Macbeth: A Novel

By: A. J. Hartley, David Hewson

Narrated by: Alan Cumming

Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Macbeth: A Novel brings the intricacy and grit of the historical thriller to Shakespeare’s tale of political intrigue, treachery, and murder. In this full-length novel written exclusively for audio, authors A. J. Hartley and David Hewson rethink literature’s most infamous married couple, grounding them in a medieval Scotland whose military and political upheavals are as stark and dramatic as the landscape on which they are played.

Macbeth is a war hero and a patriot, doing everything in his power to hold together Duncan’s crumbling kingdom, which is beset by sedition from within and with threats from overseas. But when Duncan, contrary to ancient Scottish tradition, turns to building a family dynasty instead of rewarding those who have borne the brunt of the fighting, Macbeth and his powerful wife, Skena, make plans of their own, plans designed to hold both the nation and their strained relationship together. Sinister figures who claim supernatural knowledge spur them on, but the terrible outcome is as much about accident and failure as it is malevolence. Soon Macbeth and his wife find themselves preeminent in all the land, but struggling to hold themselves and their country together as former friends turn into bitter and deadly enemies.

This is Macbeth as you have not heard it before: fresh, edgy, and vital. It is a story of valor in battle, whispering in shadows, witchcraft in the hollows of an ancient landscape, and the desperate struggle of flawed people to do what they think is right.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

A. J. Hartley, a professor of Shakespeare at the Univ. of North Carolina-Charlotte, is the author of the “Will Hawthorne” fantasy series as well as several thrillers.
David Hewson is the best-selling author of 16 novels, including the Rome-based “Nic Costa” crime series.

ABOUT THE NARRATOR

Alan Cumming stars in CBS's The Good Wife, for which he received an Emmy nomination, and is the host of PBS’s Masterpiece Mystery. He was honored with the 2011 Audie Award for Best Male Narrator.

The Irish folk song “She Moved Through the Fair” is performed by Heather O'Neil of the Irish Repertory Theater.

©2011 A.J. Hartley, David Hewson (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Not only is the novel an amplification of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, but it also fills in many of the gaps and gives a new perspective on Macbeth….Alan Cumming reads in a luscious Scottish brogue, which adds authenticity to the narration. His subtle changes of voice for different characters provide a full cast for this story of ambition and hubris. This is a wonderful novel of the human condition, read with ardor and enthusiasm.” ( AudioFile)

Excellent story and narration

I studied Macbeth only briefly in high school so will make no comments about the novel in that way. The novel held my attention every minute. If you are a fan of Gabaldon's Outlander book/tv you will very much enjoy listening to this tale!

great spin on original w excellent narration

I really enjoyed this. I'm a big Shakespeare fan and I also love things like "wicked" where you get the same story from a different vantage point; in this case a story sympathetic towards Macbeth. the narration was amazing, I'm going to find more books read by the same guy, his voice is beautiful

brought the play to life

If you like royals, intrigue, and battles you will love this adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Brought to you in story form so people that do not like to read or listen to old English get a chance to know this great story.

Leave your scepticism at the door

I went into this book weary. I generally don't like "new" approaches to classics but took a chance on Macbeth simply because it was on sale. I feel no need to discuss the plot (you should know the story by now anyways) and simply need to say that I loved it enough that I hope the author does this with other material. Think Game of Thrones with a more meaningful plot and that's what you're getting.

Haunting drama

Please give us more, Hartley and Hewson. I was ravished!!
Thank you also for Alan Cumming

Great story, but in an overly lyrical style

Here we have a nice extrapolation on the Macbeth story, though it's written in a very lyrical style that feels as though it is trying to mimic the style of Shakespeare's play.

Alan Cumming gives an impressive audio performance. At first, I was a little concerned about his accent, as he speaks with a very thick Scottish accent. However, after a very short adjustment period it added to the atmosphere and was perfectly understandable. He has an impressive array of authentic voices, excellent vocal inflections, and skillful adjustments to his reading tempo.

