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by Tom McNeal
read by W Morgan Sheppard
Brilliance Audio 2013
7 hours 35 minutes unabridged
Genres: fairy tale, young adult
Filed in: Audiobook Reviews
5 out of 5 halos
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: It says quite a lot about Jeremy Johnson Johnson that the strangest thing about him isn't even the fact his mother and father both had the same last name. Jeremy once admitted he's able to hear voices, and the townspeople of Never Better have treated him like an outsider since. After his mother left, his father became a recluse, and it's been up to Jeremy to support the family. But it hasn't been up to Jeremy alone. The truth is, Jeremy can hear voices. Or, specifically, one voice: the voice of the ghost of Jacob Grimm, one half of the infamous writing duo, The Brothers Grimm.
Jacob watches over Jeremy, protecting him from an unknown dark evil whispered about in the space between this world and the next. But when the provocative local girl Ginger Boultinghouse takes an interest in Jeremy (and his unique abilities), a grim chain of events is put into motion. And as anyone familiar with the Grimm Brothers know, not all fairy tales have happy endings....
Young adult veteran Tom McNeal (one half of the writing duo known as Laura & Tom McNeal) has crafted a novel at once warmhearted, compulsively listenable, and altogether thrilling - and McNeal fans of their tautly told stories will not be disappointed.
©2013 Tom Mcneal (P)2013 Random House
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: ”What follows is the strange and fateful tale of a boy, a girl, and a ghost. The boy possessed uncommon qualities; the girl was winsome and daring. And the ancient ghost? Well, let it only be said that his intentions were good. I am the ancient ghost mentioned at the outset of this tale.”
What better way to open a fairy tale, or any type of story really? The boy is Jeremy Johnson Johnson, the girl is Ginger Boultinghouse, and the ghost is none other than Jacob Grimm, elder of the famous Brothers Grimm. And the town they live in? Never Better, a fairy-tale setting if ever there was one.
Jeremy Johnson Johnson is 14 years old and yes, he hears the voices of the deceased. One time when he was very young he confessed this to someone and has always been thought of as weird ever since. Some years later his mother ran off and his father soon became a recluse, never leaving the bookstore in which they lived at all and rarely even getting dressed. Now things are becoming desperate for Jeremy. The bank is about to foreclose on his home and there’s no way he’ll be able to come up with the money needed to save it. On the other hand, Jeremy has also made a friend for the first time in his life, in the form of Ginger Boultinghouse. And there is the ever-present ghost of Jacob Grimm, who has made it his sworn duty to watch over Jeremy and do his best to protect him. Far Far Away is the most unique book I’ve read in quite some time; a modern day fairy tale to be sure. And if you know anything about fairy tales, especially those collected by the Grimm Brothers, you’ll know that they do not always have happy endings.
I loved the setting of the town of Never Better. On the surface Never Better looks like a typical small town that could be found just about anywhere in the world. McNeal doesn’t actually say so, but he drops a few hints to let us know that Never Better is probably somewhere in the Midwest. It’s quiet and neat and its residents are a cheerful lot. But lurking just beneath the surface are secrets and mysteries. The town has a long history of missing children, for instance, but no one seems to talk much about it. The townsfolk are all about keeping up appearances, and anything that doesn’t appear as it should is shunned, as Jeremy Johnson Johnson learned the hard way. And why the name Never Better? When you meet someone on the street and they ask how you are, what do you say? “Never Better!” It doesn’t matter what kinds of problems you may be dealing with on the inside -- depression, addiction, death in the family – we always say “Never Better!” A completely appropriate name for a town that is all about public appearance.
If it wasn’t for modern conveniences like television and gameshows and Pop Rocks candy I would have sworn this story was taking place in the 19th century, enhancing the fairy-tale feel even further. I don’t recall McNeal going into much detail about the physical appearance of the town, it’s architecture and such, but the pictures I was getting in my head all looked like gingerbread houses and cobblestone streets lined with wrought-iron gas streetlamps. All surrounded, of course, by deep, dark woods. Far Far Away just has that old-time feel to it and then whenever something modern is mentioned it almost leaves you feeling like “huh?” McNeal is a masterful writer; he put those pictures in my head without even describing anything. It was more like a mood or a feeling that he created within me. He kind of takes “show don’t tell” to a whole new level.
W Morgan Sheppard is a wonderful narrator. His voice sounds so rich and rotund that it is truly a pleasure to listen to. As a matter of fact his style reminds me a lot of George Guidall and I can think of no higher praise than that. Sheppard has made numerous appearances in television and film and has also lent his voice talents to many video games.
Gosh, I could just go on and on about Far Far Away. I want to use all sorts of corny words like “enchanting” and “magical” and “charming” to describe it, but I’ll spare you that. But how about words like “beguiling”, or “alluring”? Better, but still corny I suppose. Let’s just say that I liked this book a lot. In fact, I liked it so much I had to listen to it twice, something I very rarely do simply because there are always so many more books I want to read. You need to read or listen to this book. I promise you won’t regret it.
IF YOU LIKED THIS ONE, YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
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Special thanks to Random House Audio for this review copy. Audiobook review by Steven Brandt. This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook. Come back soon for more audiobook reviews from Audiobook-Heaven.
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