Excellent

Wow, I really enjoyed this intriguing short story and LOVED the narration. My only reservation (hence the 4 stars instead of 5) was the way the story kind of diverged off at the finale. It felt like the author didn't quite know how to wrap it up. But overall, a great story. Amor Towles is a wonderful writer.

8 people found this helpful

A little disappointing

2.75 out of 5 stars

The start of this one was interesting. I honestly had no idea what I was getting into. I’ve been trying to read books without fully fleshing out the synopsis. This one, since I was already interested in the other books in this series – I go into without even reading about it. Judging from the title I thought it was going to be something about self driving cars or something like that. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

It’s hard to describe a book that’s shorter like this one in the “typical” fashion but the beginning of this (when we first find out about the technology) is fascinating. Even for being a short story – Towles is still slow playing the build up a bit and I respected that. Not reading the synopsis just lead to further suspense as I tried to figure out this new technologies fatal flaw.

The first 50% or so of this book I felt like I knew where it was going. The second 50% felt like it was almost another book. It obviously fits into the story but the beginning and end were so different I’m honestly not sure how I feel about it. I don’t expect to leave a story “satisfied” and I feel dirty even typing that, but this book left me with as many questions as it did answers.

Towels writing style made the story fly by along with the narration by David Harbour – but the ending (or lack thereof) kind of flopped this one a bit for me. You Have Arrived At Your Destination was one of the rare cases (in my eyes) where I think a longer story would have done it justice. I feel like the length of this one held it back a bit. It was almost like Towles was trying to be clever and end it on a complete surprise.

7 people found this helpful

4.01 stars

This is the first story I've listened to from this series. I'm a fan of this author and will listen to anything he writes, which led me to this story story that ended up being really good. I may give a few of the others a try after listening to this one. If your a fan of Towles' work, I'm sure you will like this. I'm usually not all that much of a fan of short stories. I prefer longer works that go more in depth. That being said: this is one of the better short works I've heard or read.

Overall rating: 4.01 stars

7 people found this helpful

Best narrator I've ever heard

The story itself is a little underwhelming but the narrator has the best story telling voice there is! I would listen to anything by this guy!

6 people found this helpful

What is this, a scam?

I rally enjoyed Amor's first two, especially Gentleman. This book began with a clever tease, then evaporated. I want my money back!

4 people found this helpful

mature and well-written

this is sophisticated sci-fi with some very interesting themes. it might be more interesting to people with a few years under their belt. there is a lot of talk about what it means to grow up and get over the self-centered egotism of youth. not everyone with many years reaches adulthood. some become adults quite young, others in middle of age, and a few when they are old. this story's best sections are about what it means to get past the fantasies driven by a self-centered ego and accept the world as it really is.

3 people found this helpful

Excellent Narration

I want David Harbour to narrate every book on Audible now. He was simply fantastic.

2 people found this helpful

Enjoyable hour

Quick listen, enjoyed the story. The story is interesting in that it leads to a lot of introspection.

2 people found this helpful

Good Writer, Eh Story

Narration: 3.75⭐️

A technically well-written meditation on the slippery-slope of society's somewhat heedless embrace of every new technological advancement and lack of introspection. As Sam sits in the fertility lab and contemplates how his child may grow up, he reflects on his own life, choices and relationships.

The story started off great and seemed like it wanted to put a new spin on the ethics of future-tech, but, honestly, it just tapered off into lifetime reflections via beer-goggles. Something that's been done and better.

The narration is good, if a bit dodgy in places. When Harbour is into the story, his voicework and narration is great, but early on, there is little distinction between his narration and the main character's voice.

1 person found this helpful

very intriguing

I thought this story was going to go one way but I got surprised as it went along. The thoughts of being able to map out the life of your child is definitely enticing to many. As I saw how the story unfolded it made me reflect on my past life and how I'm a reflection of my parents and think about the direction I'm influencing my child. A great listen.