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5 out of 5 stars
By
Jim "The Impatient"
on
05-28-17
I'M THE OLD MOLDY CHEESE
SOMETIMES A DUCK IS JUST A DUCK
Another fantastic book in the kid's section. Palacio handles a tough topic in a beautiful and wonderful way. Beauty is subjective and changes with the latest fad. Of all deformities, one to the face, which can not be hidden has to be the worst. August is a brave soul, with little choice and must learn to deal with his face and how others react. Get your hanky ready, you will need it. I liked this from the beginning, it is always entertaining, but I really did not feel invested until four hours in. It was a five star listen up to four hours, it just got goosed up a bit in the middle and stayed that way to the end. Don't scoff at the junior high war, I was the center of one in my eight grade year It changed my outlook on life and people for the rest of my life.
Narrator
It was not until after listening and getting ready to write this review that I realized some people had trouble with the narration. August had a gruff sounding voice, done by a woman, but I just figured it was the result of his deformities and surgeries. A girl does the boy voice in Room and a girl does Bart Simpson. Women doing young boy voices is fairly common.
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138 of 164 people found this review helpful
4 out of 5 stars
By
Kathy
on
09-10-14
A wonderful story for all ages!
Firstly, I'd like to address the narration. It seems a few readers were very put off by the female rendition of Augie s voice. At first, it seemed to me like an odd choice. However, as the book progressed, I got accustomed to it. I took into account that Augie had multiple facial deformities, including a cleft palate that was not yet completely repaired. He was also very small for his age. Under any circumstances, his speech/voice would have been somewhat odd and not entirely normal. I came to look forward to his chapters and listening to him narrate. So, for me, it was a positive, and I really enjoyed the narrator's interpretation of his voice.
As for the story, I loved everything about it. I really miss it now that I am done and keep wishing there was more. I actually miss Augie! This is a book that can be enjoyed by all ages; it is not just for middle school kids. I really liked hearing the viewpoints of the different characters and felt the author was successful in giving them each their own chapters. This book has so many good messages and it should go a long way in fostering understanding and tolerance of differences. It would be wonderful if it was required reading for preteen students. It brought smiles to my face and tears to my eyes and it had a very feel-good ending that I think was realistic and believable.
A highly recommended informative and fun listen!
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47 of 57 people found this review helpful