The Adventures of Gerard

By: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrated by: John Bolen

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Napoleon's presumptuous but unsung hero, the Brigadier Gerard, faces certain death at every turn while outwitting the enemies of France! Gerard careens across Europe, swept along in the ebb and flow of the Napoleonic wars. This series of eight stories includes: I) How Brigadier Gerard Lost His Ear, II) How the Brigadier Captured Saragossa, III) How the Brigadier Slew the Fox, IV) How the Brigadier Saved the Army, V) How the Brigadier Triumphed in England, VI) How the Brigadier Rode to Minsk, VII) How the Brigadier Bore Himself at Waterloo, and VIII) The Last Adventure of the Brigadier.

©2000 Tantor Media Incorporated

Terrible accents

Probably an amusing story but unfortunately the reader was performing terrible accents for the french and Italian characters.
The accents were so terrible I couldn’t listen to more than the second chapter
Unfortunate

This is very fine writing

The stories in this collection are short stories that are very intricate and well woven. These stories are meant to savor and enjoy. Have a beverage and relax and enjoy. As for the Narrator, he is very good although he only has one accent and that is Italian, it is nothing to get jerked up about.

Good read and a travesty of a reading

The Brigadier Gerard stories are exciting and witty. Hilarious at times. The reader here expunges humor, reduces wit to dreary and insensate monotone, and mangles not only the French but the English words as well. Same assassin who murdered Verne’s fine Michael Strogoff. The fake accents grate odiously. But that’s not all. Who pronounces rogue, roog? Or tunic, tonnick? This reader does. A travesty. Audible, I’ll reread it for you gratis to placate the ghost of Conan Doyle.

Good Stories, bad Narration

The narrator does such a bad job of fake French, Italian and Spanish accents that I could not get past it and enjoy the stories. He really made a mess out of a good book. Avoid this narrator!

Doyle Strikes Out with Me

What would have made The Adventures of Gerard better?

It is obvious I hope from my uniformly giving this title two stars across the board that I am not a fan of this book. I was not expecting anything as brilliant as Doyle's creation of Sherlock Holmes but this book missed the mark in almost every respect. Except for a few mild chuckles, the book did not elicit much from me. The stories were unremarkable, the narration was inconsistent (changed his pronunciation of cavalry to the common mispronunciation of Calvary and back again, as an example) and passionless. I just could not muster any enthusiasm for this book. Its only virtue was that it was mercifully short.

Has The Adventures of Gerard turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I remain an optimist at heart. But I probably will preview titles more thoroughly in the future.

Would you be willing to try another one of John Bolen’s performances?

I will be very wary of subjecting myself to John Bolen again.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I wish it did make me react with anger, sadness, or disappointment. I just felt blah. Maybe I could call it disappointment at a low frequency. And I wanted to like this book.

Any additional comments?

It is rare for me to comment. This book is the first in a long time that I didn't enjoy. At the same time, maybe more sympathetic listeners (or hardcore Doyle enthusiasts) will fancy this book. I didn't.