story good - reader bad

This is a good story with a lot of action and mystery. Hawk and Susan are in the story, and that is alway a plus for me; however, the presentation is not at all good. Burt Reynolds does NOT do a good Spencer voice and the accents he uses for his other characters are just over the top. He also does NOT to a good Hawk. I really had a hard time listening to this audiobook - it was a chore to listen all the way through. The only reason it got a "2" instead of a "1" from me is because Robert Parker did his usual good writing job. Too bad Burt Reynolds ruined it.

4 people found this helpful

Best narration of the series

The languid pace of the read and the pleasure the narrator seems to take from Parkers creations gives me the feeling that he enjoys the Spencer series as much as I do.

Mr. Reynolds seems the savor every sentence and I feel akin to him as we journey together. He also tips a glimpse of sublime talent that shows through despite Parkers spartan fare.

I cant help but wonder what he might be like, had he a little more to work with.

I wish the whole series was available with this reader.

3 people found this helpful

The best reading ever of a Spenser novel.

What made the experience of listening to Chance the most enjoyable?

I dissed Burt Reynolds for his other readings, and this one makes me sorry.The ones I heard before sounded as if he were severely medicated, but this is Burt on his game, and it makes me wish he'd do more. You know, he never was just a pretty face.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Not a very intricate story, but for me character is what I like best about Parkers' work.

Have you listened to any of Burt Reynolds’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This is the best one I've heard.

2 people found this helpful

Parker as always, Narration a horror!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Hire a different narrator. I read the hardback version of this book and was looking forward to listening to the audio version. I did not expect to be chronically irritated and distracted by Reynolds' phlegmy, gutteral, whiny versions of the voices...to the point that I removed my earplugs every time Jesse Ventura began to speak. Also, he mispronounced simple words in the text. What a shame. This is a terrific story that was ruined by a totally inept narrator.

What other book might you compare Chance to and why?

None.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Burt Reynolds was a charming actor, and I've heard him read one other Parker book. In the other novel, his voice didn't flummox me with its grating, unrealistic tone. In CHANCE the narration was so distracting that it was impossible to ignore its poor quality to listen to the story. It sounded as though he needed to clear his throat or nose. In addition, I resent the mispronunciation of words over and over again. Very unprofessional.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Chance?

I would edit every scene in which Shirley Ventura appears. The scene between Spenser and Shirley in a restaurant was overly long and painful to read, and her drunken, loutish behavior didn't contribute to the story.

2 people found this helpful

Good book, laughable performance...

I STILL enjoyed the book...Parker is a master at this sort of thing, and, like all Spenser novels, the book itself is a pleasure.
Burt Reynolds? That's more complicated. On the plus side, his voice has the sort of gravitas required to make a crime novel into a successful audiobook. Then there's the minus side; Reynolds continually, destroys the meaning of sentences by not understanding the syntax. He pronounces "moot", as in "it's a moot point", as "mute". All of this sort of stuff is annoying, especially in someone who is ostensibly an actor....but the voices are the worst...any blue collar character is invested with an accent that sounds straight from Alabama or Mississippi, which would be fine, except for the fact that the book is set in Boston. Occasionally, a character WILL start out with a Boston accent, but it always becomes a southern accent within 30 seconds or so. White collar characters all sound like the worst parody of an effete ivy leaguer. Hawk comes off okay, and Spenser, most erudite of PIs, is okay aside from often mispronouncing words.
In short, the reading is almost bad enough to destroy the enjoyment of the book, but not quite...still, given a choice, I'd much prefer listening to Joe Mantegna or Michael Pritchard, both of whom do Spenser justice.

2 people found this helpful

Good story, bad narration

AS soon as Burt Reynolds mispronounced the first word early in the listening, I knew it was going to be rough. And his rendition of Hawkis terrible. Joe Mantegna is the best narrator for this series.

4 people found this helpful

Burt Reynolds is amazing 👏 😍 ❤❤

I couldn't figure out what was going on until the very end! WTG Mr. Reynolds on the terrific narration! Holy cow 🐄! This was the BEST listen I've had in a long time. ❤❤❤

1 person found this helpful

How to wreck a good story

Would you consider the audio edition of Chance to be better than the print version?

No

What was one of the most memorable moments of Chance?

Any of Spencer's wisecracking.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

"Bernard J. FORTUNO"?"LiBERRY"?Makes Hawk sound like an idiot.Narration is so bad, it is difficult to listen to.

Any additional comments?

Won't listen to this one again.

1 person found this helpful

Too many characters to keep track of in this one

It was hard for me to keep all the bad guys straight. I found it to be tedious at times and wished for it to end.

Narrator is difficult to tune out

Eventually Burt Reynolds narrates the main character satisfactorily; however his portrayal of the other characters is distracting, annoying and made the book almost impossible to listen to.