The king of all the narrators

Oof. Done! Finished my Gargantua & Pantagruel novel. Definitely wouldn’t have made it as a regular book. So much detail, obscure references and endless word play. Parts could be very funny though especially Panurge’s consistent and hilarious though not unreasonable cowardliness. On the last chapter Pantagruel and his friends search and find the the temple of the bottle in which a great book is read by swallowing it’s chapters. Extremely imaginative and a source influence, no doubt, of a great many subsequent great novels. The narrator is the king of all narrators, as far as I’m concerned. Not only giving the the rich langue it’s due but also bringing to life the numberless zany characters that dwell in this remarkable book. One last note, it’s odd that it’s called G&P since Gargantua isn’t in most of the novel but rather his son Pantagruel and and his buddies. I try to imagine this a movie and I simply cannot but I suppose every road movie and novel owes a debt of gratitude.

10 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Panurge, too merry or to marry, that's a question.

Francois Rabelais - a sublime satirist, salacious master of innuendo & double entendre, and an astute, detailed, unabashed observer of human conduct.

Gargantua & Pantagruel - an immensely surreal, tremendously madcap, enormously outlandish upending of normative behavior by relentless, topsy-turvy, X-rated silliness, interspersed with scientific observation and biting philosophical commentary.

Urquhart and Motteaux translation - jovial, exuberant, luxurious use of English language.

Bill Homewood's reading - an exquisite, stellar, thoroughly delicious performance.

6 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Relentless, but repays diligence

What made the experience of listening to Gargantua and Pantagruel the most enjoyable?

by all means, google image Gustav Dore's illustrations to go with this title

What was one of the most memorable moments of Gargantua and Pantagruel?

the ode to drinking is worth the price of the whole audiobook, assuming you are a lover of the devils brew

What about Bill Homewood’s performance did you like?

Hard to imagine another audible reader doing justice to Rabelais

6 persone l'hanno trovata utile

Best narrator ever

It's the classic in all its glory. I've finished 250+ books on Audible and this is the best narration I've heard, bar none.

Well performed, a must read

A masterpiece perfectly read. Rabelais is the 16th century Pynchon for me. I highly recommend. The narration is perfect.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is all that I can say about this very very funny masterpiece. Must read.