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Under the Volcano

A Novel

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Under the Volcano

By: Malcolm Lowry
Narrated by: John Lee
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On the Day of the Dead, in 1938, Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic and ruined man, is fatefully living out his last day, drowning himself in mescal while his former wife and half-brother look on, powerless to help him. The events of this one day unfold against a backdrop unforgettable for its evocation of a Mexico at once magical and diabolical.©1947 Peter Matson (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction United States World Literature Latin American Mexico
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Critic reviews

"The book obviously belongs with the most original and creative novels of our time." (Alfred Kazin)
"One of the towering novels of [the twentieth] century." ( New York Times)
"[Lowry's] masterpiece...has a claim to being regarded as one of the ten most consequential works of fiction produced in this century...." ( Los Angeles Times)
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I really struggled with the narrator. In the end, I decided to buy a physical book and read it traditionally.

Struggled with narrator

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Before I began listening to the book I read Lowry's biography in Wikipedia and that gave me insight into the motive for his writing of this great work. He was a poet as well as a novelist and that accounts for the astonishing descriptions of landscape and the inner voices of his characters. It is hard to witness the tragic downward spiral of the main protagonist as he descends into the hell of alcoholism. His journey takes place in one day, The Day of the Dead, in Mexico. It compares to Dante's Inferno or Marlowe's Faust - both mentioned, among other works of literature, in the novel. The undercurrent of fascism runs through the narrative hinting at a dark underbelly of fear that slowly gains a hold as the work progresses.

The narrator was brilliant in my humble opinion.

Absorbing, Poetic, Tragic, Brilliant

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A brilliant but dense book which is made all the better for a fantastic narration. Stick with it, the first chapter is the hardest to get through.

A book destined for audio.

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Often voted one of the greatest books of the 20th Century, this book should not disappoint. Unfortunately in my case, it did somewhat because John Lee's narration was so very poor when reading the many places and phrases in Spanish/Mexican. John has a great voice and his style suits sci-fi particularly well, but he desperately needed coaching before taking this one on.

That said, please do what you can to ignore the pronunciation issue because the story itself is very rewarding. Under The Volcano is cleverly constructed, rich in symbolism and literary references - which is why I had put off reading the book, as it sounded intimidating! Thankfully this is not the case and it can be enjoyed simply as an extraordinary tragedy, lightened with great humour and wit. And I'll listen again and hope to get more of the literary stuff!

brilliant book, but beware of the narration

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Beautiful, sad, and absorbing novel - one of my favourites ever. I get sucked into it every time, reading or listening. Narrator John Lee does a startlingly beautiful job. Thank you.

Narrator does justice to this brilliant novel

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