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Darkness at Noon
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
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Darkness at Noon
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Summary
A fictional portrayal of an aging revolutionary, this novel is a powerful commentary on the nightmare politics of the troubled 20th century. Born in Hungary in 1905, a defector from the Communist Party in 1938, and then arrested in both Spain and France for his political views, Arthur Koestler writes from a wealth of personal experience.
Imprisoned by the political party to which he has dedicated his life, Nicolas Rubashov paces his prison cell, examining his life and remembering his tempestuos career. As the old intelligentsia is eradicated to make way for the new, he is psychologically tortured and forced to confess to preposterous crimes. Comparing himself to Moses, led to the Promised Land but refused entry, he sees only darkness at the end of his life, where once he saw such promise for humanity.Frank Muller's narrative expertise is perfect for this haunting work. Rubashov's personal agony becomes Muller's as he presents Koestler's relevant and important questions.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael Dubarry
- 01-12-23
A story for our times
An outstanding novel I first read over 50 years ago and assumed it was about circumstances which were unique to Communist Dictatorships. I was wrong as it could have been written about our times. True we haven’t quite reached the stage of cancelling someone by actual death but societal death has the same impact.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John D.
- 04-04-24
eloquent
an excellent piece of writing akin to 1984. perfectly captures the insanity of the soviet system
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- RGMK
- 05-12-20
times do not change
a journey alongside someone who falls from grace and reviews the past while reflecting on the change in perspective time imposes on idealistic activities
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- E. Popescu
- 25-05-22
Amazing
What an extraordinary book! And the narration is spot on. I will read /listen to this many more times.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Clive
- 12-04-17
I Cannot Listen to This
This is a great book. Utterly ruined by the performance. i am afraid i have given up listening to it.
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6 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- J Clarke
- 30-08-21
Narration is truly awful
I tried to get into it, I gave it a couple of hours, but the narrator gives the same dramatic emphasis to a character putting his shoes on as he does to a tense standoff. it really is incredible that this was put out. It's like listening to a robot and makes it very difficult to follow.
Wish I'd read the reviews or listened to the sample. Lesson learned.
Very disappointing.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Greg
- 13-04-11
Great Book Poorly Read
Sorry Audible, I am finding this recording almost unlistenable. The reader adopts a stereotyped, melodramatic tone that consists of a limited range of vocal cadences that repeats every few sentences. With no reference to the text, each phrased section culminates in a downturn in tone and a breathy extended last syllable. It is completely unconnected to the meaning of what is being read, requiring the listener to have to concentrate hard to the words in order to truly understand the nuances of the writing.
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16 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- L. Kamalian
- 10-04-20
Fantastic story, annoying performance
I would not carry on listening if it wasn’t for the story. The narrator should understand that not every sentence need to be dramatised! It was so annoying..
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3 people found this helpful