Fascinating and Gripping

I'd seen the French and US series some years ago had read the book and found the Audible version really brought the story to life.

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when does it end?

ive stuck with this to chapter 20. its been anything but easy. not sure whether its the snails pace ...actually, a snails pace would be like lightning in comparison... the story that goes no where, or the performance where the readers accent is such a distraction... where i wind up counting the times he uses a short o sound ...bah-dee bah-ther. wish i could get my credit back!

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Excellent! But quite different to the TV Series

I loved listening to this story. The narrator performs the different characters very well, most of which are southern American. I bought this audio book as I enjoyed watching the TV that is based on it. The story is quite different to that of the TV series, however it is still a great story.

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2 people found this helpful

Brilliant

Couldn't wait for the next chance to listen. A true picture of a parents unconditional love

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A pleasant surprise.

I wasn't expecting to like this based on the subject matter but it was a really pleasant surprise. I enjoyed it very much. It wasn't ham fisted or pushing an idea. It's up to you to decide what it means. The characters are likable and believable. Narration was spot on.

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Not the t.v. show

What made the experience of listening to The Returned the most enjoyable?

I bought this book because I was enjoying the t.v. show 'Resurrection', which was based on this novel. The book is considerably different from the t.v. show and I enjoyed seeing the tale from a different, more global, viewpoint.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Henry was my favourite character because he seemed the most conflicted about the supernatural events occurring in his home town. I could really believe in him as a real person.

What does Tom Stechschulte bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Tom Stechschulte did a really good job with the narration of this book. You can instantly tell which character is talking.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Everybody you've ever lost... is coming back...

Any additional comments?

If you didn't like the t.v. show, don't write off the book. It really is almost a completely different experience.

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They returned again and again, but I won't be.

If you could sum up The Returned in three words, what would they be?

sci-fi does prejudice

Would you be willing to try another book from Jason Mott? Why or why not?

No. Overall the story was not sufficiently coherent and complete for my liking. The author's note at the end was interesting and redeemed many factors I was not so keen on in the book. It gave some context and made the story feel more purposeful.

What does Tom Stechschulte bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Down south accents that (together with my own prejudice) supported the mind sets of the characters.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. I did not feel particularly strong empathy for the characters and would not be upset by their untimely demise.

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Slow to grip but in floods of tears in the end

It took coming back to the novel after a break before I became gripped. I had been intrigued by the premise and once I became attached to be main family, I was feeling everything they were feeling. The pain of losing a child and then that child coming back to you and not understanding why felt very raw and real. You could not help but love little Jacob. You know from the beginning its not going to end happily and the last hour or so of the audiobook I had tears running down my face. Then with the authors note at the end tears became floods.
Not a book to read if you want to be uplifted but definitely a book to give a go.

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Dull

What would have made The Returned better?

I waited and waited for something interesting to happen with this book but I was disappointed. Maybe a faster pace and more interesting plot would have improved things.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Tom Stechschulte?

The narration wasn't great but it wasn't the main problem with this book, I would listen to another by this narrator if it looked like a good enough story.

Any additional comments?

I bought this after watching the french TV series with the same title (Les Revenants) and I was aware it wasn't the same story but was built on the same premise and it had good reviews so I thought I'd give it a try. The TV series was full of suspense and drama, with a serial killer returning to start where he left off, a child whose twin sister has grown up without her and a man who slowly comes to the realisation that he in fact committed suicide on his wedding day, while struggling to cope with finding out his fiance has moved on to a new man. This book had none of that. The pace was infuriatingly slow, the characters were dull and after waiting the entire time for something to happen, the climax of the book was predictable and boring. People come back from the dead, the government don't really know what to do with them all, they lock them up, some people are open-minded, some people are not, then it all kicks off, some people get shot, some property is destroyed and then the returned just vanish into thin air with no explanation for it all.

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2 people found this helpful

Can't ignore the obvious

Got this on an Audible recommendation, but it might be last time I do that.

I understand that this story deals with a family during an 'incident', but there are glaring omissions that really weaken the back-story in my humble opinion. It's hard to care about the characters and their troubled emotions dealing with the 'Returned' when not a single person in the immediate or wider story suggests actually digging up a grave to see if the original bodies are still there.

That said, the writing is good and the reader does a good job. I just didn't connect with the story.

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5 people found this helpful