The Sound of Things Falling

De: Juan Gabriel Vasquez

Narrado por: Mike Vendetti

Juan Gabriel Vsquez has been hailed not only as one of South America’s greatest literary stars, but also as one of the most acclaimed writers of his generation. In this gorgeously wrought, award-winning novel, Vsquez confronts the history of his home country, Colombia.

In the city of Bogot, Antonio Yammara reads an article about a hippo that had escaped from a derelict zoo once owned by legendary Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. The article transports Antonio back to when the war between Escobar’s Medelln cartel and government forces played out violently in Colombia’s streets and in the skies above. Back then, Antonio witnessed a friend’s murder, an event that haunts him still. As he investigates, he discovers the many ways in which his own life and his friend’s family have been shaped by his country’s recent violent past. His journey leads him all the way back to the 1960s and a world on the brink of change: a time before narco-trafficking trapped a whole generation in a living nightmare.

Vsquez is “one of the most original new voices of Latin American literature” according to Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa, and The Sound of Things Falling is his most personal, most contemporary novel to date, a masterpiece that takes his writing - and will take his literary star - even higher.

©2012 Juan Gabriel Vasquez (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Loved the writing; hated the narrator

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The book, but NOT the audiobook. The writing was lovely, layered, evocative, tragic. The narrator, though, was so awful that I almost couldn't finish listening. He mangled even commonly-heard (in the US) Spanish names and place-names ("Medellin," for instance, and the name "Maya"), read without expression, over-enunciated articles such as "the" and "a," mispronounced random English words, and generally placed vocal emphasis in odd places. Painful.

Great book! Terrible narration performance!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Sound of Things Falling to be better than the print version?

The audio version was a sad missed opportunity! The English translation was very good and natural. The only thing that detracted from the story was the terrible performance of the narrator. Because of him I had to struggle many times as I listened to him bungle words, mumble words and completely miss pronounce words. His performance was devoid of emotion. He would read some of the most gripping lines in monotone. I was very disappointed in that aspect of the book. The story takes place in a Latin American country. The narrator should at least be able to pronounce the characters names and the places in Spanish. Even if it's an Anglicized version of the Spanish name. But this narrator could not even give a terrible English rendition of any Spanish word. The Spanish words were unintelligible and in the reader's mind we were left with no idea what was said. Rather than the words from another language adding a touch of romance or adventure to the story. I was constantly left wondering what the narrator had said. It was frustrating and very distracting. Another thing that was surprising was the editing. I could tell when many of the edits were made. In fact, in the last third of the book, the narrator's voice completely changed. It was like he was on cold medication. I hope the audio version of the book can be re-issued with a more suitable narrator. One with a command of the sounds of the Spanish language. The story is very good and the book is well written. There is plenty of excellent material here for a talented narrator to give us a very moving performance.

What did you like best about this story?

The storyline was full of surprises and intrigue. It's always fun when a story is unpredictable. Learning about Colombian recent history was an unexpected side benefit. Through this book I learned that the drug trade has impacted Colombian society in ways that I never imagined. The author has a wonderful talent for describing the scenes and giving the reader a sense of each characters emotional state as the story unfolds. I really enjoyed the book.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Mike Vendetti?

I think a narrator with a slight Spanish accent would add so much to the performance of this story. Because the main character is Colombian and he is telling the story. A narrator with a gentle Spanish accent would immediately draw the reader into the story and make it very believable.

Any additional comments?

Please redo the audio version of this book. I would love to listen to it again with the right narrator.

Excellent book, terrible narrator!

This is a beautifully written book about my native Colombia. I had to grit my teeth and endure the reader's abominable mispronunciation of all Spanish words and names. Why would there be no effort made to learn proper pronunciation in order to better render the main character? I particularly enjoy listening to books set in foreign locations in order to gain a better understanding of a culture by hearing the music of it's names. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn about Colombia beyond what is portrayed in the news. Read the book and skip this audio version.

Simply lovely

While perhaps a bit disjointed in its buildup, this book superbly expresses the nuances and characterizations of a city, individuals, & relationships.

Beautiful descriptions, slow moving story. Important themes about recent history in Colombia

I enjoyed this audiobook very much. My interest is in deciding to live in Colombia for a year and wanting to read a bit of historic fiction. The story is beautiful but it moves quite slowly. I enjoyed the characters, the slow revealing information, Took me quite a few months to complete as I kept on taking long pauses, needing to rewind and listen again to get caught up. The narrators voice is very deep and soothing. I was a bit disappointed that the pronunciations of Spanish words were very far off though. It would not be hard to teach a narrator how to pronounce major cities in Colombia and it would be less awkward. Bogotá and Medellin are not hard to pronounce. Some of the pronunciations almost seemed mechanical, like the name of the university whose acronym was used many times. I am still quite happy about this audiobook but disappointed in the editors for this oversight.