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Title: The Monsters of Templeton

Author: Lauren Groff

Narrator: Liza Ross

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-15-08

Publisher: Oakhill Publishing Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

So begins The Monsters of Templeton, a novel of mystery, hubris, obsession, passion and revenge spanning two centuries, where the dead rise up to tell their sides of the story and the living are haunted by the sins of the past.

Part a contemporary account of a girl's search for her father, part an historical novel, and part a ghost story, this spellbinding story has at its core the revelation of how one town holds the secret of the family.

Shortlisted for the Orange Broadband Award for New Writers 2008

Critic Reviews:

"A fantastically fun read, a kind of wild pastiche that is part historical novel and part mystery, with a touch of supernatural thrown in for good measure" (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Great read

Very easy to listen to. I went through this story very quickly. Interesting characters and a good amount of intrigue.

Too many issues

I think most reviewers agree; Groff is an indisputably capable writer. The prose in this book is effortless and quite beautiful. I was even fond of the protagonist, Willie, who seems to be the primary source of scorn for other low-star reviewers. And I was intrigued by the mystical undercurrents of ghosts, monsters and other mysteries that Groff has woven into this narrative.

But, for a whole variety of reasons, Monsters of Templeton just didnt work for me. After completing only one-third (Ive listened to 4h out of 12h total), Im afraid I just cant bear the thought of another 8h so Im reluctantly putting this book aside and moving on.

Too much time was spent framing the genealogical search through past generations yawn. No amount of remarkable closet-skeletons can entice me to keep track of six(?) generations of characters and innumerable illegitimate (i.e. confusing) pregnancies.

This brings me to a specific criticism of this audio version. Liza Ross does a fine job with the narration, but she is expected to portray many first-person narrators. Including an Irish immigrant from the 1800s and a Jamaican slave from the 1700s. Those chapters were terrible and cringey. But I dont blame Ross this was too much to ask for any voice actor.

Ive read other critiques of Monsters, that claim Groff struggled to give her numerous characters unique "voices". Imagine how extra difficult this is with an audio version where literally the same voice is used for every character. Using just one reader was, in my opinion, a wasted opportunity to really bring this story to life.

I dont feel good writing this review I can tell Groff is a supremely talented story-teller. I just felt this particular story wasnt right for me.