Nostromo (Version 2)


Read by Peter Dann

(4.3 stars; 16 reviews)

In Nostromo, Joseph Conrad has transformed an apocryphal anecdote about a sailor who got away with stealing a boat loaded with silver into a grandly panoramic, yet deeply unsettling, narrative that sees every conceivable type of political person — from the laughably oafish and brutal to various shades of the well-meaning — caught up in an episode of revolutionary upheaval in the fictional South American country of Costaguana. Who, if anyone, will emerge from this dreadful saga with a shred of dignity left intact? - Summary by Peter Dann (18 hr 0 min)

Chapters

Author's Note 16:47 Read by Peter Dann
Part First, Chapter 1 11:18 Read by Peter Dann
Part First, Chapter 2 13:31 Read by Peter Dann
Part First, Chapter 3 11:42 Read by Peter Dann
Part First, Chapter 4 23:08 Read by Peter Dann
Part First, Chapter 5 19:41 Read by Peter Dann
Part First, Chapter 6, section 1 45:39 Read by Peter Dann
Part First, Chapter 6, section 2 36:43 Read by Peter Dann
Part First, Chapter 7 18:16 Read by Peter Dann
Part First, Chapter 8, section 1 37:03 Read by Peter Dann
Part First, Chapter 8, section 2 36:36 Read by Peter Dann
Part Second, Chapter 1 18:31 Read by Peter Dann
Part Second, Chapter 2 13:27 Read by Peter Dann
Part Second, Chapter 3 17:00 Read by Peter Dann
Part Second, Chapter 4 25:21 Read by Peter Dann
Part Second, Chapter 5, section 1 31:35 Read by Peter Dann
Part Second, Chapter 5, section 2 33:15 Read by Peter Dann
Part Second, Chapter 6 27:58 Read by Peter Dann
Part Second, Chapter 7, section 1 50:26 Read by Peter Dann
Part Second, Chapter 7, section 2 42:15 Read by Peter Dann
Part Second, Chapter 8, section 1 39:06 Read by Peter Dann
Part Second, Chapter 8, section 2 25:39 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 1 28:54 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 2 37:31 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 3 35:31 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 4 38:52 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 5 20:01 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 6 16:17 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 7 20:13 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 8 50:01 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 9 1:01:23 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 10 56:10 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 11 35:49 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 12 44:40 Read by Peter Dann
Part Third, Chapter 13 40:30 Read by Peter Dann

Reviews

Complex and Original


(5 stars)

F. Scott Fitzgerald once said that this was a novel that he would like to have written. The exposure of how extreme wealth and worse yet, the pursuit of same only leads to eventual moral corruption. This is an excellent tale of alternative history of an imaginary country, but based upon the narrative arc of revolution and unintended consequences. If you enjoy complex stories of imperfect characters, you will find a home in this South American treasure. Peter Dann is absolutely excellent in both his reading and his voicing of his players. Thanks.


(4.5 stars)

This book and reading deserves a healthy review. Peter Dann’s telling has a languid equatorial colonial Spanish tone that seems so appropriate to the inevitability of the life and times of the Castaguanarians and specifically the ironic pseudo hero of novels namesake. F Scott Fitzgerald called this novel the “one” that of all he would have desired to write. High praise but appropriate for a devotee of irony and symbolism and pseudo heroes in a novel that is steeped in these devices. Dann’s reading expose these themes well. Conrad clearly is a consummate novelist with mastery of description, setting, dialogue, and the aforementioned devices. A feature of Conrad that makes audio book a good option is a pace that seems lumbering and extraneous at times with over repetition of themes like the power of the mine on all the lives in play. Maybe Conrad was trying through repetition to create a tone of indomitable forces as a constant imposing presence dictating human actions. Dann manages this with a reading style that provides natural and appropriate siesta like episodes helpful to the listeners perseverance during the more mundane passages that may deter all but the most persistent reader. In the end it is enjoyable to see all the irony and juxtaposition come together in a series of tragedies and tragic figures.


(5 stars)

This is a masterful reading by Peter Dann, just amazing narration and voicing of characters. Bravo! Nostromo is an unusual novel in many ways, tough to get into but groundbreaking and brilliant if you stay with it.

Peter Dann!


(5 stars)

Absolutely top-notch! Wonderful old tales made better by Mr Dann.