any character development.  The book was action packed and thus little time was spent on the development of the characters apart from Abby and Old Man Ives.  I think that is why I loved the character Old Man Ives so much.  I had time to get to know the old grump. 
One thing I really liked about this book is the typical signature of all of Michael Palmers books.  You as a laymen reader is treated as an equal with procedures and medical conditions explained in simple but not patronizing terms.  I love to walk away from a book saying in this book I at least learned about this or that.  A book need not be entertainment only.  This facet was well addressed in this book as with all of his books.
I personally prefer that when a woman is the lead character in a book, then the said book should be narrated by a women.  In this instance it was Michael Cramer  whom narrated the book.  Although he is a good narrator, hearing a women’s impression and view from a male narrator is something I need to get used to.  This however is a totally subjective point of a view.  A good friend and fellow audio nut does not listen to any female narrated books.  She feels that the women  in this field does not have the same versatility as that of the men.  So believe me, if you are a first time ever listener, you will soon have your own preferences in this regard.  In audio books the make and break of  a novel can be, and usually are the narrator.  And in this instance I can definitely recommend Critical Judgment in audio as an easy read. I will give the book 2 out of 4 stars.

1 comment:

  1. I like this idea and I am glad you guys can do this. Personally I can not do it. The appeal that you speak of I get but I find that so much feeling is missing when you listen to a book. My girl friend however loves them! I will look forward to reading these as you progress through books:)

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