![The Natural | [Bernard Malamud]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31BH9LCsCeL._SL175_.jpg "The Natural | [Bernard Malamud]")
The Natural
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- Narrated by
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- Regular Price :$17.47Special Offer: Learn how to get this for $7.49 !
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Average Customer Rating
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LENGTH6 hrs and 43 mins
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RELEASE DATE07-23-07
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AUDIO FORMATS
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Program TypeAudiobook
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PUBLISHER
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Publisher's Summary
First published in 1952, this novel has since become an American classic. Five decades later, Alfred Kazin's comment still holds true: "Malamud has done something which, now that he has done it!, looks as if we have been waiting for it all our lives. He has really raised the whole passion and craziness and fanaticism of baseball as a popular spectacle to its ordained place in mythology."
©1952 Bernard Malamud; (P)1993 Blackstone Audio Inc.
What the Critics Say
"A brilliant and unusually fine novel." (New York Times)
"This fine audio production retains the flavor of the world of professional sports circa 1940....Christopher Hurt's vaguely Midwestern voice is wonderfully matched to the characters....[It] has the perfect combination of flatness and emotion common to the finest sports announcers." (AudioFile)
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What Members Say
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"A Baseball Classic"
If you could sum up The Natural in three words, what would they be?Easy-paced, heart-dropping, All-American
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Natural?The early scene with Miss Bird that kicked off the conflict in the novel, while heavily foreshadowed, provided quite a memorable moment.
Which scene was your favorite?The final scene with Wonderboy, Roy's beloved bat, was a great one.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?The book kept jogging along, and I enjoyed the many peaks and valleys.
Any additional comments?I'd put this book after A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Art of Fielding, but certainly in the pantheon of great baseball books.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"The movie was better"
The screenplay for the movie beat the book hands down. The book had no direction, and no point. If you want the story of "The Natural" told with an inkling of entertainment value WATCH THE MOVIE!!!
1 of 2 people found this review helpful -
F. Brown United States 12-14-10 Listener Since 2003
i am *THE* phranque
- HELPFUL VOTES
- 6
- ratings
- REVIEWS
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"Unresolved Questions"
Though some have touted this as a good 'baseball' story, it comes up very short of that. Putting that aside, there are conflicts that come up in the book that are never explained (Why did Harriet want to kill sports stars?) and, in the end, it is not a happy ending. I could handle that but it just seems that this is a disjointed soap-opera with a baseball setting. I recommend watching the movie. It does stray from the book somewhere in the middle but at least you don't walk away with more questions than answers. Not to mention feeling better about the characters.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
steve kearny, NJ, United States 01-29-10 Member Since 2009An avid reader, who also loves to listen.
- HELPFUL VOTES
- 322
- ratings
- REVIEWS
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"Still Good nevertheless"
So this might not be as good as the movie, which is one of my favorite sports' movies of all time. BUT even still, the book is a classic and dives more into the sports' realm than the movie actually does. In addition, unlike the movie, the book is also a little less boring in that it doesn't go too much into the love stories as in the movie. In this audio production, the narrator does a great job and overall, I'd highly recommend this book for any sports' lover!
0 of 0 people found this review helpful -
"The Movie Was Much Better"
The way the story ends (which isn't the same as the movie) leaves a lot to be desired.
0 of 3 people found this review helpful