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katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the premise and writing, really disappointed with the narration.
This should have been a perfect way to access a series of monologues, via an audio version, but the narrator I found absolutely robotic. Very VERY slow talking, strange emphasis on certain words and lack of emotion at time. Bizarre choice.
I listened on double speed and found this a comfortable speed, which is usually much too fast to follow.
A real shame, as I loved the book itself.
Gary Hawken is in a come after a car accident, and the book takes the format of a series of monologues, each narrated by someone connected with Gary, talking to him to try and rouse him from his unconscious state.
From old friends, to his wife and children, this veers into the fantastical with Scheherazade from the Arabian Nights, a crow who had known Gary. Even Gary's house gets a voice! It certainly has novelty but was also very funny and entertaining to listen to.
Will he wake up? It gets quite deep and metaphysical, with some wonderful choices of speaker that add their own stories to Gary's own, giving him a life he can't narrate himself.
This would be quite a good stage play / script to read, and deserves a wide audience. I loved it, though I wish I'd discovered it in another format.
With thanks to the author/narrator for the complimentary copy, provided for review purposes.
This should have been a perfect way to access a series of monologues, via an audio version, but the narrator I found absolutely robotic. Very VERY slow talking, strange emphasis on certain words and lack of emotion at time. Bizarre choice.
I listened on double speed and found this a comfortable speed, which is usually much too fast to follow.
A real shame, as I loved the book itself.
Gary Hawken is in a come after a car accident, and the book takes the format of a series of monologues, each narrated by someone connected with Gary, talking to him to try and rouse him from his unconscious state.
From old friends, to his wife and children, this veers into the fantastical with Scheherazade from the Arabian Nights, a crow who had known Gary. Even Gary's house gets a voice! It certainly has novelty but was also very funny and entertaining to listen to.
Will he wake up? It gets quite deep and metaphysical, with some wonderful choices of speaker that add their own stories to Gary's own, giving him a life he can't narrate himself.
This would be quite a good stage play / script to read, and deserves a wide audience. I loved it, though I wish I'd discovered it in another format.
With thanks to the author/narrator for the complimentary copy, provided for review purposes.
saarahn's review against another edition
5.0
Format: Audio Download
This book was based on a truly insightful idea
Where does The Coma Monologues rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This book is different in its own way, thus rendering it impossible to answer this question. So instead, I'd write of how different this story was. A story of a man trapped in a coma, who is spoken to by a selected bunch of people (by his own conjuring, and in some cases by his wife's design). The originality of the tale struck me, and I commend Mario on his intelligent way of developing a character. We even learn that the victim of the coma is murderer. This was most surprising.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Coma Monologues?
I adored the romantic sentimentality within the monologues, when we hear his wife, Melanie, as well as Mother Nature and Death.
Have you listened to any of Michelle Babb’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Not yet, but I do plan on it. More so, after hearing her with this. Her performance was impressive, I'd have rated it 5 were it not for the robotic voice attributed to some of the characters. Also, with all the different voices this was quite a feat. I commend her for that.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, but only because after hearing some of the characters I felt that it became a little dragging, and slightly repetitive with all the characters beginning their monologues in a similar way.
Any additional comments?
I felt compelled to write how this novel was absorbing, I kept thinking if that were me - in that state- what would I do? Who would I conjure up, who would be willing to speak to me? Or if I were Melanie, would I have her patience?
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
This book was based on a truly insightful idea
Where does The Coma Monologues rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This book is different in its own way, thus rendering it impossible to answer this question. So instead, I'd write of how different this story was. A story of a man trapped in a coma, who is spoken to by a selected bunch of people (by his own conjuring, and in some cases by his wife's design). The originality of the tale struck me, and I commend Mario on his intelligent way of developing a character. We even learn that the victim of the coma is murderer. This was most surprising.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Coma Monologues?
I adored the romantic sentimentality within the monologues, when we hear his wife, Melanie, as well as Mother Nature and Death.
Have you listened to any of Michelle Babb’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Not yet, but I do plan on it. More so, after hearing her with this. Her performance was impressive, I'd have rated it 5 were it not for the robotic voice attributed to some of the characters. Also, with all the different voices this was quite a feat. I commend her for that.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, but only because after hearing some of the characters I felt that it became a little dragging, and slightly repetitive with all the characters beginning their monologues in a similar way.
Any additional comments?
I felt compelled to write how this novel was absorbing, I kept thinking if that were me - in that state- what would I do? Who would I conjure up, who would be willing to speak to me? Or if I were Melanie, would I have her patience?
This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
dr_z's review against another edition
3.0
I received a copy of this audiobook for free in exchange for a review.
The narrator stated that this was a very weird book - and indeed it was!
At the beginning of the book I was confused and didn’t really like it, once I understood what was going on I quickly grew to enjoy it, and the narrator did a fantastic job.
I rated it 3 stars because overall I didn’t really enjoy the story and the ending felt slightly anti-climactic to me.
The narrator stated that this was a very weird book - and indeed it was!
At the beginning of the book I was confused and didn’t really like it, once I understood what was going on I quickly grew to enjoy it, and the narrator did a fantastic job.
I rated it 3 stars because overall I didn’t really enjoy the story and the ending felt slightly anti-climactic to me.
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