Let me preface this with the fact that I love the Macbeth story. I always have, since I was exposed to a young reader's adaptation of the original play when I was 7.

It is, to my mind, the definitive classic tragedy, showing what happens when good people make a long series of bad decisions for what they consider the greater good.

As such, I was really excited to dig into this.

The book opens with a forward from one of the authors that I felt, honestly, was unnecessary. Setting the stage of time and place is all it really did, and that was presented clearly in the opening chapters.

Now, the story itself opens (predictably) with a scene of battle that quite accurately paints the scene of Scottish culture and politics for the period. It was artfully done.

In short order we get into the meat of the story with the meeting with the three witches and things get under way.

Now, I very much appreciate the additional character development that turns many of these characters into real people rather than just set dressings.

In terms of character development, there is one place where I feel it falls down. That is the interim between Macbeth being a staunch supporter of Duncan and becoming the vehicle of the King's assassination.

By his own words, Macbeth owes his loyalty to the man and would never countenance even speaking of betraying him. After a brief cut to show what a horrible leader Duncan is, we suddenly see Macbeth now changing his mind with almost no explanation as to what, in his own mind, changed.

I really enjoyed the characterization of Lady Macbeth. She really comes to life here, particularly in the scenes showing her grief over her own lost child and inability to conceive anew.

Now, in terms of plotting and prose, I do have a couple of frustrations.

There is a lot of broad exposition to tell us what is happening around the county and how various characters feel about it, but we're given almost no reason to care as there's very little visceral connection to the events and how they're affecting people.

Now, I know a lot of people might expect or even enjoy this sort of prose, but I'm not one of them. The language and flow of sentences is very much akin to reading Shakespeare, to the point that the prose is so lyrical as to be almost purple.

The book has a huge focus on trying to make the prose beautiful and I feel it negatively affects the story because of it.

Much of the dialogue is so lyrical that I could easily see it being sung rather than spoken.

Again, none of this is bad if that's the sort of thing you enjoy. I, however, do not. That kind of flowery language makes it difficult for me to pay attention and follow the story.

Now, anyone who knows anything about the Macbeth story knows how this book ends. More or less.

Even so, the way it all came together was still fun to read and satisfying in its conclusion.

I would definitely recommend this book to those looking for beautiful writing and lyrical dialogue, especially if those things are more important to you than great characters or an engaging story.

4.5 stars

I think this interpretation cheapened Lady Macbeth a bit. However, Macbeth, the witches, and especially the brutal world itself were wonderfully filled out. The politics and normalcy of violence were particularly effective.

Absolutely amazing performance by Cumming.

Outstanding

I have never been able to get into Shakespeare. My brain just does not work for reverse written poetry. however I've always appreciated the stories and have longed for a way to make some of that more accessible. While this book is not the play, I appreciate the similarities and the storyline that are familiar to me but definitely more engaging. I enjoyed the narrator and was able to tell the difference between all the voices with ease.

Incredible narration , fantastic re-imagining

Having first enjoyed the authors ‘ interpretation of Hamlet , I was eager for this , a revision of my first and consistent favorite work of Shakespeare. Cummings an actor I know only superficially, is astonishing in this reading . Consistently I found myself forgetting that I was listening to only one voice - granted a voice of tremendous versatility.
A work I am sure to return to, perhaps as often as the original that inspired it .

Wonderful Reimagining of Macbeth

I was never one to like Romeo and Juliet but I always did love the tragic figure of Macbeth. Hes always been a very enigmatic character, with so much depth and so many complex sides it can be difficult to grasp his nature truly from the play alone. This novel, though I would not recommend it for young children, portrays the tragic king beautifully, and adds a whole new breath of life to a memorable character and a tale that stemmed for a few fateful choices, and as a result, spiraled into so much more. I'll definitely be checking out a few of the authors' other titles.