Never Give Up [Russian Edition]

I’ll admit, I double-checked the byline when I saw John Grisham’s name on a business audiobook. *Never Give Up* isn’t just a departure—it’s a full genre leap, and not entirely a successful one. The content itself is a distilled version of Jack Ma’s career milestones, from his early struggles to Alibaba’s global dominance, framed as ‘secrets’ to success. The problem? It’s all surface-level. We get the *what* (Ma failed at 30 jobs! He saw the internet’s potential early!) but barely the *how*, and the lack of Grisham’s usual narrative flair makes it feel like a missed opportunity. If you’re new to Ma’s story, this might intrigue you; if you’ve heard even one interview with him, you’ll find little new here. Maxim Kireev’s narration is the audiobook’s strongest asset—his pacing is lively, almost urgent, as if he’s trying to squeeze every ounce of inspiration out of the thin material. But the production lets him down. The audio levels are inconsistent, with some phrases nearly swallowed by background noise, and the lack of musical cues or chapter breaks makes the 76 minutes blur together. My biggest critique? The title’s promise of ‘never giving up’ gets lost in a sea of generic advice. When Grisham writes about underdogs, they’re complex, flawed heroes. Here, Ma’s story is sanitized into a checklist. For Russian-speaking listeners curious about business biographies, it’s a quick listen. For Grisham fans? Stick to *The Whistler*.