Not bad...

Not a bad story at all, although I liked the idea/concept of the story better than the actual story itself if that makes sense. Nonetheless, it was an interesting listen, and I enjoyed it all the way through.

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1 person found this helpful

Absorbing unfurling story brilliantly narrated

Hats of to the narrator who jumped between voices which were distinct and portrayed the characters so well. v impressed

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Swimming lessond

I would recommend this book.
I felt a little frustrated with it at times.
The letters from Ingrid were the best chapters.
The ending was strange. The last short chapter, an afterthought?.

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Swimming lessons

Keeps you guessing right to the end. Good details and themes, well narrated. Really enjoyed it

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2 people found this helpful

Difficult to get past the whining daughter

The narrator is excellent.
The story itself is good but the younger daughter is unbearable. I thought maybe her mental growth had stopped aged 5. She whines & moans throughout.
Her mother, Ingrid, the main character is also hard to take. Incredibly gullible, quite silly but perhaps when u take into account her story was in the 1070’s & a very different social environment it excuses her a little.
I only settled into the story for the final third as I found the daughter Flo & mother Ingrid so grating! Yet I enjoyed it somewhat and listened to the end.

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1 person found this helpful

Narration does not help characters

Any additional comments?

Throughout listening to the book, the mystery element of the fate of Ingrid was compelling enough to listen for hours on end. However, the narration and especially the vocal differentiation between different characters detracted from my enjoyment of the book by influencing my perception of the characters. Gil was diminished to a sleazy sounding old man in both the flashbacks and in his old age while Flora was portrayed as a whining, entitled child. Had I read the book I may have been able to appreciate the characters in their entirety but unfortunately by listening I was only able to perceive them negatively.

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12 people found this helpful

A really good read

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was enhanced by the excellent narration. I was sorry when it ended.

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Doggy paddle

The story lacked plot, the characters were not interesting, I was longing for the end.

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At times very moving but ending was underwhelming

Largely well-written without blowing you away. Some of the letter sections were brilliant. Other sections too often a bit meh and ending was weak.

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a slow plod

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I did enjoy this book but it wasn't fantastic. It didn't get my pulse raising. I'm glad I listened to it and i did enjoy the switches in time. I really enjoyed the letters from Ingrid but got in infuriated with Gil (as I assume your meant to)

Would you recommend Swimming Lessons to your friends? Why or why not?

probably not, its just a fiction book. nothing special. it felt a bit like a 1940's romance novel but with a bit more depth.

What about Rachel Atkins’s performance did you like?

it was ok but I did find it difficult to distinguish some of the charactors. if I stopped listening to the book and went back to it, I didn't know who's charactor was being narrated.

Did Swimming Lessons inspire you to do anything?

just to get the book completed. didn't want it to beat me.

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