Under the Volcano Audiobook by Malcolm Lowry

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Listen to this audiobook free with a 30-day trial. Go to http://hotaudiobook.com/free Title: Under the Volcano Subtitle: A Novel Author: Malcolm Lowry Narrator: John Lee Format: Unabridged Length: 14 hrs and 49 mins Language: English Release date: 04-14-09 Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc. Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 184 votes Genres: Fiction, Literary Publisher's Summary: On the Day of the Dead, in 1938, Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic and ruined man, is fatefully living out his last day, drowning himself in mescal while his former wife and half-brother look on, powerless to help him. The events of this one day unfold against a backdrop unforgettable for its evocation of a Mexico at once magical and diabolical. ©1947 Peter Matson; (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Critic Reviews: "The book obviously belongs with the most original and creative novels of our time." (Alfred Kazin) "One of the towering novels of [the twentieth] century." (New York Times) "[Lowry's] masterpiece...has a claim to being regarded as one of the ten most consequential works of fiction produced in this century...." (Los Angeles Times) Members Reviews: Excellent...but not for everyone I loved this story of a day-long drunken binge told from 3 different viewpoints, but I know that not everyone liked it (ask my book club)...but I thought it was classic. It gets tough in some places, but I found Under the Volcano to be a wonderful tale in a vast desert of somewhat underwhelming books. 5 stars for writing and 5 stars for narration. Meh I'm sure this book is a classic but it sure didn't feel like one when listening to it. The narration was droopy, inarticulate and lacked variety between the characters. The storytelling itself is best absorbed when reading the novel. It was very apparent one chapter into this book that it was going to be confusing, troubling and overall not that enjoyable. Save yourself the listen. Buy the book instead. Great book, slightly flawed narration It took me awhile to warm up to this book. For the first hour or two I seriously considered quitting it but I'm glad I didn't. It gets more and more beautiful and more tragic with every chapter. The symbolism and metaphors build on themselves and the descriptions flow smoothly into plot. The literary references (the ones I actually caught) are fun and add another layer of meaning to the story. By the end I was sitting in my driveway long after arriving home entranced with the story. Stick out the beginning, it's worth it! The narration was great except that the Lee's Spanish pronunciation leaves a *lot* to be desired. Understanding the bits that are in Spanish isn't key to understanding the book but I found it distracting to hear the pretty blatant mistakes. Other than that though, it's a really, really well-done production. There sure is a lot of symbolism I don't know if there's any way to express my disappointment with this book that doesn't involve spoilers, so I'll start with what I liked about it. Lowry does an awesome job of delineating his characters. Their attitudes and feelings are completely understandable and realistic. Lowry's use of imagery, motifs, and symbolism are masterful. He builds his story layer by layer with rising intensity right up to the end. The story that he tells--of a man bent on destroying himself--is compelling in an existential sort of way. So why, when all is said and done, do I feel less than satisfied with the book as a whole? That is a question I suppose I will be pondering for a long time. Great Prose, Too much drunk guy This is the story of one day, the Day of the Dead, of a British drunk in Mexico.