Gregytect

Seductive performance; Perfect complement to novel

Revisado: 10-02-12

Marcella Riordan's reading of Molly Bloom’s stream of consciousness is seductive and beautiful. For me, it was a revelation and insight into the female mind. Considering James Joyce, a male, wrote this, it's beyond my comprehension how he so accurately presents a woman's point of view and attention to detail to the world around her.

I knew little of what Ulysses was about prior to buying the unabridged John Lee narration; this specific audiobook is a portion of the final episode of the novel, and deserves a female voice to really bring it to life. Riordan's voice has that beautiful Irish inflection and accent; it's like she's both whispering in your ear and voicelessly placing her thoughts in your mind.

The sexual explicitness of Molly Bloom's thoughts and observations were really stunning; what an insight into the female mind.

This is a perfect complement to the full audiobook novel which are read by various male narrators.

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These BBC performances were really well done!!!

Revisado: 07-09-12

What made the experience of listening to Poodle Springs the most enjoyable?

The performances by each actor were low-key and subtle where appropriate, and energetic and dramatic where that was appropriate; there were no schmaltzy, overly melodramatic performances. The sound effects created a convincing atmosphere and environment that completely drew me in.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Of course the main character, Philip Marlowe, is the one who speaks in each scene and speaks directly to you, the listener.

What does Toby Stephens bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have read all of Raymond Chandler's novels and short stories and seen the movies, The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye, the BBC's series on Raymond Chandler's works brought a really enjoyable balance between reading his works where you use your imagination to flesh out scenes and action, and movies where everything is done for you.

I don't have any other performances by other actors doing Philip Marlowe so I can't compare Toby Stephens to another actor but I can say that Stephens does a beautiful job: I bought the entire BBC/Raymond Chandler/Toby Stephens series offered by Audible.com and enjoy each one.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No, not a particular moment. I enjoyed the whole performance.

Any additional comments?

Even though these performances were abridged from Chandler's original written works, I did not miss any deleted lines and scenes nor could I tell. Wish each one was longer and wish there were more.

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esto le resultó útil a 3 personas

Not too schmaltzy, not too dry, just right....

Revisado: 05-21-12

What made the experience of listening to Dubliners the most enjoyable?

Listening to a performance of the Dubliners gave life to the Joyce's written words.

Who was your favorite character and why?

For me, "After the Race" and "A Mother" are my favorite short stories in the Dubliners. James Joyce's writing is so subtly masterful and vivid at the same time.

What about T. P. McKenna’s performance did you like?

T P McKenna's performance, for me, was just right: Not too schmaltzy like some other narrators who really overdo the Irish accent and inflection; not too dead or lifeless like some of the drier readings which were further handicapped by fuzzy recordings; and, just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, McKenna's readings had just the right amount of drama for me (I hear the words and visualize the actions and scenes) without off-putting, overly-melodramatic histrionics.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

One sitting or fifteen (that's the number of short stories in the Dubliners), I enjoy this audiobook.

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