Thank you so much to NetGalley and HWP Audio for my copy of The Evolution of Alice by David A. Robertson Narrated by Andrew White Martin and Olivia Lucas in exchange for an honest review. It published June 30, 2020.
The setting of this book was very interesting, in that it represents a very under-represented demographic, Indigenous reservations in Canada. This story was absolutely heartbreaking, and the way that everything was threaded together was done in a very unique way.

An audiobook that I unfortunately quit because I just couldn't get connected with any of the characters and I started avoiding my walks outside because I just didn't want to listen to this audiobook. The narrators were great, but the book just didn't do it for me. I wonder if I would have pushed through if I was reading it either in physical or ebook form, but only had it in audio and I think I quit faster in this format.

Very good voice reader! The story telling is bold and beautiful! It is a heartbreaking story of overcoming loss.

The book was was an extremely slow start for me and difficult to keep pushing through. There were some topics in which I feel things picked up like the varying trauma the characters were facing, looking at relationships between men and women, alcoholism in the Native American community and more. I think it touched on so many topics but not enough on each of them. I did like how we get to see the linear evolution of the main characters and their thought process as they endure life. I think the book could have done a better job by not being so convoluted but overall once you get past the first few chapters things start progressing.

Let me start of by saying it is a fantastic story and well written! Unfortunately, I listened to it via audio book and I think that might be what "ruined" it for me. I just couldn't get into the narrators. They were very dry and didn't bring the book to life. This book is a heavy topic and it NEEDS a fantastic narrator to do the story justice! I feel like if you read a physical copy of this book you would probably rate it MUCH higher. If you're interested in the plot I'd highly suggest a physical copy so you can truly feel the impact of the story.


*Thank you to David Alexander Robertson and NetGalley for my audio copy of this in exchange for my honest review!*

The Evolution of Alice was a heartbreakingly real story of a mother struggling to do the best she can for her daughters in the face of an unbearable tragedy. The book faces the day to day pain felt when dealing with a life-changing tragedy head-on and follows Alice and those impacted by the tragedy as they try to recover and discover their new normal. While most novels would focus on the tragedy, the perspective of the pain and struggle in the recovery after was very heartbreakingly real.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an ARC of #TheEvolutionOfAlice

The premise of this story was good, however I had a hard time getting into this book. Left a lot of unanswered questions and I’m not sure about the narrators. They were ok, not my favorite. I had a hard time following the story. I’m giving it a 🌟🌟1/2 star rating rounded up to three for Goodreads. Thank you HWP Audio, Netgalley, and David Robertson for this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for the audio version of this book. The narrators did a decent job with the characters. A very emotional book. Will they questions left unanswered be answered?

Haunting and simply told in two distinct voices, this was quite a sad book filled with love and loss. Living on the “Rez” in Manitoba, Alice and her daughters had little, but made up for it with the love they shared. When a tragic accident occurs, Alice tries to hold everything together for her girls, but is slowly losing herself. While beautifully told, and heart touching, I found this story to be rather depressing. It’s a journey of loss, but finally ends with a feeling of hope. The narrators were quite stilted and took away from the overall book. Fortunately, I found the story engaging enough to overlook the narration.

★★★★
My Review of this Audiobook is strictly based on the newest version of this book as I have not read the previous versions published.

This story is the epitome of what a good friendship can do. The tragedy of losing a child is the worst imaginable pain one can go through. Along with the mental state of trying to understand what happened, you not only lose yourself but you lose the loved ones around you. The story of Alice touched my heart in so many ways . I smiled, I laughed, and I cried. Alice was a strong independent woman who proves that anyone can overcome anything set in their way with a little help and a lot of hope.

This story has an unbreakable friendship that is touching. Gideon shows immaculate persevere to stay friends with Alice even when Alice is destroying herself over the loss of her child. He shows compassion, love, and balance when Alice needs those things the most. Losing a child is never just a grief period, but it is an ever lasting hole in one's life that they have to learn to live with. In the story of The Evolution of Alice it shows just that. But, it also shows how important friendship and a great support system can be in the time of need.

