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The Magic Mountain
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 37 hrs and 27 mins
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The Magic Mountain
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Summary
It was The Magic Mountain (Der Zauberberg) that confirmed Thomas Mann as a Nobel prizewinner for literature and rightly so, for it is undoubtedly one of the great novels of the 20th century.
Its unusual story - it opens with a young man visiting a friend in a tuberculosis sanatorium in the Swiss Alps - was originally started by Mann in 1912 but was not completed until 1924. Then, it was instantly recognised as a masterpiece and led to Mann’s Nobel Prize in 1929.
Hans Castorp is, on the face of it, an ordinary man in his early 20s, on course to start a career in ship engineering in his home town of Hamburg, when he decides to travel to the Berghof Santatorium in Davos. The year is 1912, and an oblivious world is on the brink of war. Castorp’s friend Joachim Ziemssen is taking the cure, and a three-week visit seems a perfect break before work begins. But when Castorp arrives he is surprised to find an established community of patients, some of whom have been there for years, and little by little, he gets drawn into the closeted life and the individual personalities of the residents.
Among them are Hofrat Behrens, the principal doctor, the curiously attractive Clavdia Chauchat and two intellectuals: Ludovico Settembrini and Leo Naphta with their strongly contrasted personalities and differing political, ethical, artistic and spiritual ideals. Hans Castorp’s stay is extended, once, twice and still further, as he appears to develop symptoms which suggest that his health, once so robust, would benefit from the treatments and the mountain air.
As time passes, it becomes clear that the young man, with a particular interest in shipbuilding and not much else, finds his outlook and knowledge broadened by his mountain companions, his intellect stretched and his emotional experience deepened and enriched. Hans Castorp is changing, day by day, month by month, year by year, sometimes imperceptibly, sometimes with a sudden advance, as he encounters the varied range of sparkling characters, their comedies and tragedies, their aspirations and their defeats.
The Magic Mountain is a classic bildungsroman, an educational journey of growth - a genre that began with an earlier novel in the German tradition: Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship. It is presented here in the acclaimed modern translation by John E. Woods and is told by David Rintoul with his particular understanding for Thomas Mann as displayed in his widely praised Ukemi recording of Buddenbrooks.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Matte Fog
- 17-01-23
Rich
It has been a beautiful experience.
A bit slow or difficult at times but so are some of the best things in life.
Hope many others, like I did, will enjoy this masterpiece.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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- John Smith
- 10-07-22
Mann is outdated
Why was Mann so popular last century? This book is a stitched together series of essays the product of a human stuck in the thinking mind and creepily observing others around them. It’s so verbose and pretentious I can’t. The person who recorded it is great on the other hand, his tone sometimes has a tiresome gravitas and pretence, but I imagine Mann speaking with a similarly annoying and unnecessary tone.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Elzbieta
- 21-02-21
The Masterpiece
The book is a a work of a genius. I have read it in a couple of languages and now will read another translation. David Rintoul's interpretation transported me to Davos and became my own and cherished reading voice. Beautifully executed work. Thank you. It brought yet another meaning to this marvelous story of humane passion, frailty and dignity. What a great journey!
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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- Abusam
- 26-12-22
Over-indulgent
Having come to this after listening to an even longer book (The Man Without Qualities). I was disappointed by both the text and the narration.
Large chunks of the text could be cut and would not detract from the story.
The narrator over-acts too many of the parts which make listening a wearying experience.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Silke Van Der Snickt
- 24-09-21
Best book ever
Wow. What a story. What an experience. This is not just a book, it is an adventure that, once you embark on it, will take you places you never thought existed.
This book is just wonderful. The narrator is amazing. He brings all of the characters to life, he makes all of them stand out individually, and makes them unforgettable. This story moved me in a very special way. I will never forget the experience of listening to it, and the emotions I felt along the way. Thank you to the author and narrator for this beautiful gift.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mykal Jon
- 19-11-23
Extraordinary experience
An amazing story, beyond my expectations!
David Rintoul deserves an award for his narration.
Highly recommended.
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- Gerard
- 04-02-21
A masterpiece and almost perfect audiobook
David Rintoul deserves our sincere thanks for an absolutely spellbinding reading of Thomas Mann’s masterpiece.
Set aside plenty of time to enjoy the hours and hours, and hours of the novel’s fascinating exposition of the hermetic life’s of the inhabitants of the International Sanatorium Berghof.
Mann’s ruminations on the nature of time seem especially topical as we live through lockdown.
I hope that we will hear the narrator read more of Mann in the very near future ..... Dr Faustus, please!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Iamhanuman
- 16-04-23
Where do I start?
An epic that doesn't feel like an epic. Thomas Mann has a talent for creating something more akin to a miniseries. You follow our protagonist and his fellow travellers on their meandering journeys through mostly inner space as their actual physical space and abilities are limited. So we look inwards and crikey we find all manner of stories that hit home. I can see why he was chosen to speak to the German people after WW2 to inform them of the atrocities which had occurred. Amazing publication with much to say about the human condition and nations in this ever changing world.
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1 person found this helpful
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- TIM H.
- 12-07-21
The breath of life
With Hans and Setembrini we are complicit in the struggle for meaning through understanding the backgrounds and actions of the patients on The Magic Mountain their life and loves hopes and dreams illness and sometimes death. It is an enriching experience for all a book to last a lifetime.
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- Heartlovesart
- 27-02-24
The narrator is EXQUISITE
I had zero dislikes . It was a pleasure from beginning to end and that’s as all due to the perfect narration
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