Good Audiobook

Dead Souls was recommended to me as a classic of Russian Literature. The story is interesting, and contains excellent characterisation as well as evoking the richness of Russian society and exploring philosopical and moral issues.

The reading is good; the male narrator has an American accent. His tone and reading help bring the story to life. Personally I would prefer a reading with a British or Russian accent. However, it is pleasing to have this classic novel available as an audiobook, so I shouldn't be too picky!

I like to follow the audiobook with the text version (downloaded from Project Gutenberg on my Ipod). The chapter numbers did not exactly correspond with the book, had they done so it would have made my task easier.

Overall, worth buying and listening too.

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3 people found this helpful

Massive disappointment

What disappointed you about Dead Souls?

I persisted with this book beyond the call of duty, through tortuous prose, seeing it through to the end - or at least what passed for the end: it finishes mid sentence, followed by the reader's note: "here the manuscript of the original comes to an abrupt end". There had been some missing pages acknowledged previously and a few places where it felt as though the plotline skipped forwards, breaking up the storyline – or maybe I nodded off, having failed to maintain my level of engagement – and the only thing I can say that is positive about this Audiobook is that it saved me having to read it.

What could Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

If he'd finished it, it would have helped. Or on the basis that he had, that the translator had translated a complete copy. Having enjoyed Gogol's short stories and some interpretations of longer ones, I will stick to those in future.

What didn’t you like about Tom Weiner’s performance?

He made a decent fist of it, but his voice was too monotone and the delivery was relentless, lacking emphasis or dramatic pauses.

You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Other than saving me from having to read it, and confirming that I am more tenacious than is good for me, no. I should have returned it within the first hour, having failed to engage with it, and I feel robbed.

Any additional comments?

If this was a translation of the only remaining copy of the book, then I would question its validity as a competed work - let alone an unabridged one. If there are complete editions, to have translated and portrayed this as the unabridged work is a misrepresentation. None of the storylines reach any conclusion and I should have spent those 12 hours more constructively.

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1 person found this helpful

Terrible robotic American narration

It’s was very distracting voice alienating to the story just words said not enjoyable at all purchase another version

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