Greenglass House

A Greenglass House Story, Book 1, A National Book Award Nominee

By: Kate Milford

Narrated by: Ben Levin

New York Times Bestseller * National Book Award Nominee * Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery

It’s wintertime at Greenglass House. The creaky smuggler’s inn is always quiet during this season, and twelve-year-old Milo, the innkeepers’ adopted son, plans to spend his holidays relaxing.

But on the first icy night of vacation, out of nowhere, the guest bell rings. Then rings again. And again...

Soon Milo’s home is bursting with odd, secretive guests, each one bearing a strange story that is somehow connected to the rambling old house. As objects go missing and tempers flare, Milo and Meddy, the cook’s daughter, must decipher clues and untangle the web of deepening mysteries to discover the truth about Greenglass House—and themselves.

A masterpiece

This book gave me a great time with kids during our travel to Michigan Upper Peninsula

Amazing story with one oddity…

Story: This was a beautiful story! I loved every minute of Milo and Meddy’s adventure, with one exception… it felt like a “How to Play D&D” guidebook at times! It was so bizarre and really ripped me out of the flow of the story. It also truly had no impact on the story and could’ve easily been toned down. I’m an avid D&D player, but it was just weird…

Performance: Ben Levin was awesome! I will say though, all of his female voices sounded like 50 year old flapper women from the movies lol.

Overall: I’d definitely recommend it, but with the caveat that you have to ignore the out-of-place D&D references.

Lots of potential but poorly written & performed

The book assumes you just care about the million characters and slapdash world-building. There’s a lot of telling instead of showing and the pacing is incredibly slow. The mysteries are not satisfying because the characters aren’t engaging—it’s not interesting whether they get what they want or don’t. The magic doesn’t make sense. The twists are obvious. Would not recommend the book on its own, even for children. There are better ways yo spend 10 hours.

The performance here is…rough. Ben Levin’s narrator voice (sardonic in strange places) came to annoy me after an hour or so. His voices for the characters were not well matched. Why does an athletic young woman sound like Bugs Bunny pretending to be a gangster? Why does an old man’s voice change from Irish to Cockney to pirate and back? And, pet peeve of mine, Levin pronounces characters’ names inconsistently throughout the book.

A magical mystery with twists and heart

My sister recommended this book and I am so glad to have found this new audio version and stepped inside this world. I was truly swept away. Ben Levin was a marvelous narrator, he truly captured the spirit of the main character, a boy named Milo who lives with his parents in a tucked away inn. And he did a very subtle and gifted job voicing the other characters as well, from kids to adults, men to women, and even an accent here and there. Bravo!

When the novel opens, several unexpected guests arrive in addition to a little girl named Meddy who befriends Milo. The mysteries begin to unfold and Milo and Meddy use the cover of a role-playing game to solve puzzle after puzzle. There are so many twists and turns and I delighted in each new surprise. It’s also a book with heart and I treasured the human connections and small kindnesses. Most of the entertainment I’ve been seeking these days are books that make me feel good, and this book did that in spades. Kate Milford is a wonderful writer. I’m glad there are many more stories set in this world because I was not ready to leave this magical place. Being a middle-aged adult, I am not the target audience, but I can recommend this book to kids and grown-ups alike.

Enjoy!

An enjoyable listen

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. The performance wasn’t the best but the story was nice and leaves you feeling good.