Reviews by Sandra

First off all thank you Jeff Woodman for the great narration of this audio book. I often listen to the books I download on my dull motorway journey to and from work.Sometimes I listen while taking a bath, others on lazy Sunday mornings in bed. It didn't matter where I listened to this book because I was always where the author wanted me to be,which in this books case from about half way through is floating in a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal Tiger for company.This book describes the feelings both mentally and physically of being a starving survivor so well that I could feel my own stomach rumble and feel the heat of the sun on my own parched lips.I'm not so sure about the first fifty or so chapters that tell about Pi's school life,life as a Zoo Keepers son in India and of his devotion to religions and God, but I really enjoyed this listen and the twist at the end that certainly gets you thinking what was true and what was the mental defence a starving brain puts in place to save ones sanity.

I enjoyed listening to the amusing rambling of Garrison as I'm a fan of people who take everyday things and manage to see the funny side of them. The first story of the couple who travel for miles to see a relative rather than admit either is in the wrong in an argument is especially witty. For me the material ran out of steam a little towards the end of the program, but it was very good all the same and my first introduction to this talented comedian.

I loved this tale of glitz an glamour.For those of you who downloaded 'The Devil Wears Prada' this is a must.Not being in the celebrity party planning business myself I'm not sure how accurate the accounts of what goes on are.However as the ex- girlfriend of proffessional musician and someone who has rubbed shoulders with quite a few well known names for the 6 years we dated , I can only say I can't imagine any of this to be too far fetched.

Sonya Hartnett is a talented descriptive writer.I listened to this as a 38 year old cat lover as I often find books aimed at teens to be more 'grown up' than a lot of the so called 'chick lit' out there.The opening scene of the 3 cats being dumped in the forest and being scared and alone is gripping.As our adult cat and 2 kittens travel into the depths of the forest they come across other ferrel cats and foe and their journey becomes as much a tale of survival as a relentless questioning of how they came to be in this predicament.The narrators voice is a bit grating but if you can get past that your in for an enjoyable listen.I would not reccommend younger listeners listen to this, as parts of the story are upsetting, so possibly not a good one to put on for a long family journey in the car.

I often listen to the samples that Audible enable you to download because I find the narrators ability to act out the part rather than do a monotone rambling enhances my enjoyment. This book will not let you down .I really felt for the main character as he experienced the first pangs of love and rejection , leading him to enter into a fantasy world where a georgeous girl in a photo becomes his girlfriend. The way he goes from zero to hero at school because of this is handled in a realistic way and certainly transported me back to my school days in the 1980's .Will he be able to continue the deception as his friends all beg to meet his mystery girlfriend? Ah well, this question certainly kept me hooked and for you to find out...? You'll have to download it and see.

I purchased the hardback version of this book and Eldest for my stepson last Christmas because he has a thing about Dragons as lots of boys do. With the movie version hitting the cinemas soon I thought I'd listen to this to see which I enjoy the most. The first thing that struck me about Eragon is the talent the writer has to transport you to a believable mythical time and place especially as I believe he was 15 when the book was written.If you love Lord of the Rings and such books you could do a lot worse than this as the feel is very much the same.Dwarfs ,Elves and Shades are just a sample of characters you'll come across, some good some evil but there is battle action , magic , happiness and sorrow all rolled together.The narrator is skilled at creating character voices from Eragon himself through the spectrum of Riders, Kings , Dragons and such and my only reason for not giving this audiobook 5 stars is that it ended just when I was so hungry to find out what happens next. I will be downloading Eldest without a doubt.