Samyann
Written by Tess Gerritsen, narrated by Julia Whelan and Will Damron, an unabridged audiobook approximately seven hours long. This book came to me via an Audible Daily Deal which I jumped into based on previous Gerritsen books that I’ve enjoyed reading.
Playing With Fire has many, many reviews – ergo I’ll skip plot synopsis which you will easily find elsewhere.
Why I liked this book? Well, it is a heart-wrenching story of the holocaust, vividly descriptive in areas. If you’re squeamish about what took place in the camps during WWII this book isn’t for you – it’s pretty explicit. The audio production is superb, great narration, excellent with regard to the violin solos. I’ve no doubt that listening to Playing With Fire is much more satisfying than an ebook read. Very good audio production. Transitions between modern day and the war years is very smooth, nicely done.
Complaints? Not many, but a few. The book is only seven hours in length, ergo room enough for Gerritsen to flesh out the ending to a more satisfying conclusion. It seemed like efforts were being made to pull all the loose ends together quickly and wrap things up — and the story suffers as a result. Playing With Fire is really great tale that falls apart with a too-neat-and-tidy finish. Second complaint, believability with regard to the behavior of the main character. You’ll have to stretch imagination if you want to buy into her ‘black outs’ … but, hey … it’s fiction. For me this creates a dichotomy that pulls legitimacy from the rest of the book – the holocaust was very real.
Overall, Playing With Fire is recommended – especially in the audiobook format – with an ending you may find rushed and disappointing. A haunting and sad story, well narrated.
