Sunday 11 October 2020

AudioBookReview: Travels With A Donkey by Robert Louis Stevenson, abridged narraton by Denis Lawson

Travels With A Donkey


Travels With A Donkey by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I re-listened to the abridged audio book of this classic traveloque that I have as others in my face to face book group read the whole thing. It is well narrated by Scottish actor Denis Lawson. Beautiful lyrical writing by the author whose adventure and science fiction tales are the tracks of my youth 'Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Kidnapped and Catriona, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Tales of Terror, The Master of Ballantrae, The Black Arrow and the like, and whose travel writing - Letters from Samoa and In the South Seas" inspired me to travel to and write about his ultimate reting place in Vailamu Samoa. Modern sensibilities may be dismayed by his treatment of Modestine early on as he attempts to get the donkey to move at the appropriate pace but the writing pulls you in and along. What travel writing should be. It still gives a warm feeling all these years on from first acquaintance.






Thursday 8 October 2020

Book Review: A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

A Gentleman in Moscow A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I "discovered" theis author after reading his short story You Have Arrived at Your Destination which I loved and I was not diasappointed with his longer work either. Towles has created a lasting character, with a superb storyline, witty, paced writing which is superbly read by voice over artist Nicholas Guy Smith. I admit I was interrupted in my listening mid way and perhaps this made it feel a bit overlong, but I thought the build up to the ending was marvellous especially for any lover of the movie classic Casablanca which coincidently I had only just recently rewatched for the umpteenth time. 

I see that Kenneth Branagh has bought the movie rights to the book and there is supposed to be a TV miniseries of it coming out, presumably now delayed because of COVID. I'm really looking forward to that as I think it should translate to the screen very well, so fingers crossed Rostov's Metropole will be as lasting as Rick's American Café


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