A great story! Alice’s story touched my heart in such away I was crying through this book. The Tragedy she went through is probably the worst tragedy one can experience and yet by the end of the book, she somehow found a way to cope with everything and try to live her life the best she can.

Thank You to Netgalley and HWP Audio for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

#TheEvolutionofAlice #NetGalley

It was a good story but too many questions are left unanswered. Who killed the little girl? What is happening with Gideon’s ghost lady? What becomes Alice and Gideon’s relationship? Does Ryan come back in the picture? Is there a sequel to this book?

I tried really hard to like this one but the narrators were so dull it put me right off. I kept losing track of the story because the voices droned so badly.
The story seemed like it was going to be good. I will have to read it for myself

This book was a little hard to get through, it was heavy and dark. I think this book is going to be big and I'm going to see it coming up alot on an online book club I belong to simply because people are going to debate over this. They are either going to love it or hate it but either way it's going to be talked about.

The Evolution of Alice is a raw and poignant story of love, loss, and the search for meaning. Alice is a single mother living on the "Rez" in Manitoba with her three young daughters. Her ex, who frequently beat her, is doing time in jail. Despite having been abused by her husband in front of her daughters, Alice has cultivated a simple and joyous life for her family. Until everything changes.

I listened to this book on audio, but would have preferred reading the written word. I found the audio confusing and the narration changes seemed out of context. Also, I was deep into the world of Alice, her daughters, and family friend Gideon when other, equally traumatic, story lines were introduced. I really liked Gideon's narration, but the sound quality of the female narrator was very poor. It could have been a problem with my download, but she had an echo and sounded like it was recorded in an elevator.

In a different headspace, I might have been able to appreciate the author's craft, but right now I couldn't enjoy reading a book so heavy with the loss of a child, physically abusive relationships, and adolescent suicide.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an audio download of The Evolution of Alice in exchange for an honest review.

The Evolution of Alice by David A. Robertson was okay.

It was full of emotion which made me take this at a slightly slower speed. I found the beginning rather slow, but the story picked up as the story went along. There are a ton of trigger warnings in this story as well. The hardest of the many trigger warnings, for me, was the loss of a child.

I felt Andrew Martin White and Olivia Lucas did an okay job. I always find I enjoy an audiobook more when there are multiple narrators.

think if the synopsis speaks to you or you enjoy a really emotional story, this is worth a read.

I received an advanced audiobook from HWP Audio through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

The Evolution of Alice was an emotional story. Alice has a difficult life. She is a single mother raising three daughters, Grace, Kathy and Jane, on the reservation she grew up on. A tragic accident changes everything and Jane has to figure out how to move forward. She ends up avoiding her daughters and smoking cigarettes. Jane’s best friend Gideon is the girls’ surrogate uncle. Jane changes from the accident which effects Gideon’s relationship with the girls.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Andrew White Martin and Olivia Lucas. Both narrated did a good job.

I enjoyed the book, but it didn't leave a lasting impression on me like I thought it would. I still recommend this for anyone looking for a unique and emotional story.

Thank you NetGalley and HWP Audio/ECW Press Audio for The Evolution of Alice.

Narrators can make or break an audiobook. In this case, I think I would have gotten more from this book reading it rather than listening. The narrators have such a slow pace and the female narrator pauses in odd spots. I did speed up the playback, which helped, but even so, the voices were putting me to sleep and I kept zoning out.

As for the story, it began very slowly and took awhile for me to get into. The storyline deals with a lot of hard issues - poverty, racism, teen suicide, domestic abuse and the death of a child. It held my interest more in the middle of the book but in the end, I'm not mad I listened to it, but it's not one I'll likely recommend either. Again, my opinions might be different if I had read rather than listened to this one.

Thank you HWP Audio and NetGalley for the digital audiobook in exchange for my honest review.