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A review by winterscape
Selected Shorts: A Touch of Magic by T.C. Boyle, Andrew Lam, Kevin Brockmeier, W.W. Jacobs, Donald Barthelme, Saki, Jonathan Safran Foer, Aimee Bender, Haruki Murakami, Ray Bradbury
4.0
These shorts are obviously enhanced greatly by the performers reading them.
I was especially enthralled by John Lithgow's theatrical rendition of The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs. Wow, can he evoke fervor and terror and desperation. That one's a five star for sure! I'd listen to it again separately (and it is on YouTube, if anyone is interested).
I'd give four stars to T.C. Boyle's Swept Away, Ray Bradbury's The Veldt, Saki's The Occasional Garden, and Kevin Brockmeier's The Year of Silence. The performers were very good, as were the stories. The Occasional Garden was laugh-out-loud funny at times, perhaps because of the narrator.
Three stars to Andrew Lam's The Palmist, Jonathan Safran Foer's The Sixth Borough, Aimee Bender's Drunken Mimi, and Haruki Murakami's The Little Green Monster. The first two were fine but didn't grab me personally. The latter two were odd and a little disturbing, especially the last. At first I thought they might be sweet, both featuring inter-species love interests, but alas, big no.
Unfortunately, I'd give two stars to Donald Barthelme's The Balloon only because it wouldn't keep my attention. I had to restart it three times because it just wasn't catching me. It is well-written, surely, just not for me.
I think that comes out to 3.5/5, which I'll round up for the production value. I'd check out more short story audiobooks from Symphony Space for sure.
I was especially enthralled by John Lithgow's theatrical rendition of The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs. Wow, can he evoke fervor and terror and desperation. That one's a five star for sure! I'd listen to it again separately (and it is on YouTube, if anyone is interested).
I'd give four stars to T.C. Boyle's Swept Away, Ray Bradbury's The Veldt, Saki's The Occasional Garden, and Kevin Brockmeier's The Year of Silence. The performers were very good, as were the stories. The Occasional Garden was laugh-out-loud funny at times, perhaps because of the narrator.
Three stars to Andrew Lam's The Palmist, Jonathan Safran Foer's The Sixth Borough, Aimee Bender's Drunken Mimi, and Haruki Murakami's The Little Green Monster. The first two were fine but didn't grab me personally. The latter two were odd and a little disturbing, especially the last. At first I thought they might be sweet, both featuring inter-species love interests, but alas, big no.
Unfortunately, I'd give two stars to Donald Barthelme's The Balloon only because it wouldn't keep my attention. I had to restart it three times because it just wasn't catching me. It is well-written, surely, just not for me.
I think that comes out to 3.5/5, which I'll round up for the production value. I'd check out more short story audiobooks from Symphony Space for sure.