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)

Et Tu Macbeth?

A briliiant novel, brilliantly performed, Macbeth: A Novel, owes as much to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar as it does to his Scottish Play. Macbeth is presented as a Scottish Brutus, determined to preserve the Scottish oligarchy by which the Scottish king is chosen by the acclimation of the nobles, rather than by heredity.

Far from seizing the crown for himself, Macbeth is presented as an idealist and a patriot with an over active conscience leading him to excess, paranoia and insanity. Lady Macbeth is shown as a pragmatist with a heart that turns sour.

Combining the Shakespearian influences in this way something new and true is created. All involved deserve praise and recognition both for this masterwork and for what it might potentially due to further establish the credibility of the audiobook genre.

I get it now!

Over the years I've tried several times to get into Shakespeare's version of this most interesting tale. I just couldn't do it. (Sorry Professor Hartley, I was an economics major.) This book is well written and superbly narrated. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Fascinating but...

Having never studied Shakespear I thought I'd give this audio book a listen. It's definitely riveting! (I couldn't stop listening to it) As a Christian I strongly recommend NOT listening to it. It's dark. It's R rated, and it gives two messages that aren't necessarily true.

Fist message: Evil suggestions can come from readily identifiable evil sources. Not true: Evil can come in the nicest, friendliest and most appealing ways. However the book accurately portrays the fact that we humans have evil lurking within us that can easily come out given the right circumstances.

Second message: If you live in a black and white world of right and wrong, and you've been doing right most of your life, and then decide to do evil, you will quickly descend into even worse evil. So you better keep a balanced head and live in the grey zone. My take: There is an element of truth to that, but rather than live in the grey zone, flee to God for redemption through Jesus. Confess your sins to your fellow men and ask for forgiveness. Restoration is possible, and peace of mind can be had! (Actually that possibility was open to Macbeth in this story by his friend [in a more limited way] but he was too weak to take it)

On a technical level: Excellent Job guys!

Bill 2, History 1

I enjoyed the beginning and the end. The Epilogue was interesting, too. I started listening hoping for "Shakespeare meets history", but I felt it was more the former and less of the latter. To be fair, this is made clear by the Epilogue, but by then my expectation had failed. I liked the grittiness. However, ignoring the apparent golden summer (about 10 years) of Macbeth's reign left me feeling like I'd missed the "good Macbeth" which the authors say they came to like. Apart from one short passage about the good things planned and mapped out on his table, we don't see the best of a character that, for all his obvious vices and faults, had, the authors might argue, noble intentions. In that we miss the chance to reflect of a not-so-modern phenomenon, replayed regularly across the world, particularly, it seems, in Africa. Worth the listen.

If you liked Scottish Play, you will love Macbeth.

They've completely taken all the Shakespeare out of Macbeth. Without the beautiful poetry, the story is not a tragedy but a dreary retelling of Scottish history. The only redeeming factors, and they really steal the whole show, are the three witches.

If one were to take the beautiful singing out of an opera one would only be left with a bad story line. Shakespeare was a poet, not a novelist, therefore it goes without saying that his subject matter would need a ton of research, character development, and a few well placed narratives that evoked famous speeches.

I think that the authors did their best with a bad subject, really. And that's saying something, because David Hewson is one of the best authors writing today. You have to really love Macbeth to get this one. Its not a read for the average person looking for a little culture in their day.

Alan Cumming, however was superb...as always. A true artist.

Great Way to Experience Macbeth

I enjoyed this quite a bit! I was fascinated to see how these two authors would re-interpret Shakespeare???s famous play as a full-length novel. It was really engrossing! At first I felt like I only found it engrossing because, well, because of Shakespeare. However, by the end, I felt like the book stood on its own as a tale of greed and desire and their toll on the human spirit when left unchecked.

I really like the way Macbeth and his wife were fleshed out and humanized so that the reader really can imagine why they turned out like they did. The historical period was presented in a way that supported and illuminated the treachery presented in the story. Also, those witches were fascinating, really! The Scottish accent of the narrator was really great and lent authenticity to the story as well.

I know this came out as an audiobook only and will not be in print until May, 2012. I???m wondering if this novelized version will eventually become a movie. I could really visualize that! Maybe Rooney Mara (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) could be the young witch!

The only things that didn???t appeal to me were all the battle scenes and strategies. I don???t like war stories very much, but this book rose above that because of the psychological insight into the main characters.

Wonderful adaptation Shakespeare's Scottish Play!

What made the experience of listening to Macbeth: A Novel the most enjoyable?

Alan Cummings performance was engrossing. I loved the authors way they humanized Macbeth and his wife Skena. The back story they brought to the play was believable and worked to make me feel sorry for their plight.
The weird sisters were also scary and mesmerizing. The fleshing out of these characters made the story other worldly and freaky.

What other book might you compare Macbeth: A Novel to and why?

I read Queen Hereafter by Susan Fraser about Margaret of Scotland and her husband King Malcolm. The story features the same people and time period, but although I enjoyed the book I liked Macbeth much more.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

His accent was pitch perfect. A lot of the famous lines in Shakespeare's play are here and he delivers them with power.

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

I wish, but I can't listen for 12 hours straight! I was excited to hear what would happen next and the anticipation was tremendous.

Excellent reinterpretation of a classic

Would you listen to Macbeth: A Novel again? Why?

I keep going back to sections of it to listen again. It is an excellent retelling - with liberties - of the original story that uses the spoken medium very well. This is not just someone reading the play. I particularly like where they took the witches.

Wonderful!

I enjoyed just about every moment of the book! It painted a very clear picture in my mind as I listened and because of this, it was hard to turn it off at times. If you haven't, I HIGHLY recommend having a listen.

Alan Cummings Is The Perfect Narrator!

Scottish actor Alan Cummings is the perfect narrator for this fleshed-out retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth. Definitely better to listen than to read the book, in my opinion. Cummings brings the characters to life. It is positively chilling. This is one of the few audible books I would listen to again.