Reviews by Adisha

I embarked on listening to this epic and well-researched book on the history of civilisation with some trepidation. There are after all, a total of 92 Chapters (26.5 hours) to work through and this is a formidable listening marathon by any stretch of the imagination. However, I found them all totally worth the effort. I am pleased Andrew Marr opened the narration by lending his voice to the introduction. This is a very expansive work as Mr. Marr draws references to a research base of some 2,000 or so books. In addittion, David Timson's highly expressive narration that followed is clear, assertive and a joy to listen to as it is consistenly intonated throughout without ever being condescending. You don't have to be a professional historian to appreciate the amount of effort that has gone into producing this book and the (at times) rather violent TV series to which this is a perfect accompaniment. The passion for the subject, dedication and commitment shine through at all times and for me, this is a notable quality of the book. Overall, a highly recommended purchase indeed which takes pride of place on my Audible bookshelf!

It's not often that you come across an author in Audible who reads their entire work with such spirit, courage and conviction. I was lucky enough to have been born there so can appreciate different people's points of view.



In this recording, Adele Barker presents a vivid journal of her time in a beautiful island at a time of relative demographic tensions. The running theme of this recording is not so much on political events that plagued the island for so many years but the humanity and interactions of those that lived there - particularly in the wake of the devastating Tsunami of 26th December 2004. The descriptions of how people lost their lives in the Tsunami are particularly harrowing to listen to.



Whilst I would have preferred a lot more emphasis on the gentle religious and traditional aspects of the island as well as its humble islanders - particularly now that the civil war has thankfully ended - her account is honest and vivid and deserves every one of the five stars awarded.



I also think the title for this book could have been better thought out and doesn't reflect the content. Maybe "Serendipity: An American Sojourn in Sri Lanka" would have been more appropriate? This is a travelogue with a difference, describing how people living in an island of paradise cope with both natural and man-made adversity.



Finally, having listened to the whole of the recording, I am left with one thought. Sri Lanka is such a beautiful 'paradise'-like island. I wonder if Adele would be willing to travel back and write a follow up to this book with a different emphasis, this time on the historical and cultural aspects of the Island and it's influence on the people of Sri Lanka? Food for thought.

"What a great subject for an audio book!" thought I as I downloaded this title to my audible player. This title had the potential to be really great. However, as with other reviewers, I was somewhat taken aback by the poor quality of the editing with noticeable repetitions of sections.



That said, the historical context and voice characterisations were cleverly executed by the narrators but the impressions did not always hit the mark. Had impressionists (e.g. Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens) been employed for the more famous Castaway interviews, I probably would've given this a higher rating!



Overall: A good attempt but plenty of room for improvement.

On the whole, I really enjoyed the content of this audio book - it was both educational and captivating. Michael Wood presents a rich, well-researched and colourful epic history of this vast country and clearly knows his subject matter.



However, I felt at times that the audio book did not make the best use of the sound medium and could have been improved in the following ways:

1. Maybe Michael could have introduced the audio book. This would have added a lot more weight and credibility to the recording.

2. In my opinion, the narrator Sam Dastor's expressive performance would have benefited from an additional Indian voice actor reading those parts of the text that required a native Indian accent.

3. With the introduction of some music clips and sound effects - maybe sourced from the excellent and celebrated BBC TV series? This would have greatly enhanced the otherwise excellent narration.

Thankyou Audible for presenting this Christmas download. I thoroughly enjoyed this recording as it was read with great expression. This story in particular lends itself very well to the audio book format and I found was very atmospheric. Alan did a great job with the narration accents and vocal characterisations.

- Bravo!

I am pleased to say that this audio book is a worthy addition to my library. It dovetails seamlessly with Julia Cameron's flagship book 'The Artist's Way' giving valuable context as well as highlighting the key lessons in the 12 week course. The audio book is divided into three sessions: Parts 1 and 2 are from a lively seminar, whilst the final session is interview style. Julia Cameron draws upon a lifetime's work and experience (and tried and tested tools e.g. Morning Pages) and therein lies the beauty and value of this recording. Furthermore I have no doubt many listeners and reflective practitioners will enjoy and reap the rewards from the advice and creative insights discussed. To get the most out of this recording I highly recommend reading the book 'The Artists Way' to which this recording refers; or equally stimulating 'The Right to Write'.

Shinzen Young presents a comprehensive survey of the different flavours of Buddhism and blends his knowledge of scientific matters in a very persuasive and pallatable way. His analogies are very good and help understand a potentially complex subject. I particularly liked his space and time descritpions using the analogy of microscope and oscilloscope, something every scienctist and student of science can relate to on a practical level. A very high quality and rewarding audio book indeed. What's more, it's never been done before with such expertise and unlikely to be matched.

Note to general listener: there are many blank segments as part of the meditation exercises - these are intentional!

This is an outstanding audio book. I have have listened to this many times and on each occassion always draw something new from it that can be internalised and applied to my daily life.

The meditation techniques on compassion and loving kindness are well explained. Many of these techniques can be applied to your family and working life, developing compassion towards others and yourself.

We are reminded that it is human nature to harbour negative thoughts, like velcro and resist positive thoughts like Teflon. The trick is to turn this negative bias on its head and practice the very opposite - not easy to do! The greatest challenge though, as many listeners may no doubt find, is developing the ability to forgive. This book shows you how and why.

A great listening experience!