Buddenbrooks
The Decline of a Family
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Buddenbrooks
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Narrated by:
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David Rintoul
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By:
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Thomas Mann
About this listen
First published in 1900, when Thomas Mann was 25, Buddenbrooks is a minutely imagined chronicle of four generations of a North German mercantile family - a work so true to life that it scandalized the author's former neighbours in his native Lübeck.
As he charts the Buddenbrooks' decline from prosperity to bankruptcy, from moral and psychic soundness to sickly piety, artistic decadence and madness, Mann ushers the reader into a world of rich vitality, pieced together from births and funerals, weddings and divorces, recipes, gossip and earthy humour. It is perhaps the first great family saga of modern literature, and it brought to public notice a writer of world stature who, three decades later, was to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. David Rintoul gives one of his finest performances in this committed and deeply moving reading.
©1993 Alfred A Knopf (P)2016 Ukemi Productions LtdListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Buddenbrooks
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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
- Reader
- 22-05-22
Gentle and devastating.
I've never read or listened to Thomas Mann before and the excellent reviews persuaded me to launch upon this long long book. Beautifully crafted and humorously observed, this is the story of the Buddenbrookes, a good old family in terminal decline, along with the society they inhabit in turn of the century Germany. The performance is absolutely flawless and I felt comfortably carried along in another world, where action is sparse, people are flawed and life stories neither gripping nor tedious - a real world. A lovely book for all fans of slowly-unfolded epics.
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2 people found this helpful
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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
- ::m::
- 10-08-21
Possibly my favourite Audible book so far
A perfect combination of narrator and plot. The narrator generally keeps his tone neutral, but adds subtle nuance in exactly the right places.
A treat!
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2 people found this helpful
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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
- Anonymous User
- 23-04-24
Fantastic
Brilliant chronicle of a family suffering slow decline. Mann masterfully details his characters and makes you feel part of the family.
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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
- Vicuña
- 05-12-20
Best 25 hours I’ve invested in a book
The Audible version is superbly narrated by David Rintoul. To my shame, I’ve never read anything by Mann. My loss, because the 25 or so hours of this book are some of the best I’ve ever invested in a book. Wow! What a blockbuster of a story.
The reader follows the Buddenbrook family over a number of generations and in doing so, gains insight into the vagaries of mid 19th century bourgeois German life. The family are well to do merchants but as with any family, just below the surface all is not quite as good as it seems. The characters are convincing; social climbers, aspirational, jealous, petty, generous, mean minded, humorous, straight laced...every human condition is here. The whole moral compass is explored as fortunes change and relationships develop. I can see why Mann has such an amazing reputation and don’t understand why he doesn’t have a wider readership. His observations are spot on and there’s a lot of humour. Towards the end of the book, a scene at the dentist was so harrowing I couldn’t actually listen to it for a few minutes. The writing is powerful and the translation seems excellent.
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1 person found this helpful
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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
- 3rd Colt
- 31-10-21
Magnificent in every way
Rintoul brings life and vitality to one of German literatures finest works. Without forcing himself on the novel, each character is differentiated.
One not to be missed
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1 person found this helpful
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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
- Katie girl
- 21-07-22
Excellent
Narration was clear and I could listen to the book easily while doing other things . I thoroughly enjoyed the story .
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 11-05-20
Great story, with a superlative narrator
The story is good, although I struggle with long books. What really raised it all was the narrator - performing without either gurning or droning, with a subtle understanding that made all the parallels and points that Mann was making so much clearer.
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17 people found this helpful
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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
- CMF
- 26-10-22
Brilliant reading of an enthralling family saga
Gripping story of the slow decline of a powerful trading family over three generations. David Rintoul brings it brilliantly to life in this excellent reading.
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1 person found this helpful
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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
- H. P.
- 29-11-21
Absolutely epic
This is one of these books you might know that you should really read. But for some reason you haven't yet... perhaps it looked very long. Maybe it's just seems too old school? I'm here to tell you that this is more than ticking some old book off your bucket list. Mann was 26 old when he finished this book and it is easy to tell. It's so fresh, quick and funny, so bold and different and yet so mundane and recognisable. Seriously, this book might just change your life. PS. Brilliantly read and performed in this edition.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 14-12-20
A truly great novel.
A great novel beautifully read by David Rentoul but hampered by over elaboration.
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