Exquisitely authentic

5 Blue Roses
3 Blue Flames
5 Blue Headphones

Narrator Payton Huang’s delivery was as authentic as watching a Japanese cinema movie with subtitles. He is a master of both languages; English and Japanese, he blended the written Japanese words with English narration expertly. He conveyed drama, tension, and suspense very well as I hung on to every word while trying to figure out in which direction the plot was running. It was unpredictable and gently entertaining. The author took me back in time to the early 1800 Japan, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I loved the undertone of multiple lessons and the deeper meaning hidden around the corners of the “road-trip” the characters forcibly have to take in an attempt to survive. The choice of narrator fits this story 100%. The cadence of his voice was easy to listen to and I did not hear any irritating mouth or breathing sounds. I will definitely listen to more audiobooks, narrated by him.

The author wrote a story about two male lovers and although their relationship is the center of the story, so many other wheels are turning with rich secondary characters filling the storyline. It is an unusual story, not predictable at all. The road trip they take on foot, felt like a mini adventure rich with history and culture. The protagonist is blind, but the listeners would find that he was in truth the one that saw much more, and ended up being a hero in his own way. The happy ending tied the whole package, the book, and the narration up in a magnificent bow.

The high quality in the work of narrative art and the novel itself would give listeners the experience of an authentic Japanese culture especially the social class system and the Samurai. A pleasurable excitement and anticipation regarding the outcome.

I do recommend this audiobook

Happy Listening

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