Buddenbrooks

The Decline of a Family

De: Thomas Mann

Narrado por: David Rintoul

First published in 1900, when Thomas Mann was 25, Buddenbrooks is a minutely imagined chronicle of four generations of a North German mercantile family - a work so true to life that it scandalized the author's former neighbours in his native Lübeck.

As he charts the Buddenbrooks' decline from prosperity to bankruptcy, from moral and psychic soundness to sickly piety, artistic decadence and madness, Mann ushers the reader into a world of rich vitality, pieced together from births and funerals, weddings and divorces, recipes, gossip and earthy humour. It is perhaps the first great family saga of modern literature, and it brought to public notice a writer of world stature who, three decades later, was to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. David Rintoul gives one of his finest performances in this committed and deeply moving reading.

©1993 Alfred A Knopf (P)2016 Ukemi Productions Ltd

Brilliant performance by David Rintoul

David Rintoul gives one of the best performances I have ever heard. This was a cinematic, character driven, visceral novel, with all the tension and drama of Tolstoy, the narrative vividness of Dostoevsky, and even the pleasant small town and familial relationships of Trollope. Despite the drama, set backs of the Buddenbrooks over the years, I became emotionally invested in their lives and it is David Rintoul who enriched my appreciation of this wonderful, meaningful novel.

Darkly humorous sprawling saga

Exactly what you want from an audiobook - the reader helps you better appreciate the novel.

Dry and witty

I understand this was Mann’s first novel, yet he already had a subtle and sophisticated narrative voice. His dry wit is a pleasure throughout the story. I was smiling at least inwardly most of the time when reading it. The translation and narration are also exceptional. I often listen to novels at a 1.2 or 1.5 speed, but I enjoyed the narration so much I left it at 1.0 for the entirety of this longish novel.

One of the greatest works of European literature

Amazing how this novel is still resonant today. Thomas Mann’s writing still amuses and illuminates. David Rintoul’s reading is mainly good except when he renders minor chartered with cockney accents and Scottish brogues.

Outstanding

I’m glad I read Toibin’s “The Magician” first to appreciate the autobiographical elements of Mann’s novel. The performance brought it all to life!