An Extraordinary Journey

I began listening to this audio book in the heat of a summer's day, in the middle of summer, and ended it today as a great snow falls, blanketing everything in white on a mid winter's afternoon in February, as the light fades from the sky. I feel profoundly blessed to have heard this story in it's entirety. Possibly one of the longest audio experiences I have ever had. It does have it's digressions at times, that feel like it it taking you out of the experience, but always seems to rebound to the grace and beauty of the story. The reader was extraordinary addling such life to the characters and events, and gives it such a French color. Granted I gave up on it several times and listened to other audio books in between, but something always drew me back. If you stick with it, it will take on you on one of the most remarkable journey's of a life time.

19 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Use earphones that are light on bass

Edited on 8/29/2018. I’m leaving what I said originally unchanged, but note that I raised the overall rating to 4 stars. The recording does seem to be bass-heavy, which gives the sound a muffled quality, if you’re using standard-issue earbuds. This is unusual for Naxos, whose recordings are usually crystal clear. But given the right headphones, Homewood’s narration takes off: he maintains a formal style and yet remains passionate throughout. All the characters have distinct voices, filled with emotion, and the language of the translation, though it is an old one, soars at times to heights of eloquence. It’s a deeply moving reading.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: I couldn't figure out how to rate this one. It's a little odd giving the story and performance five stars and then giving the overall recording only three. I'll try to explain my thinking.

This title could be a slam-dunk five stars all around. Bill Homewood is a brilliant narrator and captures Hugo's spirit as well as anyone [EDIT: actually, better than anyone I’ve ever heard]. But the sound quality on the recording is poor: the bass is way too high, and his voice is muffled. That being said, earphones vary a lot, and it's possible to get earphones that flatten out the sound and improve the experience. But I listen to almost all books with the same standard-issue earphones because they're the only ones that stay in my ears; and almost all books are fine, especially with Audible's enhanced quality format. But not this one.

So my three stars is kind of a warning. If you have the right earphones - ones that play up the treble, are better suited to voice, or somehow can flatten the bass - you could be in for a major treat. But if you use the earphones / ear buds / ear pods that came with your generic MP3 player or phone, this one may be hard to listen to.

47 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Terrible Audio quality

Any additional comments?

This is one of the all-time great stories and the reader does an amazing job sharing the story. Unfortunately the quality of the recording is terrible. I actually am trying to find a way to get refunded because the quality is so poor compared to all of the other books I have purchased and I cannot listen to it in most of the circumstances that I normally listen to my audio books.

26 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Breathtaking, Heart-wrenching, Sublime

I cannot overstate how much I love this book nor can I think of another book that has so thoroughly captivated me in all it's depth, peopled with characters I will never forget.

7 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Fantastic performance of a sluggish classic

I purchased this audiobook because I'd listened to Bill Homewood's performance of The Count of Monte Cristo, and that one is, hands down, my favorite audiobook of all time. The narration was excellent here too. It's true that the audio quality is lacking, but I listened in my car with the bass turned all the way down and it sounded just fine.

That said, I'm not sure that Les Miz is really worth ~68 hours of listening time. Granted, this is a classic, but it's not a very readable (or listen-able) one. The pace is sluggish and many characters are underdeveloped. At times, Victor Hugo seems so impressed with his own brilliance that he just can't help sharing his supposedly amazing insights at the expense of his own plot. Personally, I found this book preachy and irritating, and kept going only because of Bill Homewood's narration -- he's so good that I'd listen to him read the tax code.

5 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Anazing!

The narrator for this book has a fascinating range and magically creates many clear voices. It could not be done better.

This was my first read of Les Miserables. The unabridged sometimes went deeper into history and side tales than I expected but always came back to add depth to the story. If you don't have the patience for this the abridged may be a better option.

Loved this book. Often could not put it down.

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Sound quality needs improvement.

Important classic, timeless beauty and masterful narration. Sound quality needs improvement; otherwise I would have given a five star rating.

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

One of the best books I've ever read (or listened to)

I've learned a lot from this story. I know you will too. Read it! It's long, but it's worth it.

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Magnificent !

Victor Hugo, a master story teller, gives us his singular insight, timeless revelation of the struggle of life on Earth. Joy and tears. The understanding of our heart's journey. The victory of truth and love for mankind and the "Good God".

6 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Classics are accessible!

Would you listen to Les Misérables again? Why?

Yes. Why? I'm not sure I've fully understood it the first time.
I tried reading it at first and found the language tedious due to so many foreign names, places, etc.

What other book might you compare Les Misérables to and why?

I've never read a book I would compare it to. This is my first dive into "the classics".

Have you listened to any of Bill Homewood’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No. But Bill does a fine job!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No, but I read it a lot in the bathroom so in that sense, I guess I was moved.

Any additional comments?

Seriously. No really, I'm enjoying this book and listening experience and will keep listening.

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile