"Melodrama from old San Francisco"
What did you like best about McTeague (Dramatized)? What did you like least?
I liked the melodramatic
flourishes of McTeague and his fellow rogues. The naturalism of Frank
Norris a century-plus ago comes off very strong here, and the narrative feels very dated.
That is its strength, as it captures the down and outs of S.F. well, but
it's repetitious and heavy-handed.
Would you recommend McTeague (Dramatized) to your friends? Why or why not?
It's probably more entertaining
to hear the novel dramatized by an enthusiastic cast. But you need
patience, for at eleven-plus hours the plot goes on and on, wearing out
its welcome.
Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I liked the L.A. Theatre Works'
"Babbitt," done in similar form by a cast of (as of the late 1980s)
respected actors. Sinclair Lewis' was a bit more skilled at narrative
than Frank Norris, but the social message type of novel both men favored
is suitable for such radio ensembles.
Was McTeague (Dramatized) worth the listening time?
It was fun, as I chose it for a
drive across the California desert. Let's just say it remains in The
City for most of its running time, as I cannot give away any plot
spoilers. It's a period piece I always meant to read, and hearing it
kept me entertained despite repetitious prose.
Any additional comments?
Perhaps this was published as a
serial? The novel keeps repeating the same phrases for certain
characters, and passages verbatim or near it come again to remind
readers of the action or the characters. Still, for all its
moustache-twirling menace, it's a reminder of the harsher conditions
endured by ordinary men and women in urban California, little romance at all! (Audible US 2/16/17)
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