The Literary Apothecary

Audiobook narrated by Simon Vance

19th Century Classic. A Victorian Romance!

I reat this through audible (audio) only and while it was great background book to listen to whilst doing other things, due to so many characters coming and going, it was hard to keep track of. In fact, after I finished I went to look up the plot only to find out the main point of the story was a romance (according to Goodreads) – not necessarily a bad thing, mind you – it just felt like there was a lot more happening.

CAWPILE breakdown:

Characters: 7 – As I mentioned, it felt like there were so many characters that it was hard to keep track. But the ones that I did notice regularly, I enjoyed.

Atmosphere/Setting: 8.5 – From what I know of Victorian England, the atmosphere and setting were very much on point.

Writing Style: 6 – It’s not that Hardy’s writing style is bad, it just doesn’t exite me. It is easy for me to tune out.

Plot: 6.5 – This category is hard for me to rate fairly. The true plot itself is simple, some would say effective: a romance between two characters. Easy enough. Was it me or the writing style or the audiobook narration by Vance (or a combination) that led me to believe there was more? Is that bad Should I take that into account here?

Intrigue: 3 – There wasn’t really a whole lot of intrigue for me here. Perhaps it was me, perhaps the writing – I just didn’t feel it.

Logic/Relationships: 7 – In the end, when I read a short summary, it all made sense. The relationships could have been a bit better, more distinct in some cases.

Enjoyment: 5 – As a background audiobook it did fine. This is my second (or third?) Thomas Hardy novel and it felt as The Return of the Native did: good, not great, audiobook narration stole the show.

CAWPILE total: 37/7 = 5.2 = 3.5 stars