aspindog

ruined by non-native speakers

Revisado: 08-05-24

The fatal issue with this audiobook is the use of non-native speakers. One male voice in particular is very bad, getting tones wrong half the time. Another issue is the lack of a PDF file with the content, so you can't look things up or make flashcards. It is also not really long enough given the amount of material, so a beginner would need to listen to everything many times. There is also not a long enough gap between question and answer in the tests. On the plus side it is more entertaining than most things at this level. I'd say it is not for total beginners. If you know enough to recognize the bad pronunciation and already know some basics it is useful as a review.

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enjoyable mystery

Revisado: 11-02-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This is one of the best books in the series. Both dog and cat are there now. Good dialog and interesting characters along with some humor and mystery. Some of the female voices by the narrator are over the top but his rendition of the main characters matched what I was expecting from having read the books.

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enjoyable mystery

Revisado: 11-02-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

This is one of the best books in the series. Both dog and cat are there now. Good dialog and interesting characters along with some humor and mystery. Some of the female voices by the narrator are over the top but his rendition of the main characters matched what I was expecting from having read the books.

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skip to chapter 16

Revisado: 11-02-22 El oyente recibió este título gratis

The only reason I can't give this audiobook a high rating is the use of the Meric Casaubon translation of Meditations. The translation is awkward and the language dated (understandable since it's from the 1600s). Other public domain translations like the one from George Long are available and easier to understand. Compare for instance one passage:
Meric Casaubon: Use thyself when any man speaks unto thee, so to hearken unto him, as that in the interim thou give not way to any other thoughts; that so thou mayst (as far as is possible) seem fixed and fastened to his very soul, whosoever he be that speaks unto thee.
George Long: Accustom thyself to attend carefully to what is said by another, and as much as it is possible, be in the speaker's mind.
Gregory Hays: Practice really hearing what people say. Do your best to get inside their minds.
There was no credit given to any of the translators. On the Shortness of Life is from John W. Basore and The Enchiridion from Elizabeth Carter. Both are very good.
The narration is fine though a little overly dramatic at times.
There are no chapter headings but 1-15 are Meditations, 16-37 Seneca, and 38-90 Epictetus.
I'd suggest skipping the Meditations part and just reading the Gregory Hays translation.

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