"How I Met My Husband" by Alice Munro, read by Amy Ryan/"The Meeting" by Aimee Bender, read by Paul Hecht
Does the story/selection appeal to you? Why or why not?
What does the reader to do bring the story to life, create a vivid voice? How would you rate the telling of the story? What in particular did you like or dislike?
How I Met My Husband
ReplyDeleteDoes the story/selection appeal to you? Why or why not?
I didn't like the story as much mostly bc I felt like it dragged on. I didn't like how Edie ends up marrying the mailman instead of Chris. However, I feel like that has more to do with the fact that I had already made assumptions when the story started based off of the title and the fact that Chris was the only guy in the story (besides Dr. Peeble).
What does the reader to do bring the story to life, create a vivid voice?
Alice created a vivid voice as I felt like really knew what it was like to work for a wealthy family. I felt it was very easy to picture the house and the fair ground. Additionally, I liked that she read the story a subtle accent as it really added to the fact that Edie wasn't as wealthy or educated as the Peebles.
How would you rate the telling of the story? What in particular did you like or dislike?
I give the story a 7/10. I really liked how well Alice embodied Edie; however I felt that it was difficult at times to tell who was speaking because there wasn't too much of a variation between the characters voices.
The Meeting
Does the story/selection appeal to you? Why or why not?
I liked this story as it was much shorted than the first. I felt that because it is shorter it was easier to follow. Furthermore, I liked how independent the woman was: it felt more effortless in regards to relating to the character. Relating to Edie as a character was more difficult because I have had little experience working for someone much less living on a farm.
What does the reader to do bring the story to life, create a vivid voice?
The reader changed his tone of voice in order to create a vivid voice. It was not difficult to tell that when he originally met the woman that he was disgusted with her. However, by the end of the story you could really tell that he was growing more and more fond of her.
How would you rate the telling of the story? What in particular did you like or dislike?
I would give this story an 8.5/10. I really liked how the reader embodied the voice of the main character. However, I wish there was more dialogue between the two people as I found it entertaining how much they initially seem to dislike one another.
How I Met My Husband
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed this story. Although the length of it may not appeal to most people, I found that one of the best aspects of the story, as it allowed me to really become involved in the characters and get to know them much better. Unlike Chiara, I actually really liked the fact that Edy married the mailman instead of Chris, as I did not like Chris's character. I had a feeling from the beginning that he would not be the one she married, as he was much older and already had a fiancee. However, I do wish that the author had developed the relationship between Edy and the mailman, as it seemed quite short and rushed and did not match the rest of the story, which was highly detailed.
I felt that the reader of this short story did a very good job. She was easy to understand and maintained an accent for Edy throughout the story. She switched voices for the characters, which allowed the listener to have an even greater insight into the characters, especially Loretta's voice. I would give this story a 9 out of 10. I thought her pace was perfect and she was clear in her speech. I agree with Chiara in that sometimes the accents were a little difficult to differentiate; however, I thought she did a great job telling the story.
The Meeting
This story did not appeal to me as much as the first. It seemed very abrupt and moved at a quick pace; although, I did enjoy the story in itself. I actually found the man protagonist quite humorous, and I found myself telling him that he should let go and love the woman in the story, almost rooting for their relationship. He frustrated me on some levels, as I felt as if he was close-minded and arrogant. I agree with Chiara in that I felt the woman was a very strong character, and I liked her easy-going manner. She was a perfect opposite for the man.
The reader did a great job of bringing the story to life, as he created and maintained good accents for the characters. However, I did notice that it seems harder to embody the characters from a third person point of view than first person as in the first story. The accent for the man matched his personality extremely well though. I would rate this story an 8 out of 10. The reader's pauses, especially at the beginning, where dramatic and made a statement. His accents were excellent, as well; however, I felt as if he could have made the characters slightly "sassier" in a sense, to make it seem more as if their dislike was flirting rather than just plain dislike. Unfortunately, I did not like this story as much as the first, but I thought the reader did a good job of bringing it to life.
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ReplyDeleteHow I Met My Husband
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed listening to this story because of the details it included; my opinions align more with Natalie than Chiara because I also enjoyed it's length. I was glad that Edy didn't marry Chris because it made the story seem real. Honestly, the only twist I had expected that never happened was for her to receive the letter once she was married. The way she described her status in life combined with the details, and the ending made it all realistic to me. The belief I held that the events in the story could actually happen made it more engaging. Yet at the same time something about the accent the reader used, combined with the constant detail relaxed me. She did well delivering the dry humor that was scattered through out the story. I would rate her telling a 9/10 because though she had a consistant voice for Edy is was occasionally difficult to distinguish the other characters voiced. It was interesting without causing any stress which made it the perfect fit for the "bedtime story" I was looking for.
The Meeting
I understood that the repetition of certain phrases was for dramatic effect but even combined with the deep intense voice of the reader I didn't like it. I can't imagine a better way to deliver the story but I just didn't find it funny and felt like it was suppose to be. The problem wasn't that the characters weren't interesting but I didn't like the way that they were nearly complete strangers. I understood the importance of the man's hesitance to pursue the woman but I wanted to hear about how he interacted with her.
I agree with Chiara and Natalie and believe that the reader had consistent accents for each character and I liked all of them. He had a super cool voice in general as well. Though I didn't like the story I can't imagine another actor doing a better job reading it. I give him a 10/10. I think he did everything right.