disappointing narration

I think this was a good book, but the narration was so bad that it ruined it for me. I stuck with it due to the story, but it was sometimes a difficulty. I think it was just a very bad match of narrator to book.

6 people found this helpful

scholarly but uneven

There are parts to this story that are exciting in the best tradition of an "on the run" thriller. There are too many other parts where the author seems to argue an academic thesis through the medium of a thriller. The story drags at these points which far exceed the rapid-paced action sequences.
The heroine is an American, so it makes sense to have an American narrator. However, so many of the characters are British (and the text describes their regional accents), which throws into sharp relief the inability of the narrator to create credible males accents from Britain.
Trimmed to half the length and with a co-narrator to do the many British male voices, this might have been a top-class listen

4 people found this helpful

Just what you would expect

I like these "what if" kind of books, and this one was no exception. You get exactly what you would expect -- a relatively quick paced, globe-trotting type of adventure. But, with that you have to excuse the characters' superhuman leaps of logic that just about always turn out to be true. Sometimes these can be silly, but I would rather accept it than listen for extra hours of wrong turns and dead-ends. Overall, a fun book to listen to, the narrator was pretty good. I would get the sequel.

3 people found this helpful

Too much scholarship, not enough fun

Great concept, not well executed. The book has ample evidence of Carrell's scholarly interest not only in all things Shakespeare, but also Don Quijote, the Jesuits, the King James Bible, the Old American West, British nobility, and a host of other wide-ranging topics. Unfortunately, too often the book ends up focusing on the protagonist's excruciatingly boring searches through libraries on two continents and endless ruminations on multiple possible lines of future research. If I wanted this in my life, I would go to grad school--oh, wait, I AM in grad school! When I read a novel, I want SOME facts, but also some FUN. A protagonist with a personal life would have been a good start. And some romance would have been good...one partial/accidental kiss isn't all that compelling. Narrator was just okay.

2 people found this helpful

A lot of fun

... and boy! does the author know her way around Harvard! A great read for a winter's day.

2 people found this helpful

Interred With Their Bones

I actually read this book first but it was so full of twists and turns and details about Shakespeare, I missed some the first time around. I still couldn't put it down listeneng to it. For anyone who loves murder mysteries combined with history, and is tired of figuring out the villian half way through the book, this is a challenge!There is nothing predictable about it. I hope there are more books from this author in the future.It was a great first book and I am anxious to see how she outdoes it.

1 person found this helpful

I loved this book

This book made me look forward to the next time I could get in my car and drive or do housework because that’s when I listen to audiobooks. The descriptions of the scenery were so rich and the characters were so well developed I felt like I was actually in the story myself. I didn’t want it to end and I’m sad that it did.

great scavenger hunt read!

I was hooked from the beginning! A great listen and highly entertaining. I loved the sporadic music that was in the background as well.

Terrible book

Silly--too many characters, none developed, and plot even the most sympathetic reader can't take seriously.