Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia
Gelesen von Martin Geeson
Samuel Johnson
(4,157 Sterne; 54 Bewertungen)
In this enchanting fable (subtitled The Choice of Life), Rasselas and his retinue burrow their way out of the totalitarian paradise of the Happy Valley in search of that triad of eighteenth-century aspiration - life, liberty and happiness.
According to that quirky authority, James Boswell, Johnson penned his only work of prose fiction in a handful of days to cover the cost of his mother's funeral. The stylistic elegance of the book and its wide-ranging
philosophical concerns give no hint of haste or superficiality.
Among other still burning issues Johnson's characters pursue questions of education, colonialism, the nature of the soul and even climate alteration.
Johnson's profoundest concern, however, is with the alternating attractions of solitude and social participation, seen not only as the ultimate life-choice but as the arena in which are played out the deepest fears of the individual: "Of the uncertainties of our present state, the most dreadful and alarming is the uncertain continuance of Reason.” (Summary by Martin Geeson) (5 hr 30 min)
Chapters
Bewertungen
Victor
(5 Sterne)
Don't give up M. Gesson. You are an amazing reader and I have read many things of yours. You are one of my favourite.
Sincerely, folks: "It's difficult to criticize the work of a volunteer, but..."
M Geeson
(0 Sterne)
Many thanks, Parsnip, for your courteous comments. If you link to cmih's earlier reviews you'll find him/her an interestingly constituted character. First there's the fulsome praise for the "generosity" of the volunteers; then comes the mean-spirited denunciation of a named individual, with the evident intention to stamp out further participation by that person. I almost prefer straightforwardly destructive reviewers to someone who pretends to be struggling against their natural sense of fairness and decency. I feel tempted, on the same basis, to apologise to cmih for the nausea induced by my voice! After a very productive first year reading for Librivox, I have found my confidence failing as I try more difficult and challenging material. I record far less and have long fallow periods. When I find glib or sneering people going out of their way to advertise to others how unpleasing, affected or unsuitable they find my voice, I feel like giving up altogether.
That would be a shame... (Updated)
mikezane
(4 Sterne)
I found M Geeson's voice excellent, as I indicated in my review of Zastrozzi. I actually hated the book, but the reader did a wonderful job. I am partial to mysteries and sci-fi so if you would read some of those... :-) I think I'll download this book even tho it's not my genre, and give it a listen. Will post updated review when I am done. Update - Yep, this book is definitely not my genre. It was an okay book as far as the story line goes, but it did not draw me in because the story wasn't light enough. It addresses some deep philosophical issues such as what is happiness, and how does logic affect grief. The reader was fine, and the quality of the recordings was excellent, so if you like philosophy wrapped in a bit of a story, you may like this one. Story = 3 Reader = 5 Overall Rating = 4
adam
(4,5 Sterne)
This was an enjoyable book to listen to. It runs deep and is thought provoking. It's sort of like a dream in the way life is sort of like a dream. I liked also how people came into their lives to answer the questions at hand or at least to lead to the next question. Thank you for another great selection and great reading Martin.
Martin Geeson has a great voice. 100% Proper.
George Virginia
(5 Sterne)
The book is good and filled with food for thought. Here's a quote from the book: All that Virtue can afford is quietness of conscience and the prospect of a happier state. This may enable us to endure calamity with patience; but remember patience must suppose pain. -Nekaya Rasselas Prince of Abyssnia by Samuel Johnson
A matter of taste
Parsnip
(4 Sterne)
We each have our personal taste, but if you look at the many reviews of Martin Geeson's recordings, you will see that many, many people have the very highest regard for his work. I can only assume that the reviewer is American, if he cannot differentiate between a well-spoken Englishman and a "grossly exaggerated British accent".
fascinating
katamorrow
(4 Sterne)
Martin Geeson's well written plot summary hooked me into listening to a book that seemed like a dusty artefact at best. Not so! Well worth a listen. Martin Geeson is one of the readers who delivers professional level solo readings on Librivox.
The strangest, pointless story ever
Linda In Seattle
(3 Sterne)
I somehow made it to the end of this although I fell asleep many times. There were a few interesting parts but mostly I didn't see the point.