Very factual

I live near the Biltmore Estate and it truly is amazing!!! This book was very informative but I have to say it was painfully obvious the author/narrator is not trained to perform/read audiobooks. Her tone, intonation and “performance” totally hampered this story. This is not nearly the quality we expect from audible. My only thought is the author made it a requirement that she be the narrator. The book is marketed as a story but it was read like a textbook.

29 people found this helpful

Good story. Needs new narrator.

Narration made me wince on so many occassions I was unable to finish listening. American accent with absolutely no ability to pronoune or enunciate French/foreign words. Isnt there an equivalent of a book editor for audio? Did someone not listen to this before releasing??

10 people found this helpful

So dissappointed. Read The Girls of Atomic City...

...instead. Kiernan wrote that and it was absolutely fascinating. Not this one. It's rare that I give any nonfiction I listen to less than three stars--most gets a 4 with the occasional 5. Really, this felt like one star to me and the only reason I'm giving it 2 is decent writing, a ton of information imparted, and the amount of research Kiernan must have done. And it's probably better in print than in audio.

I downloaded this because Kiernan wrote it. I skimmed the synopsis, which seemed interesting. A month later, I listened. 3 chapters in I wondered who and what the book was about. Hundreds of names had already been mentioned and I couldn't keep track of who they were and if they were important to the story.

Like another book I listened to recently, I slept through a couple hours total of the book, did not rewind and listened to part of it on 1.5 speed, never a good sign.

Bottom line issue: With The Girls of Atomic City, she had first person accounts to draw from, people she interviewed. She didn't with this book. While there are some personal letters quoted, it's not enough to flesh out ANY of the zillion characters so it reads like a stream of hundreds of facts with names attached, few of which I will remember.

24 people found this helpful

Interesting story, awful prose, terrible narration

The story of the creation of Biltmore and its industries is interesting and worthy of a book. Having no reason to doubt any of the information in this title, I accept that the facts in it are correct. However, the narrator's grating voice, wooden tone and poor pronunciation of French combined with her tortuously mannered prose and frequently unfounded conclusions to elicit several groans an hour from me as I listened. This may sound unkind. I do not mean to be so. But this production is so far below the standard I've come to expect from Audible that it is only fair to note. I know that Audible was not responsible for the style of writing (and perhaps a sense that the story of Biltmore needed to be told overruled any reservations on that point) but some courageous soul in audio production should have been brutally honest with the author that she would do no good to her book by reading it aloud herself.

4 people found this helpful

Very nice capturing of the gilded age

Came here after re-reading Devil in the White city… Enjoyed the crossover of stories and key figures, well-written and paced , brings my visit to Biltmore from decades ago back to life –narration just a bit lacking , but I come from the voiceover world so probably a little extra critical – overall an enjoyable listen, and very nice capturing of the period.

2 people found this helpful

Reading of your book

I wish you had chosen someone else to read this wonderful story. At times I found myself falling asleep to your voice! It’s a wonderful story and very,very through any next time I’m in Asheville I want to go to Biltmore!!

2 people found this helpful

Poignant saga beautifully narrated

The author’s exhaustive research - and the fact that she lives in Asheville - provide a touching experience to this book. It is an enlightening and instructive journey. The far-reaching effects of George Vanderbilt’s prescient eco-vision have been, and will be, appreciated for generations.

1 person found this helpful

It’s like class work

It’s like class work. No lilt in reader’s voice. It’s a nuts and bolts account of things.

10 Hours of listening is a must if seeing the Biltmore Estate!

Before visiting-You will want to listen to the entire history of how the Biltmore became The Biltmore Estate! Fascinating story - you will hear bits and bobs of information that you will see when you see the Biltmore Estate!

Good history of Biltmore

I listened to this book prior to visiting the Biltmore and am so happy I did. It made the experience much more enjoyable and I learned more from the book than I did on the tour!