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Monkey

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Monkey

By: Wu Ch’êng-ên, Arthur Waley - translator
Narrated by: Kenneth Williams
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Summary

Considered one of China's great classical novels, Wu Ch'êng-ên's Journey to the West was translated by Arthur Waley in abridged form as Monkey in 1942 and has delighted English readers ever since. It is a riveting adventure story about a priest's quest to obtain holy Buddhist scriptures for the Tang emperor; joining him on this rollicking journey: Sandy, Pigsy, and the mischievous monkey king, Sun Wukong, whose flying cloud and magic cudgel are never far from his infamous deeds. Waley's accessible rendition of Wu Ch'êng-ên's novel has become a classic in its own right: Gods, demons, and disobedient monkey spirits all come alive in this entertaining work.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©1981 Nimbus Records Ltd. (P)2015 Naxos AudioBooks Classics Funny China
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Kenneth Williams is such a fantastic narrator of Monkey's adventures. He really brings the characters to life. Lots of fun.

True Monkey magic

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I heard about the Journey To The West years ago but my interest only peaked about last year after discovering a few YouTube videos about it.

This version of the story is very simplified and only features a handful of the pilgrims adventures, though given the length of the original text I can't blame them.

I found William's great to listen to and I enjoyed the unique voices he tried to give the characters, though not the kind I tend to imagine them having, I especially liked his voice for Sha Wujing AKA Sandy I think it suits a river demon specifically a kappa like he's portrayed as in Japanese media, though sadly of the three warriors of the group he gets the least attention.

There are several times when Williams reads one character's dialogue in a voice he uses for another, though I think that can be forgiven considering how many characters he has to voice in later chapters.

In conclusion, I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a taste of the ancient epic but is turned of by the books size.

A very abridged adaptation but still enjoyable.

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Monkey is, of course, a much shortened version of Journey To The West, but a delightful tale in its own right. Williams selivers an engaging, hilarious, and easy to follow telling of this timeless classic.

Masterful reading

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I loved this. Kenneth Williams has a fantastic voice and uses it so well with the different characters in this lovely tale.i tried to stretch this out for as long as possible to enjoy it for longer rather than listening to it in long stretches.
One of my favourite audible books!

brilliant story and narration

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Kenneth puts his marvelous caricature acting to great effect his Pigsy is an absolute joy

A rare treat

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