Great at 1.5 speed

What about Nelson Runger’s performance did you like?

I liked the voice alright. However, I think 10 hours of the 40 hour book were the narrator's pauses between sentences. I listened at 1 and a half speed and loved it then.

60 people found this helpful

Fascinating, But Could Have Been Shortened

Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt are among the most remarkable people in the 20th century world, and the roles they played out during his 12 years in the White House is an incredible story.

This book focuses on the period from May 1940 to FDR's death, and details (and I do mean DETAILS) the day to day activities of the President and First Lady over that period... not every day by any means, but Goodwin has thoroughly presented both the public and private lives and what everyone said about most everything it seems. My only quibble is that, at times, I felt like there was just too much information about who said what to whom and about whom. Now it can be argued that the Roosevelts had so many important relationships that it was necessary to present all of these for context, and I get that. After all, the White House was like a rooming house during their presidency, with many people from outside of the family living there, and so there were lots of relationships. All of this makes for a very long book.

That quibble aside, the story is what it is, a story of two very exceptional people who had a flawed relationship (at least in terms of what we traditionally expect marriage to be). Goodwin shows us both the good and the bad, and at times I found myself admring FDR and Eleanor, at times I found myself pitying them, and at time I found myself irritated at them for their obvious foibles.

But the real value of this book seems to be in the documentation of the times, and the amazing story of America's movement from isolation to combatant in World War II, and the incredible transformation this movement caused in American society. As I read this book and its story of opportunities for women and for blacks, I found myself eager to talk to my dad about his work as a WAC recruiter early in the war, and in so doing, heard personal stories from he and my mom about their life during the war (they were married in October 1942). I probably would never have heard those stories if not for this book, so I am so grateful.

I recently read Churchill's World War II memoirs, so this was a fitting follow-up to that story, and as a result of this combination, I believe I now understand much more both about the War, and about the various political influences at work during that era, and the realization that if Roosevelt and Churchill had not been in the places they were during that war, I wonder how different the world would be today. (Different bad, not different good.)

57 people found this helpful

Solid historical reporting made personal.

Would you consider the audio edition of No Ordinary Time to be better than the print version?

I can't say as I haven't read the print version.

What other book might you compare No Ordinary Time to and why?

This is an intimate look inside the lives of FDR and the First Lady. In that regard, it reminds me somewhat of Caro's works on LBJ but with a more focused time frame.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Nelson Runger?

Yes. Good solid, workmanlike narration. Ringer brings the listener the book without getting in the way.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

They're all very interesting.

Any additional comments?

Very good book. Appropriate narration that was error-free. Recommend.

16 people found this helpful

Wonderfully written history of a pivotal time

Great story which more than stands on its own. No need for the annoyingly exaggerated rendition of the character's voices.

14 people found this helpful

Too much detail.

I struggled to finish this book. in the end I gave up with 10% of the book left. There was far too much detail on the trivia of life for my liking and I found the narrator's different voices for different characters really off putting. His voice for Eleanor Roosevelt was especially grating for me; I found it demeaning. The narrator's natural voice is just fine; in future I think he should just read all parts as written in his own voice.

11 people found this helpful

Great content but narration and production weak.

What did you like best about No Ordinary Time? What did you like least?

The combination of biography and history. I learned a lot. It is very well written. Least was the narration and the 20 second pauses between sections of chapters. There was less pausing b/w chapters.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Not applicable.

Would you be willing to try another one of Nelson Runger’s performances?

No

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Absolutely

10 people found this helpful

A rich and entertaining history

Doris Kearns Goodwin does a wonderful job of weaving numerous threads in this narrative history: the personal relationship between FDR and Eleanor; the political challenges FDR had to maneuver in, around, and over in his effort to fight fascism and lead the U.S. and then the whole alliance; the social and economic changes America went through during the course of the war; and all the personalities--from Harry Hopkins and Churchill to FDR's valet and his purple-haired catty cousin, Laura Delano. Roosevelt still takes plenty of criticism and was certainly no paragon of perfection, but there are times, as Goodwin clearly conveys, when, even 70 years later, you have to thank our lucky stars that FDR was President when he was--and Churchill PM when he was. And to get all this well-recounted history told with Nelson Runger's calm, wise and companionable voice makes it an all-around 5-star pleasure.

27 people found this helpful

A Treasure

Doris Kearns Goodwin gave the nation an invaluable gift by weaving together so many primary documents to write this book. She brings both Eleanor and FDR to life and in doing so gives voice to the sub-themes of the 1940s such as race, gender issues, xenophobia, etc. It's a US History teacher's dream. Unfortunately the narration left something to be desired; aside from some non-standard pronunciations I was baffled as to why he chose to read Eleanor's lines in the most silly, sing-songy voice that made her sound like an out-of-touch dimwit. Fortunately the history speaks so loudly that despite that distraction, listeners come away with the true picture of who she was.

14 people found this helpful

Weighty

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Kearns-Goodwin knows how to tell a story and this doesn't disappoint in narrative. Highly recommended for the detailed insights it provides into the unusual lives of the main characters AND for the picture it paints of a time in the not too distant past that in many ways was so very different from our own. Even as it confirms ongoing themes of our social debate, it's just incredible to see how much the collective view of what's right and what's wrong has changed. Also the reader grows to understand how the complementary personalities of Eleanor and Franklin made the whole so much stronger than the parts.My main criticism of the audiobook is that it goes into so much depth in so many particulars as to leave the listener's mind to wander from time to time. Taken a couple of hours at a time, it took most of a month to get through. If I'd read it I would probably have skimmed several parts.

11 people found this helpful

This reader detracted from this book for me.

Would you try another book from Doris Kearns Goodwin and/or Nelson Runger?

Perhaps. I read it BECAUSE Doris Kearns Goodwin had written it. I've seen her on PBS, and I've always liked her work.

Sadly, Mr. Runger, I will be avoiding your narrations in the future.

What did you like best about this story?

Ms. Goodwin's thorough research.

What didn’t you like about Nelson Runger’s performance?

1. He has a melodromatic style. Remember Gary Owens, the announcer on "Laugh In" who "over did" his narration. Mr. Runger has that style. Sadly, I fear he is not trying to be ironic or comedic as Mr. Owens certainly was.

2. His women, especially Elanor (Elanor Franklin for goodness sake) were thin, wispy, vapid.

3. I finished the whole book. I did not enjoy it, I ENDURED it. The reading was very, very difficult to abide.

9 people found this helpful