Unabridged Audiobook
The book was very good. Well-written, interesting, and often gripping. But also depressing. And (perhaps too) short. Knowing that it was inspired by a true story, I would have liked a happier ending. It reminded me of Atonement in ways that I found equally depressing in both books. I'd still recommend it, though I'd probably recommend reading it on the page rather than listening to the audiobook because... There were two narrators and one of them gets 0/5 stars. I could barely understand half the words she said. The male narrator was good -- I have read other books he's narrated and enjoyed them. The female narrator? Did someone actually hear her read a book aloud and then give her this job? Just an unacceptable lack of annunciation and clarity.
Very hard to understand her reading, especially with the accents
This is a dark, dismal story but it brings up lots of interesting issues I've never thought about concerning anthropologists as social scientists. It was a Book Club pick but I am glad I read it. The BC discussion was very lively and most participants really liked this book. Their #1 complaint over having read the hard copy book was that it was often hard to tell who was telling the story: Nell, Fen or Bankson. I lucked out by listening to the audio book because both readers did an excellent job of changing accents (from American to Australian to British) according to the narrator. Problem solved!
The primary settings were fascinating. The relationships developing among the characters intriguing. If only it were twice as long.,,
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