Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
It kept my just entertained enough to be satisfied while I ran errands, so from that point of view it was a credit well spent. Not a favorite though.
Have you listened to any of Stevie Zimmerman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Her performance was lovely, but this audio—like Metzger's others—had some production problems with skipping/repeating. Nothing too bothersome though.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Actually, a Lifetime Original Movie isn't a bad analogy for what this short story collection is. Moderately amusing fluff that does the job well enough if you're in the kind of mood, but is otherwise not particularly noteworthy.
Any additional comments?
The mildly frustrating thing about these stories is that I know Metzger is a better writer than she displays here. Indeed, the stories all had flashes of great wit and humor—it just wasn't sustained the way it ought to have been. For example, the idea of the dog Imp (in the third story) was brilliant, and I so wish it had been better fleshed out. Read 'A Loyal Companion' for a much better example of what the author's capable of.
As a side note, this is the first Metzger book I've run into that has anything resembling risque language or adult references. It doesn't bother me—and the references are quite mild by most standards—but it's sufficient that this is one audiobook I'd be careful about playing around my grandmother. Just a heads up for anyone else that's used to putting Metzger's books on in the car with conservative ears around.