Comments on: Grizelda

By: Starla Huchton

Starla Huchton — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:42:12 +0000

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but I needed a YA audiobook for a roadtrip with the kids. I was immediately drawn to this one, and with good reason. The quality of writing surpasses much of the same-old-same-old out there. The characters were well-described and the story leaves you wanting more tales from the world Taylor creates.

The narration was adequate. Not terribly grating, but not the smoothest voice to listen to. My only issues with this podcast were audio issues. The music at the beginning of each episode is much louder than the narration and we constantly had to adjust the sound. This was also the case any time there was any shouting. A quick run through with Levelator would have fixed this issue, so it’s a bit substandard in that way. Also, as a YA novel, I was not expecting the “s***” bomb to be dropped in one of the last episodes, so be on the lookout for that too.

Overall, I do recommend this podcast. I was very entertained, and so were my kids. The story is a perfect choice for any age listener who is craving a story without gore, sex, and (for the most part) expletives.

By: quandmeme

quandmeme — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:15:37 +0000

I don’t know how to take lack of any use for magic. On one hand it played up the unfair branding of this poor little girl. But on the other hand the draw of fantasy books about an outcast witch is the magic. I was waiting for an army of origami cranes to overwhelm the prison or something. I guess that’s it, I really didn’t expect some one to pull in a favor and the whole climax to deflate. Wasn’t expecting the fizzle.

If I were to take a crack an alternate chapter 29, it would be that some of the goblins were persuaded that the regime was a common enemy with Grizelda and that if that there would be a deal with the undergrounders to help coordinate between Goblin communes in exchange for a massive goblin-assisted breakout. Grizelda and Toby still get captured and still have to flee in order to lay the foundation for a sequel, but instead of deflating, the themes built so well up to that point would have a launching point in the sequel instead of just a back story. O yeah, and a swarm of origami cranes, too.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 23:53:49 +0000

I loved this book and I’ve been telling friends about it. I was first drawn to politics and sociology but stayed for the lost yet determined little girl. The world is compelling and original, the characters, whether goblins, humans or pixies, feel real. This is easy to categorize as “youth literature,” but adults won’t want to stop listening.

The audio quality is fine, the narration is surprisingly good. I have no complaints because the author never kept me waiting for a week between episodes, she had it posted nearly as fast as I could listen to it.

I’ve listened to a lot of podiobooks, but there aren’t many that have been as thoughtful, well-written or appealing as Grizelda.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:45:04 +0000

Enjoyed the book, definitely lots of social commentary going on, but even with that the story is quite enjoyable.

By: per ove sleen

per ove sleen — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 08:30:26 +0000

This might be a good book, I’ll never know cos the “Hissing” and “popping” from the “cheap” “came with the earphones for 1 buck a pop” microphone, is just to much of a p.i.a.
To bad.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:17:11 +0000

Well, I got a lot of inspiration from real people and cultures, especially the French Revolution. I’m not trying to drive home some sort of a message about 1790s France, however. It was just a jumping-off point.

Glad you enjoyed it!

By: telriche

telriche — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 03:41:36 +0000

Good book so far. Very interesting concepts. I would like to ask, though, is this commentary on previously existing or currently existing phenomena? I can see how the different cultures in the book could be allegories to numerous real cultures.
Keep it up.