David

It's great to have this at Audible, an amazing trip by Paul Theroux, with great narration by the late Frank Muller, he captures Theroux's attitude, mood, and "crankiness," perfectly.

Additionally, the book has what I think is the best attribute of recorded books; forward momentum. I usually listen while walking, and I think the best books help me move forward.

This is supposed to be unabridged, but don't be fooled, the last 200 pages are chopped off. This is very misleading from Audible, they say, "It's an inabridged reading but it is abridged for audio."

A good book, the reader really captures Steve Martin's "voice."

I think there is a lot of Somerset Maughan in this book, and that's a good thing in my mind.

Spoiler Alert, don't read anymore if you don't want a spoiler.



I expect it would have been tempting to murder this girl, and I expect that Steve Martin felt some pressure to kill her off. He resisted, I think correctly.

This is a book I know well from reading years ago. I have also listened to another unabridged reading of Dune many years ago on cassette tape in the early days of recorded books.

This is an ensemble reading with some pretty weird production values. There are different readers for different characters, and sometimes the characters "thoughts," are in a different voice. Sometimes it works OK, at others it gets a little muddled. There are also sound effects, a little Star Trek Sci-Fi background noise here, maybe some middle eastern sounding music, maybe some real cheesy horror show special effect creepy sound, next it will sound like somebody is running a sweeper in the next room. The producer also has added a bunch of reverb to voices in places. It doesn't seem as irritating or intrusive as the book goes on, maybe you just get used to it.

I'm usually very anti music or sounds in book reading, but this is such an odd production that it really doesn't seem to damage much of anything.

I know the book contains a lengthy list of definitions in the back, these are not included. If you haven't read the book before, you may want to pick up a copy in a used bookstore, probably get one for less than a dollar.

If you are like me, and liked this book when you were in HS or college, it's a pretty good listen.

I wonder if the companies that produce these recordings have any understanding of their customers?

Good reading by Bronson Pinchot, but badly marred by the insertion of what I guess is supposed to be "creepy atmospheric" music at the beginning and end of each story. I do not understand this practice, and I don't know of anyone who is a regular listener who thinks it adds anything but annoyance to these productions.

This collection has the three Dupin stories, and also includes the very little known "Thou Art Man," which is not a Dupin story at all. A better selection might have been "The Gold Bug" which is a "Dupin" story, but with "Dupin" changed into William Legrand.

"There is a very loud amusement park right in front of my present lodgings."



Very nice addition to Audible.This is a difficult book, made a little difficult by this excellent production. It is a great narration, and fun to listen to. Before you buy, Google "Pale Fire" and read about it.

The book is completely non-linear, I listened in the car and while walking, then got a paperback edition for 50 cents and read different parts at night. This isn't Dean Koontz or David Baldacci, but something very unique.

Until recently, "The Innocents Abroad" was only available read by Flo Gibson. The Flo Gibson reading is one of the most horrible readings available.

I was glad to have this narration available. However, it's got issues: first of all, goofy music at the beginning of each chapter, first it was banjo, then crazy computer music.

The narrator adds some cheesy editorial "ahems" and some other noises that I don't think were present in the text. He also reads very slow in an attempt at a drawl. I was so glad to get a version other than Flo Gibsons, and was happy enough until I listened to Bronson Pinchots "Autobiography," then I knew how this book should have been done.

The Innocents Abroad is a great read, good enough to make up for the shortcomings of this narration, but we can wish for a Bronson Pinchot reading.

I don't know what Mark Twain sounded like, but this sounds right to me. Mark Twain was a very successful lecturer, so he must have been entertaining to listen to, this reading is one of the best I have heard in years of recorded books. I hope Bronson Pinchot can work his way through the Twain catalog. He could really make "The Innocents Abroad" come alive.

This is a great reading, but ruined by crazy sound effects and stupid music.

The music would be bad enough, but this producer put bird noises, and other insane sound effects into the mix.

Good book, good narration.

I hate the music at what was probably the beginning and end of each CD on the original recording. It's goofy and distracting to have to listen to music over the narration.