Friday

Almost A Perfect, This Time.

I love the story of Friday, a super sexy courier in a future world that is both very close to where we are now and also very different. The "tech level" in this book doesn't distract the modern user like some of RAH's older books (it was published in the '80s). This is very much one of my favorite Heinlein books and I'd love to see it done into a movie.

That being said, this audio presentation misses the five star mark. While having a female narrator makes this audio vastly superior than the one that went before (what were they thinking!?), the characterizations were a little flat and so were the emotions. The narration was such that, if I wasn't careful, I'd slip away from being engrossed in the story, and pay attention to the voice.

Overall, it's a good audiobook and a great story set in a world you could come to believe is right around the corner from the world we are in now,

25 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Fun For Heinlein Fans

If there is a part of you that longs for just a little bit more Robert Heinlein and you've already torn through his great works, then this book is for you.

The story is pure adventure. From the opening moments the story is full of excitement and novelty. The narrator has a great I'm-going-to-sound-a-bit-like-a-ditz-but-it-is-an-act-and-I-am-smarter-than-you tone which captures the first person narrative of the protagonist Friday.

My only critique is that somewhere around 60% of the way through I stared asking myself, "where the heck is this going?" but I didn't really care that much, the story was interesting and so as Heinlein made his explorations of alternative family structures and waxes theoretical about life, I just let it ride.

It is the greatest Heinlein book? No, it isn't. The plot does drag and the characters are not quite as gripping as some of this other works. But if you've already scoured his great works and you're looking for a hidden gem and a little bit more from the great master then this book is for you.

Go Friday!

19 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

You could almost like this

This is one of my favorite later works of Heinlein. I purchased the original version with a male reader that left quite a bit to be desired. This reader seemed to portray the book substantially better... until the deadly words were encountered.
Please, readers, try to familiarize yourself with terms in science and, if necessary, military and quasi-military. The thing that kills an audio book worse than anything else is when the reader hasn't a clue what they're reading. The most egregious example of this in this book was the substitution of the word "commandment" for the title of "commandant". There were other instances, but this one just stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb.
If you can grit your teeth and avoid rolling your eyes (especially if listening while driving) when one of these goofs occurs, then the rest of the book is actually quite passable and well done.

20 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Worth the credit

Not the best Heinlein novel by far, but still a quite refreshing story. The narrator really made the difference for me by giving this vagrant novel the tiny bit extra to keep it interesting and funny.

5 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Compelling from the start

Where does Friday rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Friday is a wonderful book brought to life by audio. I read this book 30 years ago and thought it was great. Audio makes it complete.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Friday?

I loved the end! I always thought she was great with kids and the end confirmed it. I like that Heinlein gave her a heart.

What does Hillary Huber bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She gave a vioce to Friday, and I wasn't disappointed.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would prefer to listen to the story in one session, except for the fact that it is very long. I don't think I can stay up that long.

Any additional comments?

This has always been one of my favorite sci-fi books. Being able to listen to it has been a great experience.

4 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Not Exactly What I Was Expecting

Robert Heinlein is my favorite author & I've read this particular book several times. When I saw that there was finally an unabridged audio version with a female narrator (don't get me started on male narrators being chosen to read books with first-person female protagonists), I was eager to start listening.

Unfortunately, the narrator is the reason that I'm unable to give this book five stars. There was just something about her delivery that made Friday & a few other characters sound *too* contemporary (when Heinlein's writing style relies heavily on mannerisms from the last century.) To her credit, she did a good job with "the Boss."

That isn't to say the narration was bad - she just failed to capture the main character for me. Otherwise, the author's voice comes through loud and clear - and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book as a good representation of RAH's work.

12 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

Ah... much better.

This is one of those books that wanders a bit, but the way Heinlein wanders is almost fun. This is a peek at a future world from the point of view of an artificial person. Friday is a super-spy, built to succeed, and very good at what she does. Her world is very interesting.

Previous versions of this book were read by a male reader who made her sound like a bimbo. I'd gotten over that, but it actually made adjusting to this reader a little difficult. At first I did not like the reader (though still admitting she was better than the old one), but she grew on me.

14 les gens ont trouvé cela utile

One of my favorite Heinlein books. I have several!

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

Enjoyable across the board. Heinlein is so easy to read in his conversational style of writing that his books are a shear delight. The story is exciting and thought provoking and the narration is a bonus.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Friday?

Her numerous escapes from danger.

What about Hillary Huber’s performance did you like?

I needed just a little time to associate the narrator's voice to the character because I had started a different version than that of Ms. Huber but once I did I really appreciated her voice acting skill as she gave each character a unique accent.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Fun listen of the future past.

Where does Friday rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

An interesting look at what the future could look like. Heinlein imbues Friday with an enjoyably believable woman's perspective. Strong, well done, women of action are refreshing even today. As always, RAH's world building is first rate.

What about Hillary Huber’s performance did you like?

Hillary Huber's performance is first rate, well worth listening to.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

The best book ever written without a plot

I read a review of Friday as "The best book ever written without a plot."

I read that review after I read the book.

It's just about what happens to a woman called Friday, set against a background of a future where society is very different from how it is today.

It's dated now -- the book pre-dates the Internet but anticipates it, for example. So it's an interesting snapshot of what people in the 1970s would have thought of us in the 21st Century.

The world is at war (surprise, surprise) and Friday is a courier -- a dangerous job -- which involves getting physical objects past inquisitive border guards.

She's resourceful, sexy, sassy and fun.

One day, her whole world goes completely pear-shaped, and she has to dig herself out of a deep hole.

I liked the narration. The writing is engaging, the characters are charming and menacing by turns. All in all, a wonderful escapist read. I loved it.

3 les gens ont trouvé cela utile