Gulliver's Travels: A Signature Performance by David Hyde Pierce cover art

Gulliver's Travels: A Signature Performance by David Hyde Pierce

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Gulliver's Travels: A Signature Performance by David Hyde Pierce

By: Jonathan Swift
Narrated by: David Hyde Pierce
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About this listen

Four-time Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce is famous for playing the lovably self-important Dr. Niles Crane in the hit TV series Frasier. Now, he brings the same wit and charming arrogance to his Signature Classics performance of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels.

More than just a mock travel book and fabulous adventure, Gulliver’s Travels is a character study and social satire that skewers politics, science, religion, philosophy, and pretentiousness with a bite and resonance that remains as fresh today as the day it was published. Maybe that’s why it hasn’t been out of print in nearly 300 years.

Set sail with David Hyde Pierce for a smart, fun, new Gulliver’s Travels experience that’s unlike any other. And stay tuned for more one-of-a-kind performances from actors Leelee Sobiesky, Casey Affleck, Tim Curry, and more, only from Audible Signature Classics.

Public Domain (P)2010 Audible, Inc. Classics Literature & Fiction Satire Comedy Witty Funny Fiction Fantasy

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Editor reviews

Gulliver’s encounters with fantastic peoples and creatures - from the small-statured Lilliputians to the stargazing Liputians - reach to the far corners of the world. As narrator, David Hyde Pierce wonderfully captures the wit and irony of this much-loved classic. Despite Gulliver’s detailed, and sometimes cumbersome, descriptions of strange lands and their inhabitants, Pierce doesn’t miss a beat. His melodic voice wraps perfectly around Swift’s eighteenth-century language. His pronunciations of the imaginative languages are delightful, especially the neighing expressions of the Houyhnhnms, a utopian society of horses. Pierce’s consistently matter-of-fact tone fits Swift’s own. His reading highlights the author’s humor and sarcasm, pulling the listener into this fantastic journey.

Critic reviews

"Despite Gulliver’s detailed, and sometimes cumbersome, descriptions of strange lands and their inhabitants, Pierce doesn’t miss a beat. His melodic voice wraps perfectly around Swift’s eighteenth-century language. His pronunciations of the imaginative languages are delightful, especially the neighing expressions of the Houyhnhnms, a utopian society of horses. In a book in which the author’s voice comes through on every page, Pierce’s consistently matter-of-fact tone fits Swift’s own. His reading highlights the author’s humor and sarcasm, pulling the listener into this fantastic journey." ( AudioFile)
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A sign of a good actor is if you completely forget a character they're famous for portraying. This was definitely the case here.

The story can be a bit grating. Swift is so obsequious to the monarchy it's sometimes a bit cringeworthy, but I suppose that was the kind of author that received publication 300 years ago.

Great performance by "Niles"

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The narrator is truly top notch, using intonation and voice effects that make the listening enjoyable.

The stories seem so fresh even though written in 1726. Plenty of the satire is still very applicable today.

There are two recording glitches that I noticed, but they're not too great, and the rest of the audiobook is impeccable.

Great narration

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David Hp has the perfect voice for this story. An elegant sneer that keeps the story rolling.

great stuff well read

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Really enjoyed this reading. 'Niles Crane' makes an excellent narrator, although his fake posh English accent sometimes slips up. Had never read the story of Gulliver before, and think that listening to it probably added an edge to the irony and veiled sarcasm which reading may not have. Thoroughly recommended

Highly enjoyable

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For all those who think there are just one or two parts to Gulliver's Travels this reading includes the lesser known third and fourth voyages, including the reason I was never really happy using Yahoo email.

The Whole Story

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I enjoyed listening to this book. It was very interesting a d the narrated was very good.

Gulliver's travels

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This production is wonderful. David Hyde Pierce is fantastic and his voice excellently conveys the nuances and humour of Gulliver's character. The savage satire oozes in his voice. If you are hesitant to read the book, which in print is challenging, please listen to this performance, as you will get to enjoy Swift's satire in this amazing book. Sadly, Swift's critiques and messages about human follies and vices are still abundantly relevant in today's Yahoo societies!
I would highly recommend this performance.

Excellent performance by a wonderful narrator

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I chose this audiobook because I took advantage of the 'free first chapter' offer and then couldn't resist getting the rest. I had read a child's version of Gulliver's Travels when I was about seven, and although I enjoyed it at the time, I've often wondered what the original is like.

And it's great! Most people know about Lilliput etc, but the rest makes for just as compulsive listening - if not more so. It was both funny, clever and thought provoking. It is obvious that the book makes many political points which will be most meaningful to those with the appropriate historical knowledge (which I don't really have), but even so I found the humour and sharpness in it very effective and, interestingly, several of the comments seemed pertinent to our laws/politicians etc today!

I thought it was superbly read, even though the English accent as portrayed by an American was slightly odd at times. But that didn't matter at all as it was read in such a lively and spirited manner. And his mastery of the many, many nonsense names made me want to laugh/cheer out loud! If you do choose this book, make sure you stick it to the end as the reading of the last section is brilliant. Full marks, I really enjoyed it.

Lively and unusual

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As one of the earliest satirical works this is a highly political text that is laced with fantasy, rather than as I fancied a fantasy strewn with politics.

However it is still pertinent to the modern world and an exceptional well written. Funny, motivational, and thought provoking definitely worth persisting through the dry parts!

Early satire, heavy going but spectacular!

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I read this book years ago and it is a story I am familiar with. I did like the performance and I thought it added a lot to the story. The narrator had a nice tone and his performance was good.

Overall I did enjoy listening to this and would recommend it to people who like Classics Fiction

A good performance

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