Marius

This volume, the second in a two-part series, covers the period from 1850 to recent times. As in volume 1, the choice of poems is excellent although it is inevitable that most listeners will miss a few of their own favorites that did not make the cut. To counter this, many listeners (myself included) who have not read too much poetry in recent years will be pleasantly surprise when a favorite but vaguely-remembered stanza or turn of phrase pops up unexpectedly. I notice that some other reviewers of volume 1 would have preferred a short introduction to each poem - the problem with this is that, while the introduction is useful the first time you listen, it is an annoyance thereafter. I thus far prefer this audiobook's approach of climbing in immediately, without foreplay. Again, as with volume 1, the various readers were all excellent, although I would have preferred two or three more British readers, to vary the accents a little more (an Irish accent in particular is always a delight). Audio quality (at level 4) is excellent.

This book introduces Detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep and the extraordinary milieu in which he operates. I had previously read Bangkok Haunts which is one of the sequels, so I knew what to expect. The book is at once sleazy, refreshing, intrigueing and edgy, and is a major departure from the conventional cop thriller. It is definitely a good listen, and the narration by Glen McCready is first class. It would have garnered 4 stars, but lost a star when the author lapsed into explanation mode for much of its second half.

The Captive is the fifth book of the seven-volume In Search of Lost Time / Rememberances. For audiobook purposes, it is divided into two parts, this being the second. As with this entire series, it is beautifully narrated by Neville Jason.

Albertine remains a captive of sorts. The narrator literally transforms his jealousy into a fine art. Duplicity of speech is the order of the day. In a side show, the Verdurins engineer an extraordinary quarrel between Morel and M. de Charlus, so claiming Morel for themselves.

Proust tends to confine his violence to the verbal variety, and this volume does not lack for cutting speech. However perhaps the phrase that will stick most with the reader, or listener, is a poignant one. The narrator pretends to Albertine that they must and will part forever. She meekly accepts this, and looking around the room in his home, at the pianola, and the blue satin armchairs, she responds, "I still cannot make myself realise that I shall not see all this again, to-morrow, or the next day, or ever. Poor little room. It seems to me quite impossible; I cannot get it into my head." This phrase will come to haunt him.

As I have noted before, Proust is an unhurried author, who delights in ordinary events (and some that are rather out of the ordinary). If you like really wonderful writing, a relaxed pace, and are after a break from a diet of thrillers, you will really like this.

The Captive is the fifth book of the seven-volume In Search of Lost Time / Rememberances. For audiobook purposes, it is divided into two parts, this being the first. As with this entire series, it is beautifully narrated by Neville Jason.

This particular section commences with the period in which the intriguing Albertine lives with the narrator in Paris, virtually as a prisoner in a gilded cage, hence the title. A feature of the book is his increasing obsession and near-paranoid episodes of jealousy regarding Albertine. The narrator selects Andr?e (another of the little band of Balbec) to be a guide and companion to his mistress, and also entrusts her to the Verdurin chauffeur, a friend of the sinister violinist, Charlie Morel, both rather unwise choices. Morel in turn continues his relationship with M. de Charlus while also increasingly becoming seriously smitten by Jupien's niece.

For readers seeking action, I regret that there is neither a speedboat chase up the Seine, nor a gangster shootout amid the gargoyles of the Notre Dame. The action is instead far more deadly, concentrating on barbed words and spiteful actions.

As I have noted before, Proust is an unhurried author, who delights in ordinary events (and some that are rather out of the ordinary). If you like really wonderful writing, a relaxed pace, and are after a break from a diet of thrillers, you will really like this.

Sodom et Gomorrhe is the fourth book of the seven-volume In Search of Lost Time / Rememberances. For audiobook purposes, it is divided into two parts, this being the second. As with this entire series, it is beautifully narrated by Neville Jason.

Warning: This book contains absolutely no nuclear submarines, espionage double agents or KGB poisoners. In compensation, it does feature a sort of duel, but this turns out more comic than tragic.

This particular section covers the increasing infatuation of the narrator with the intriguing Albertine during his second visit to Balbec, and his agonsing over her apparent lesbian tendencies. The social rivalries between Mme. de Cambremer n?e Legrandin and her tenant, Mme. Verdurin, at la Raspeli?re and a sham duel involving M. de Charlus inject high humour, while the machinations of the scheming violinist Charlie Morel provide a sinister undertone. A delightfully spiteful quote by M. de Charlus: "But I ordered champagne. Take away that filth, which has no connection with the worst champagne in the world. It is the emetic known as cup, which consists, as a rule, of three rotten strawberries swimming in a mixture of vinegar and soda-water.”

Sodom et Gomorrhe is the fourth book of the seven-volume In Search of Lost Time / Rememberances. For audiobook purposes, it is divided into two parts, this being the first. As with this entire series, it is beautifully narrated by Neville Jason.

Warning: There are no serial murders in this particular volume, although serial philanderers are another thing altogether.

This particular section more explicitly covers various homosexual liaisons, previously only hinted at, some real and some surmised. Oodles more society gossip, snubs and snobbery, mingled with anti-semitism and the ongoing Dreyfus case, with support slowly swinging towards the falsely-accused officer. The impending demise of Swann casts a shadow, while the narrator visits Balbec a second time and is further drawn into a relationship with Albertine.

As I have noted before, Proust is an unhurried author, who delights in ordinary events. If you like really wonderful writing, a relaxed pace, and are after a break from a diet of thrillers, you will really like this.

The Geurmantes Way is the third book of the seven-volume In Search of Lost Time / Rememberances. For audiobook purposes, it is divided into two parts, this being the second. As with this entire series, it is beautifully narrated by Neville Jason.

Warning: Although this particular book is short on helicopter explosions (in fact the whole series is regrettably lacking in this regard) there is a particularly delicious hissy fit that should compensate.

This particular section covers the death of the the beloved grandmother, the return of Albertine to Paris, and the role of these two events in the advancement of the narrator into adulthood. With bucketloads of society gossip, this book also contains the celebrated hissy fit between the narrator and M. de Charlus, who roars "Do you suppose that it is within your power to insult me? You evidently are not aware to whom you are speaking? Do you imagine that the envenomed spittle of five hundred little gentlemen of your type, heaped one upon another, would succeed in slobbering so much as the tips of my august toes?" culminating in the narrator tap-dancing in a rage on the new silk hat of the Baron. (My clumsy wording is an attempt to avoid the apostrophe, which seems not to translate well when uploading reviews)

As I have noted before, Proust is an unhurried author, who delights in ordinary events. If you like really wonderful writing, a relaxed pace, and are after a break from a diet of thrillers, you will really like this.

The Geurmantes Way is the third book of the seven-volume In Search of Lost Time / Rememberances. For audiobook purposes, it is divided into two parts, this being the first. As with this entire series, it is beautifully narrated by Neville Jason.

Warning: This book contains no car chases or helicopter explosions.

This particular section covers the return of the narrator to Paris, his obsession with making the acquaintance of his neighbor, the Duchesse de Guermantes, and his growing friendship with her nephew, Robert Saint-Loup, who is in turn obsessed with his mistress, Rachel. In between these relationships, and an increasing emphasis on complex rules of society weave the tendrils of the Dreyfus case.

As I have noted before, Proust is an unhurried author, who delights in ordinary events. If you like really wonderful writing, a relaxed pace, and are after a break from a diet of thrillers, you will really like this.

Within a Budding Grove is the second book of the seven-volume In Search of Lost Time / Rememberances. For audiobook purposes, it is divided into two parts, this being the second. As with this entire series, it is beautifully narrated by Neville Jason. This particular section covers the first visit of the narrator to the seaside town of Balbec. At first he is very much in the company of his grandmother and her friends and acquaintances, but he later forms three significant friendships. The first is with the astonishingly good-looking (and finely dressed) Marquis de Saint-Loup. The second is with the painter, Elstir. The third, and most intriguing, is with Albertine Simonet, one of the little band of seemingly wild young girls holidaying in Balbec. Proust is an unhurried author, who delights in ordinary events, and this book is no exception. If you like really wonderful writing, a relaxed pace, and are after a break from a diet of thrillers, you will really like this.

Within a Budding Grove is the second book of the seven-volume In Search of Lost Time / Rememberances. For audiobook purposes, it is divided into two parts, this being the first. As with this entire series, it is beautifully narrated by Neville Jason. This particular section covers, amongst others, social interaction with the Marquis de Norpois, infatuation with the actress Berma, discussion of the author Bergotte, social difficulties relating to Odette, now married to Swann, and a growing relationship between the narrator and their pretty redheaded daughter, Gilberte. Proust is an unhurried author, who delights in ordinary events, and this book is no exception. If you like really wonderful writing, a relaxed pace, and are after a break from a diet of thrillers, you will really like this.

Swann in Love is the second part of the first book of the seven-volume In Search of Lost Time / Rememberances. As with this entire series, it is beautifully narrated by Neville Jason. The books tells the story of Swann's courtship of Odette de Cr?cy. Proust is an unhurried author, who delights in ordinary events, and this book is no exception. Helicopter explosions are at a minimum, and I cannot recollect any noteworthy car chases or bloody murders. If you like really wonderful writing, a relaxed pace, and are after a break from a diet of thrillers, you will really like this.