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As good as can be

Revisado: 11-25-24

A very extraordinary novel, and absolutely superb reading. There is something a little ungainly about the translation, and I don’t know if that is because of the translator or the original text. But the thoughts are so remarkable, the psychology,so deep, that is utterly worthwhile. Extraordinary.

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Bravo! Lovely vision of old Quebec

Revisado: 06-22-23

A lovely historical novel, set in a relatively little explored part of the world. The reading is actually good as long as you speed it up to 1.5 times the speed. Otherwise it is very slow and feels halting and deliberate but once you speed it up it is good and conveys the text very accessibly.

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Beyond superlative

Revisado: 06-12-23

This recording is a monument to what this kind of reading can achieve. Simply exquisite from start to end. The text, to begin with, is the summit of Victorian literature, with its time-suggested flaws, and it’s timeless virtues. It is deeply, unabashedly, moving and sentimental, and offers some of the most extraordinary prose in the English language. But on top of that, this reading brings out every nuance in the text. I would imagine this is as close to Dickens’ own performances as we will ever hear. Literally, just as good as it gets.

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Good translation and performance; bad abridgement

Revisado: 05-12-23

Ian Johnston is a terrific translator, and Anton Lesser is a great reader. And the poem itself, of course, is utterly extraordinary; all the greater pity, therefore, that the abridgement has been done with such a strange and thoughtless approach. It cuts out absolutely key episodes, like Aeneas escaping Achilles, or Diomedes injuring Aphrodite, or Zeus sending the false dream to Agamemnon. These episodes are utterly essential to establishing the fascinating ethos of the poem. Cannot imagine that Professor Johnston would have made these choices; who knows who bears the blame, but it ruins this version. Get the full-length version, which retains all the good qualities, and avoids the pitfalls.

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Brilliant in every possible aspect

Revisado: 04-02-21

So moving. So profound. So beautiful and terrible a piece of writing, and so beautifully read. Fiercely beautiful. Warmest possible recommendation.

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Beautiful reading by a beautiful writer

Revisado: 03-16-21

Lyrical, moving, subtle, nuanced writing and a reading by the author that richly conveys all those aspects.

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Fair enough for what it is

Revisado: 12-21-20

A sufficiently interesting novel, not dazzling, not terrible - feels like Baldwin kind of guessing at what the story should be at times, and covering it with awkward, verbose writing. And a reading likewise a little mixed - performance definitely listenable, but could have used a lot of coaching on French language and accent (which comes up a fair amount in the book), Deep South (which comes up lots) and Northern Irish (very brief, but so far out of the actor’s range - sounded Caribbean.) Seems like accent mimickry shouldn’t be that important, but when all you have is audio, and when three of the main characters are respectively Southern and French or living in France, it has an impact.
I don’t regret having listened to it, but not a must-read. Listened to it to see if I could get more out of Baldwin than I read in “The Fire Next Time”; this one is more multi dimensional, for sure, but not surprising that it has receded from the public eye, despite the initial plaudits.

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Disappointing

Revisado: 05-07-20

Michael Pollan is a lovely writer and also a very fine later. The issue, simply, is there isn’t close to enough real substance here for a book. This is maybe a short article. Would have been fine with spending $2 for a 45-minute listen. Alternatively, I’m sure he could find more interesting, substantive things to expand this into a book. But as it stands, it’s neither one thing nor the other.

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Superlative

Revisado: 04-17-20

Romantic, wonderfully dramatic, and unselfconscious and unreserved in a way that almost no modern literature is. Apparently Dumas got paid by the line, but it worked to beautiful effect in this marvelous novel. A major investment in time, but by the time it’s done, you’ll feel every second was well spent. Stunning performance, stunning writing. Just wonderful

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Superlative

Revisado: 04-09-20

Superb performance of an extraordinary novel, which is both entertainment and literature. Even the smallest incidents and characters are given the same attention as the enthralling central tale.

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