Scott

Luis Moreno brings Don Juan to life

Revisado: 08-28-15

Where does Journey to Ixtlan rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 10%

Who was your favorite character and why?

ALL three. The story is a dialog. The two main characters rise to the occasion perfectly, and don Genaro nails his role as well.

What about Luis Moreno’s performance did you like?

Impeccable. No doubt, Luis Moreno is a professional voice actor, but this even transcends professionalism. I've listened to it scores of times, including while I'm sleeping. One of my early impressions was, his ability to nail the characters takes the story to a whole different level. As I continued to listen over and again, I noticed that his particular ability to make don Juan believable makes me feel as though I'm listening to the real, live don Juan.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Tidbit? Hmmm... I read all extant Castaneda books in 1983-84, when there were 7. I was 15-16 years old then. Later, I lived in Latin America for about 13 years, beginning at age 29. I reread all 10 books in 2001-02, age 34. Now, as I reread, with special attention to this audiobook, I realize that the primary driving force that turned me to Latin America for so many years was clearly Carlos Castaneda. How's that for a tidbit?

Any additional comments?

By all means, get Luis Moreno to continue reading. Up next: Tales of Power.

Above and beyond my comments on Luis Moreno's performance, which has effected a cascade of reflections on my part, it has also caused me to consider in great detail HOW I read. After scores of listenings, the thought crossed my mind that Castaneda's books are DIALOGUES. Though I've read these books on paper at various times in my life, seen the quotation marks, along with dialog attribution phrases, I never truly heard the characters speaking in their voices while reading with my eyes. Although dialog, mixed with narrative and description, is supposed to make me feel like a sensory participant in the story and present for all conversation, it rather feels more like journalism -- like I'm reading a report of something that happened. And by far, to this reader, the key element in that perceived shortcoming is dialog: When I read it with my eyes, I don't truly hear the characters speaking in their unique voices, in "my mind's ear".

Enter the audiobook. I've got some great audiobooks, narrated by Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Emilia Fox -- all extraordinary performances, in which these excellent actors nail their characters to perfection. But these are all works of fiction. Castaneda is far more controversial, largely because we don't truly know if it's fiction or not. We know that Carlos Castaneda existed -- but what about this "Juan Matus"? And what about this body of teaching? When I read it on the page, I need to make a conscious decision: Do I believe this? But when I can hear don Juan speaking, in his own voice, with my own ears, at the same time as I can identify with Carlos Castaneda himself -- his "I" in the dialog effectively becomes me -- at that point, it becomes far more believable. Thus, an impeccable narration becomes essential. Case in point: "To be or not to be" are the words of Shakespeare -- the monologue fails to integrate itself with the character, it remains forever attached to the writer. By contrast, any significant quote from Castaneda contains the words of don Juan himself, detached from the author of the book. To me, that's far more credible when I actually hear don Juan say something, rather than read "don Juan said" with my eyes. It's crucial for such a controversial persona as don Juan, and that makes Luis Moreno's job that much more challenging. When I listen to his recording, I feel like I'm there, in the Sonora desert, or in the mountains of central Mexico, etc., listening to don Juan speaking.

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The best English I have ever heard in my life

Revisado: 04-18-14

What made the experience of listening to Pride and Prejudice the most enjoyable?

Pride and Prejudice offers the most glorious use of English I'm aware of, and Emilia Fox's reading is on par with the language.

What other book might you compare Pride and Prejudice to and why?

Pride and Prejudice is incomparable, for both the language, and for the massive transformation of the protagonists. It is the standard for Romantic Literature.

What about Emilia Fox’s performance did you like?

Excellent tone, emotional connection, and character rendering.

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

If possible, sure!

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Sounds Like Polyester Self-Help

Revisado: 07-23-10

Talk about falling for a gimmick, hook, line and sinker... Stephen Covey gave a "heart felt" speech for "Aspire" in a promo video which was sent to me by USAirways Dividend Miles program.

I was herded into making a purchase.

Aspire has a totally manufactured feel, and is far too pretentious, from the introduction, to around the middle of the book, where I simply gave up.

I want my money back!

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Great book, questionable narration

Revisado: 02-08-10

Richard Koch's 80/20 Principle inspires the listener to cut out the meaningless waste of time, energy and activity in their life.

