By: Jessica Day George
Read by: Jessica Roland
Audio Review: I'm afraid to say that the reader killed this book for me. Each word was so carefully enunciated that I felt like the spirit of the book was lost. Furthermore, while the female voices were quite whispy and weak, the male voices were almost comical. Particularly the voice of the isbjorn and the wolf. The deepness that the narrator tried to portray came off as slow and kind of stupid. And "the lass" as she is known, has a weak voice and makes her inner dialogue sound very self pitying, which is certainly not the impression that I got from reading the book the first time.
All in all, I think this is a book better read straight from the pages. The audio was not the improvement that I had hoped it would be.
Review: The lass, or Pika, as she is known to her family, lives far in the north with her family. Winter has not ceased for over 100 years, and shows no sign of letting up. Born as the youngest daughter to a poor family, her mother rejects her by not even giving her a name. Then, after an encounter with a white reindeer, and a promise from a great white bear, she goes to live with him for one year. But, of course, there is more to the isbjorn and his secrets.
This is probably my favorite of Jessica Day George's titles. I read this one several years ago, I think even before I had this blog, which is why there was no review for it. But, like all of her titles, there is a magical quality that just sweeps you through the pages. Having read several retellings of East of the Sun, West of the Moon, this one is my favorite.
Pika is a sweet girl with a tender heart, and is fiercely loyal to her family; even her pretty disgusting mother. She wants to fix mend her brother's heart and bring peace to her family. So, when the opportunity to go with the isbjorn arises, she uses the opportunity to help her family.
The romance between Pika and her isbjorn is lovely. I wish that this romance had shown through a little more in the audio, but trust me, reading it in print is wholly satisfying.
Thanks for that honest review. I need to read this book :)
ReplyDeleteI really love it. I wish that the audio wasn't so hard to listen to.
DeleteI've really never gotten into audio's for this reason. I am REALLY picky about being read to! Glad the story worked for you even if the voice didn't. :O/
ReplyDeleteI love listening to people read aloud. But, some narrators just really don't do it for me. But, it's a great story regardless
Delete