What would have made Isla and the Happily Ever After better?
A different narrator (ANY other female narrator) would have been an improvement. Let me put it this way: Grace Blewer's narration "BLEW." She failed to grasp Isla's character. Isla is supposed to be quiet, shy & reserved; however, Blewer's narration is loud, IRKSOME & hurried. She used the same loud & grating voice throughout the entire novel, & she failed to effectively modulate her voice-- all of the characters (both female & male) sound the same. Blewer's performance was similar to that of an amateur who was reading a script for the very first time. Furthermore, she mispronounced many of the foreign words (which is abominable, considering that much of the novel takes place in Paris & Barcelona).... Isla is supposed to be a quiet, shy, sensitive & incredibly intelligent heroine. I think that a talented female narrator, such as Julia Whelan, could have truly captured Isla's personality, effectively portrayed the voices of Josh & the other male characters, & pronounced the foreign words correctly & seamlessly.
Would you be willing to try another book from Stephanie Perkins? Why or why not?
YES. I own & have read all of Stephanie Perkins' novels. In addition to owning the audiobooks, I also own hardback & digital copies of her books. The narrators for "Anna & the French Kiss" & "Lola & the Boy Next Door" were fine. However, I will NEVER purchase another audiobook narrated by Grace Blewer. IT'S DISGRACEFUL THAT LISTENING LIBRARY & AUDIBLE ARE EVEN ATTEMPTING TO SELL THIS PERFORMANCE. For the sake of artistic integrity (as well as business integrity), I believe that "Isla & the Happily Ever After" should be re-recorded by another artist & that this particular version should be taken out of circulation.
What didn’t you like about Grace Blewer’s performance?
*** Please refer to my comments above.***
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
In my opinion, "Isla & the Happily Ever After" is the weakest Stephanie Perkins novel to date. I didn't find the connection between the main characters (Isla & Josh) as convincing as the relationships between previous characters (Anna/Etienne or Lola/Cricket). However, the weaknesses in the plot & writing are NOTHING compared to the horrendous narration. Over the past 8 years, I've probably listened to more than 700 audiobooks, & Grace Blewer's narration of "Isla & the Happily Ever After" is, by far, the WORST performance that I have ever heard. Therefore, my predominant response to this audiobook was "anger"-- anger that such a subpar performance could even be released to the public & anger that I wasted valuable time & money on such a dreadful product.
Any additional comments?
Over the past 8 years, I've probably listened to more than 700 audiobooks, & Grace Blewer's narration of "Isla & the Happily Ever After" is, by far, the WORST performance that I have ever heard.