The narration, however, suffers from a rather irritating little problem. Narrator Richard Aspel's rendering of straight text is quite good. Unfortunately, Aspel makes caricatures of the numerous quotations that pepper the book, to the point of distraction, especially after the first listen, when one endeavors to study the material in depth.

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Choosing an audio version of Siddhartha

Revisado: 02-08-10

Audible currently offers 4 versions of Hermann Hesse's, "Siddhartha". I'd like to help you with your selection.

Derek Jacobi brilliantly breathes life into the current edition. The reading is stellar, making this by far the recommended choice. Caveat: this version is abridged.

As for the unabridged versions:

Fidrous Bamji: If you must choose an unabridged version, this is the best of the lot. The narration is pleasing to the ear, but simply lacks the magic of Jacobi's rendition.

James Langton: TOO FAST. Langton literally speed narrates the story, leaving you with a throbbing headache by the time he's done.

Harish Bhimani: Bhimani sounds too self-indulgent, seems to be in love with his own voice. Pronunciation and inflection are questionable. The translation sounds flat, dead, worn.

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Finally, a Stephen King book for me!

Revisado: 02-08-10

This is the first and only book I have ever read by Stephen King. I'm not a fan of the horror-thriller genre of fiction, but I have always been aware of both King's fame... and his great talent as a writer.

In "On Writing," King's literary greatness shines through, for readers of all persuasions and preferences. It reads like a story, a novel in which the protagonist overcomes life's challenges, whilst intimately confiding the secrets of his success to the reader. The author's narration makes the message ever more intimate.

The "Afterword", in which King relates his near fatal accident, reads like a Stephen King short story, stunning in detachment, detail, humor, along with a touch of horror. Through it, we discover that life is about meaningful activity, and love. It's clear that King's compass has always pointed to his deep love for writing, and his deep love for his wife.

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Too much thinking for bedtime

Revisado: 02-10-08

Glenn Harrold has a great voice, but unfortunately, the content is entirely flawed. Instead of a pleasant, positive, powerful drift off into the promised relaxing sleep every night, Mr. Harrold quickly launches into a conceptual discourse on the conscious and unconscious mind. Easy to ignore on the first listen, but a sleep-inhibiting mental snare after that.

My advice to Mr. Harrold: Keep working on it! Go back to the drawing board, get rid of the conceptual content and psychological discourse and put us sleepers on the road to positive sleep... every night!

Not Recommended

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Off-the-beaten path MBA

Revisado: 02-10-08

If you come from a lower or middle class background, the principles of dream and goal definition; overcoming fear; elimination of time wasting habits; small business set up and organization; and freedom from wage slavery were probably not part of your education.

Fret no more; The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss provides simplified yet detailed steps that will take you from the bonds of the cubicle dwelling wage slave or workaholic entrepreneur, to time and space freedom: the ability to live where and when you want to while systematically and responsibly assuring you meet or exceed your material and safety needs.

I've been living as a modern nomad most of my adult life, from Latin America to Europe to Asia, but never managed to get a solid financial footing... and I am an Economist by profession. Intense study of Mr. Ferriss' work has saved me from the throes of workaholism, and made me realize the need and method to completely restructure my small business to provide adequate positive cashflow and growth.

Ray Porter more than captures the entrepreneurial spirit of the work in his enthusiastic rendering.

Highly Recommended

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Jeremy Irons Over the Top in The Alchemist

Revisado: 02-10-08

Bravo for yet another superlative Audio presentation from Audible! The Alchemist may be Paulo Coelho's best work, and Jeremy Irons' exquisite voice rendering is no less than impeccable. Throw away your paperback version and download this treasure now!

Highly Recommended

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A literary masterpiece of personal finance

Revisado: 02-10-08

Wow! what other all-encompassing word can be used to describe George S. Clason's masterpiece, The Richest Man in Babylon. It touches upon every aspect of personal finance in a series of loosely related, riveting tales.

The book's fresh perspective drives home themes from overcoming debt to the wisdom of saving to the path to freedom from the "rat race" and more. The setting in ancient Babylon, in addition to providing romantic flavor and literary style, removes the work from the modern age and Western Civilization, rendering its principles both timeless and universal.

A small critique of grammar: the use of antiquated second person forms (you, thee, ye, and their variants) is inconsistent and incorrect. The powerful content and excellent narration, however, more than compensate for this linguistic flaw.

Highly Recommended

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