Excellent Narration Good Book

Never listened to anything like this it was totally different and definitely worth listening to. One of the reasons I left the review is the narration. I read so many reviews that it was terrible so I was shocked that it was excellent and no I’m not a relation. She has a beautiful voice and a lot of different voices she was perfect for the book. In my experience a lot of people are intimidated in some way by an educated voice but who did you want to read it. Excellent narration

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Beautifully poetic but not easy read

“Flights” by Olga Tokarczuk is composed of a series of interconnected essays, stories, and fragments. The narrator, who is the main character, embarks on a journey around the world and through time to find herself. In her journey, she is particularly interested in body parts, death, motion, and relationships. One of the central ideas is that a sedentary life, or remaining motionless, can be a trap—motion is necessary for personal development.

Other themes in the book include relationships, often explored through the lens of a middle-aged woman—the author herself—experiencing a midlife crisis. The female characters have many questions about their relationships and undertake a journey to find answers. Some of the stories or fragments are like poems and require re-reading and contemplation to fully understand, while others are more straightforward and read like a novel.

My favorite fragment was "On the Origin of Species" and the metaphor of a plastic bag, which is compared to humans, especially those who travel in search of themselves but never settle down. These travelers, like the plastic bag, seem delicate and frail at first glance, but this is an illusion—they are long-lived and almost indestructible. They are pure forms seeking content, but quickly tire of it, throwing themselves to the wind once more.

“Flights” is not an easy read, but it deserves 5 stars. The translation is beautiful, and it’s well-read, although some of the foreign names and words could have been pronounced with greater care.

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Narration irritating

This is great book by an amazing author. It is narrated in a posh, highly-strung, gender stereotyped, irritating voice. I regret i downloaded it. I will buy a copy to read

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Vague and unfulfilling

Was hoping for a hard-to-define, engaging and thought-provoking listen like Maria Popova's Figuring, but this was rambling and whimsical without ever seeming to arrive at a point, or a point of interest. I certainly don't recognise it as a novel about travel or the human body, as it is described. It seems more like a collection of of rather peripatetic thoughts.

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Brilliant writing but not a novel

The writing and some of the stories in this collection are mesmerising but be aware that this is not a novel. Included in the series of stories ranging from vignettes to novellas are some haunting tales; a Polish man on holiday in Croatia whose wife and child disappear, a Russian woman with an urge to escape a life dictated by love for her disabled child. Loosely linked by themes of flight and the cage that is the body, the stories build in power. Stick with it and you won't be disappointed.

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3 people found this helpful

Unusual and peaceful

I loved the way Olga took us on the traveling board of different personalities. Genius

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1 person found this helpful

Brilliant

Amazing iteration of that hybrid genre the lyric essay, fantastic translation and excellent narration. Loved this. Highly recommended if you’re not looking for plot, which I never am!

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Pretentious ramblings

Endured 4 hours before I gave up completely. The book comes across as the pretentious disconnected ramblings of someone trying to find underlying meaning where there is none. The voice of the narrator is also unappealing and distracting. Perhaps it would be (slightly) better as a written book than an audiobook but somehow I doubt that, since the content itself if so uninspiring.

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Pointless

I have to admit to enduring only 3 hours before giving up and skipping through. This is not a novel but a vignette off various unconnected bits of travel related stories.... Some might find it dreamy but I found it dull, pointless, irritating and jarring...I rarely don't finish a book, but this I could not figure on for more than five minutes. Maybe it's a better read than a listen although I am a touch bemused b as to how's it won the booker prize...

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4 people found this helpful

The voice is too annoying to continue

Got it and thought it would be a good supplement for my paper version. The voice of the narrator is too unsettling to continue. Such a shame. I regret did not listen to the sample first.

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