The Innocents Abroad


Read by John Greenman

(4.6 stars; 325 reviews)

Writer/entertainer Garrison Keillor (A Prairie Home Companion) on “The Innocents Abroad”: “…one of the best selling travel books of all time.” (The Writer’s Almanac, June 8, 2012)

When you dive into Mark Twain’s (Samuel Clemens’) The Innocents Abroad, you have to be ready to learn more about the unadorned, ungilded reality of 19th century “touring” than you might think you want to learn. This is a tough, literary journey. It was tough for Twain and his fellow “pilgrims”, both religious and otherwise. They set out, on a June day in 1867, to visit major tourist sites in Europe and the near east, including Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, “the Holy Land”, and Egypt. What Twain records, in often humorous, sometimes grotesque but always fascinating detail, are the day-to-day ups and downs of discovering the truth about people and places. The truths they learn are often far different than their education and rumor have made them preconceive.

This is a voyage of discovery. It’s long and, in places, tiresome. But it’s revelatory about so much. As with some of his other works, Twain includes popular prejudices of his time, which are today considered socially unacceptable. His references to “Indians”, “Negroes” and “infidels” come to mind.

Beyond the lows, though, there are the highs of Twain’s cutting wit and insight as he guides us along the bumpy and often dangerous voyage.

No need to buckle up. Just take it slow, and steady…like the journey itself. (Summary by John Greenman) (19 hr 36 min)

Chapters

Chapter 1 18:22 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 2-3 17:02 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 4-5 29:53 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 6-7 38:52 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 8-9 24:27 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 10-11 26:34 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 12-13 43:07 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 14-15 40:28 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 16-17 30:52 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 18-19 47:14 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 20-21 30:26 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 22 22:21 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 23 27:20 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 24 19:48 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 25 19:47 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 26 39:05 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 27 25:40 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 28 19:02 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 29-30 32:30 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 31 18:42 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 32 29:20 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 33 23:26 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 34 27:22 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 35 11:16 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 36-37 31:05 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 38 17:43 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 39 10:04 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 40 20:17 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 41 14:31 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 42 12:28 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 43 13:30 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 44 23:27 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 45 26:31 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 46 18:29 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 47 28:04 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 48 23:09 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 49 21:35 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 50 21:45 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 51 28:19 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 52 13:35 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 53 32:22 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 54 23:43 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 55 36:34 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 56 9:53 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 57 17:24 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 58 31:52 Read by John Greenman
Chapters 59-60 14:03 Read by John Greenman
Chapter 61 & Conclusion 22:59 Read by John Greenman

Reviews

Amazing once again Mr. Greenman.


(5 stars)

Mr. Greenman I really wish there was a way to personally thank you for the time and effort you've put into all of your Mark Twain readings. My life has become very stressful with working 60hrs a week and going to school on top of that. These audiobooks allow my mind to drift into world of my favorite author, read by my favorite reader. Thank you sir. I hope you realize the good you're doing by keeping these works alive and giving them new light. These novels and your readings of them have got me through many bad days. My email is above if by chance you ever read this review please contact me. Id like to send my gratitude.

The innocents abroad


(5 stars)

Again, John Greenman, awesome reading! I have to admit, there were times when I was laughing tears. Mark Twain has the most wonderful sense of humor, I thank you for the privilege to listen to these wonderful stories!


(3.5 stars)

the narration is the exact tone you want to hear, like your good pal Mark is telling you about his journey over the Atlantic. just like any friend though, toward the end you wish he would wrap it up.

I love this book


(5 stars)

John reads as though Mark Twain is speaking (I imagine), making this book so enjoyable. The record of this grand voyage is tremendously interesting to hear 150 odd years later just to compare with today. I'm so grateful these books are retained and chosen for reading. Samuel Clemens had remarkable powers of observation and a really humerous turn of phrase. I often laughed out loud at the description of incidents. I'll probably listen again quite soon to catch the parts I might have missed. Thanks very much John Greenman.

Good book, good reader


(5 stars)

A fascinating look at the world as it was in the mid 1800s, complete with the prejudices of the day. Twain's irreverent observations give more believable view of the Mediterranean countries than a guide book of the time might. The reader has done a wonderful job bringing the words to life and captures Twain's dry sarcasm very well.

expertly read!


(5 stars)

this gentleman knows his Twain and does a superb job with adding emotion to the text. best read books by far!

Awesome


(5 stars)

Excellent reading style doing great justice to Mark Twain collection.

Well done, though a bit of polish might help


(4 stars)

The narrator: John Greenman has an excellent voice for narrating audiobooks. His pacing is generally good, with the occasional stumble. The one area that could really use some improvement is his pronunciation of foreign names, especially classical ones (often stressing the wrong syllable). Still, he is certainly one of the best open source narrators out there. Keep up the good work! The book: deeply engaging, full of classic Mark Twain humor, much of which has aged well (though some of his views are quite dated, of course). The manner in which they drove their Roman tour guide crazy in Chapter 27 is particularly entertaining. Well worth listening to for anyone interested in the 19th Century, in travel, or in historical views of Europe and the Middle East.