Steppenwolf

By: Hermann Hesse

Narrated by: Peter Weller

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Harry Haller is a sad and lonely figure, a reclusive intellectual for whom life holds no joy. He struggles to reconcile the wild, primeval wolf and the rational man within himself without surrendering to the bourgeois values he despises. His life changes dramatically when he meets a woman who is his opposite, the carefree and elusive Hermine.

With its blend of Eastern mysticism and Western culture, Steppenwolf, Hesse' best-known and most autobiographical work, originally published in English in 1929, continues to speak to our souls as a classic of modern literature.

©1927 S. Fischer Verlag A. G., Berlin. Renewal copyright 1955 Hermann Hesse. English translation copyright B 1929 Henry Holt and Company. Renewal copyright 1957 Hermann Hesse. Revised translation copyright 1963 Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, Inc. Author's note copyright 1961 Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt Am Main (P)2008 BBC Audiobooks America

Steppenwolf

I have read steppenwolf several times over the years, but listen to it as always made me enjoy it in a slightly different way.

great Hesse book

overall pretty good, but the narrator's intonation was a bit annoying and out of place for some of the material.

Great story narration is...

Hesse still stands the test of time, even through translation, but is less engaging on audio.
Weller’s voice has a nice timbre, but can easily become monotonous after the first hour or so. Little inflection sounding like a first time read through. Also, pet peeve’s like the pronunciation of pleasure as “playzure”, treasure as “trayzure” are a distraction to me. A petty demerit, but enough to irk.
The book is a wonderful story of a Renaissance man’s place in the vastly changing world and the impressions made by and left on Harry the protagonist. Part transcendentalism, part Goethe worship, but all Hesse and his character’s search for attainment.

Good writing but either wacko or over my head

The voice acting was well done. The story and main character were intriguing enough for me to finish the book. I wanted to know where it was headed. Nothing of consequence truly happens in the book. You read it to understand the main character, not because there is a plot. The author's explanation at the start of the book that it's not as dark as it seems, because hope is a key element, helped me read the book from a better point of view to try to understand what the author was trying to express. Unfortunately, some aspects of the story just didn't appeal to me, characters did not seem realistic, and the end of the book lost me completely - I have know idea what it was supposed to mean and it soured me to the whole story.

Great literature but...

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This once very popular work by the German Nobelist Hesse is deep, complex and fascinating. And, while short, readable and not terribly dense, it is not a page turner. It is a highly philosophical work that emerges from the narrative consciousness of a man in painful search for meaning outside the normal structures of the comfortable middle class. I listen to it when I have an energy that isn't satisfied by thrillers.

Book excellent, narration notably disappointing

There were a few moments of good narration, but as a whole, this beautifully-written character-rich book was represented flatly and lifelessly. I understand that the main character is in the deep despair of an existential crisis -- I am there myself -- but that doesn't equate to malaise, nor does it justify very nearly interpreting all other characters in precisely the same way. There are several occurrences of awkwardness, as well as oddly too-slow or (more rarely) too-quick readings.

I am certainly not a fan of this narrative performance, and I have little qualm in stopping an otherwise good book for this very reason. But I persisted in this case for two reasons: 1) the text is just that good and I have the imagination to re-interpret the narrative on-the-fly; and, 2) the narrator, though uninterested or incapable of putting humanity and pathos into his narration of this work, does succeed in providing just enough for my attention-span to grip (almost paradoxically). Perhaps again it is the superb writing of Hesse and the book's resonance with a similar struggle in my own life, but I refer you to a few other reviewers who were more than pleased with this narration.

Peter gave this me a new look on an old favorite

Steppenwolf gave me courage when I was first attempting to understand my place in this world. it has always been an old friend that helps. hearing Peter Weller narrate this was amazing, his voice was made for this book. it gave new life to my old friend. Give it a listen. its a doozy.

Poetic

Where does Steppenwolf rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty high.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character is the only one really explored in great depth

What does Peter Weller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Listening to this book is a completely different experience to reading it yourself. I would consider it important to do both. Peter Weller's delivery is compelling and compassionate. He made every sentance sound like poetry.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Many, especially in the last scenes.

Any additional comments?

I will be listening to this again. Once cannot be enough as there is just so much to be had from it.

Brilliant!

Would you listen to Steppenwolf again? Why?

Yes - and I did - because it is a classic!

What did you like best about this story?

The psycho babble and the relationship with the girls!

What does Peter Weller bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great drama and poise

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The description of his failure to approach his school boy love of his life! And of course the party ....

One of the greatest books on Life's philosophy

omg what a story and what a look at life and its aspects. after The Alchemist this is the greatest book about learning how to live, the only thing I disagree with in the book is the part regarding monogamy, The rest I believe is right on the money. great book indeed.