The Innocents Abroad

Or, The New Pilgrim’s Progress

De: Mark Twain

Narrado por: Grover Gardner

In June 1867, Mark Twain set out for Europe and the Holy Land on the paddle steamer Quaker City. His enduring, no-nonsense guide for the first-time traveler also served as an antidote to the insufferably romantic travel books of the period.

“Who could read the programme for the excursion without longing to make one of the party?”

So Mark Twain acclaims his voyage from New York City to Europe and the Holy Land. His adventures produced The Innocents Abroad, a book so funny and provocative it made him an international star for the rest of his life. He was making his first responses to the Old World—to Paris, Milan, Florence, Venice, Pompeii, Constantinople, Sebastopol, Balaklava, Damascus, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem. For the first time he was seeing the great paintings and sculptures of the Old Masters. He responded with wonder and amazement but also with exasperation, irritation, and disbelief. Above all he displayed the great energy of his humor, more explosive for us now than for his beguiled contemporaries.

Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A classic work…[that] marks a critical point in the development of our literature.” (Leslie A. Fiedler, literary critic)

Twain raises expectations, unmet

This is a journal of his trip in 1867 to France, Italy, and the Holy land, missing a few due to plague and quarantine. Twain is sometimes surprisingly biased and it's often not clever or funny. He is unfailingly credulous about Christianity, albeit critical of Roman Catholicism, and dismissive of all Arabs, most Italians, and many other foreigners. His cleverness surfaces describing himself and fellow travelers, but too rarely. Overlong.

cant get past the pace ad tone

Any additional comments?

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I was hoping. Twain is a terrific storyteller but the pace and tons of the narrative made me feel like I was being scolded.

Love the book, but narrator too "affected"

This is a fantastic book, especially for anyone who loves travel and Twain's style of common sense. What a trip! I'd love to recreate it some day. I don't like the narrator, though. He has a folksy Twain-like rhythm to his voice that really wore on me during the long drive I bought this for. Like a thick wall of affected acting that I could get through. I quit less than halfway and picked up the paperback to read instead.

Travel in Another Era

Twain at his cynical best, serving up a seemingly endless string of yarns about his 1867 voyage to Europe, The Holy Land and other stops along the way. The six month journey brought forth every reaction from delight to disgust. A trip back in time…

World trip from your chair

The people and places were like you were there. The descriptions were like you were there experiencing the trip. Traveling opens the mind and the heart.