The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman Vol. 1


Lu par LibriVox Volunteers

(3.4 stars; 42 reviews)

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (or, more briefly, Tristram Shandy) is a novel by Laurence Sterne. It was published in nine volumes, the first two appearing in 1759, and seven others following over the next 10 years. It was not always held in high esteem by other writers (Samuel Johnson responded that, "Nothing odd can last"), but its bawdy humour was popular with London society, and it has come to be seen as one of the greatest comic novels in English, as well as a forerunner for many modern narrative devices. (Summary from Wikipedia) (5 hr 55 min)

Chapitres

Chapter 01-03 8:17 Lu par Gesine
Chapter 04-05 7:29 Lu par Julie VW
Chapter 06-07 6:35 Lu par Julie VW
Chapter 08-09 7:47 Lu par Keri Ford
Chapter 10 13:58 Lu par Julie VW
Chapter 11 9:47 Lu par Mark F. Smith
Chapter 12 11:38 Lu par Julie VW
Chapter 13-14 7:05 Lu par Keri Ford
Chapter 15 10:06 Lu par Julie VW
Chapter 16-17 4:40 Lu par Varra Unreal
Chapter 18 13:20 Lu par Julie VW
Chapter 19 14:03 Lu par Julie VW
Chapter 20 13:27 Lu par B. G. Oxford
Chapter 21 18:41 Lu par Keri Ford
Chapter 22-23 11:49 Lu par Keri Ford
Chapter 24-25 5:27 Lu par Varra Unreal
Chapter 26 6:08 Lu par Varra Unreal
Chapter 27 11:52 Lu par valli
Chapter 28-29 13:29 Lu par valli
Chapter 30 17:28 Lu par valli
Chapter 31-32 8:48 Lu par hefyd
Chapter 33-34 8:18 Lu par hefyd
Chapter 35-36 6:48 Lu par hefyd
Chapter 37-38 12:38 Lu par hefyd
Chapter 39-41 9:56 Lu par hefyd
Chapter 42 part 1 28:30 Lu par hefyd
Chapter 42 part 2 22:22 Lu par hefyd
Chapter 43-44 24:08 Lu par hefyd
Chapter 45-47 7:20 Lu par Kristine Bekere
Chapter 48-50 7:09 Lu par Kristine Bekere
Chapter 51-52 6:31 Lu par Gesine

Critiques

some readers better than others but overall painful to listen to


(2 stars)

Atrociously Poor Reading


(1 stars)

The female reader's pronunciation and phrasing made the book almost impossible to listen to. I thought she was bad until I got to chapters 16 and 17. The reader of those chapters was atrocious. I could not understand a word they were saying. I was extremely disappointed and implore libravox to take down this version and re-record this book.

Inconsistent reading


(3 stars)

Aside from what the author considers humorous in the 18th century, the reading quality varies greatly- from Hefyd who sounds like the hero come to life and Julie VW with her lovely Irish accent to Verra Unreal who was almost uncomprehensible.

16 Chapter 24-25 needs to be recorded again


(3 stars)

Very good readings - the french pronunciation, in particular - with the exception of the reader of 16 Chapter 24-25 who speaks too quickly and with a strong lisp. Please re-record.

Hampered by poor reading


(1 stars)

This is one of the classics of English wit, but some readers render it incomprehensible, especially 16-17 and 25. I had just finished The Idea of a University and was impressed by how the reader got such feeling into a philosophical text. Sadly, this was the opposite: a reading of a humorous text with little respect for the rhythm of the language, and with insufficient feeling and emphasis.


(1 stars)

The female reader was terrible, I couldn't listen to her at all. She pronounced the words so badly I had to go and check the physical book in order to understand what she was trying to say. It's a shame such a great book has been ruined.

Fun but inconsistent


(3 stars)

There are some great readers in this collaborative reading, but I cannot understand why anybody would volunteer to read a book aloud only to sigh, and mince words, and rush into their parts as if it were the most tedious activity.


(1 stars)

I quit at Chapter 16-17. Maybe it is a kind of performance art to underscore the literary challenge of the text. It was too much for me and my simple mind.