The Master and Margarita is, of course, incredible—but have you heard this amazing audiobook performance?? audible.com/pd/The-Master-
The narrator is unbelievable! It’s like listening to a stage play. You can *hear* Behemoth rolling his eyes at you.
Conversation
(Please share other favorite audiobooks that substantially upgrade their source text!)
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has told me many times that the best way to read The Making of the Atomic Bomb is to listen to Grover Gardner's narration!
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The only way! Grover Gardner makes an already-epic book truly otherworldly.
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Oh, this is a great tip. I've been meaning to do a reread, and this seems like a perfect audio book!
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I'm reminded of a tweet of yours, something like "books should be read either 0 times or 100 times." TMAB epitomizes the later category.
(Selfish plug: and I have spent the last 2 years working on a podcast about it, with Richard Rhodes' blessing! Coming soon!)
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I just finished listening and so loved it! I must confess: I don’t think I noticed anything extra-special about the narrator’s performance. I’d be curious to learn what struck you!
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Interesting! For me, Grover Gardner brought humour and charm to passages that didn't stand out in writing (eg Bohr's introduction). He also nails some iconic lines (eg "Fermi said nuts!"). Are you a regular audiobook listener? Curious to know what your favorites are!
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I think my faves have been M&M, Moby Dick narrated by Hootkins, and Norse Mythology narrated by Gaiman.
It sounds like maybe you prefer fiction, then! Perhaps we've got different benchmarks: I'm comparing Grover Gardner to the other (probably duller) non-fiction readers, whereas your reference class is virtuosic narrative storytellers.
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Maybe that’s right! I listen to a lot of non-fiction audiobooks, and none of the narrators has ever struck me as really transformative. Maybe the effect is just more compressed!
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