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The Virginian

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The Virginian

Auteur(s): Owen Wister
Narrateur(s): Richard Davidson
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À propos de cet audio

He is the Virginian - the first fully realized cowboy hero in American literature, a near-mythic figure whose idealized image has profoundly influenced our national consciousness. This enduring work of fiction marks the birth of a legend that lives with us still.

Public Domain (P)2011 Audible, Inc. Classiques Fiction de genre Historique Fiction plein de suspense
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This book was written/published as a series of short stories in turn-of-the-century periodicals - and it shows. Chapter by Chapter, the "Tenderfoot" (narrator) describes a number of events in the life of a Wyoming cowpuncher from Virginia: dealing with cattle rustlers, leading in a posse, courting the pretty local schoolteacher, fighting Indians, participating in a gunfight, etc. - but some of them are pretty inconsequential (one of the chapters is about an eccentric chicken - I'm not kidding).
There is little flow other than the continuation of a couple of recurring plotlines (romancing the headstrong 'Miss Molly Stark Wood' and confronting the intractable nemesis 'Trampas').
The setting is interesting and the characters are intriguing, but the interrupted pacing feels odd and the writing is verbose and somewhat tedious. Owen Wister seems to enjoy writing entire paragraphs where a single sentence would do it.

Unfortunately, reader Richard Davidson compounds the problems with the book with a noticeably subpar performance. His diction and tone are fine, but his stentorous timbre and sing-song cadence eventually get annoying and his voice-acting is straight-up silly at times (Note: I've heard worse).
Davidson's worst crime, counterintuitively, is that he inadvertantly brings attention to the deficiencies in the writing by performing *exactly* as the Tenderfoot is written. He comes across as pretentious.

Don't get me wrong - if you can get this version of 'The Virginian' for free (as I did).. it's not crazy to download the 5/10 star recording. This book is widely considered the first "Western" novel and it certainly lays down some archetypes - it's a valuable read to anyone interested in the genre. Additionally, it's an entertaining distraction: with some very good segments (the climactic shootout is brilliantly choreographed, for example).. it's just not worth a Credit should they ask for it. Perhaps the Robert E. Slade or Gene Engene performances (also available on Audible) are worth your money, but if they want an open wallet, this Richard Davidson iteration would be a "pass".

Episodic and Moderately Overwritten

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Considered the novel to first establish the western genre, I found this audio book to be an interesting listen. The narration was excellent & the overall production was very good. The author’s treatment of cattle rustling, though I imagine introduced primarily for historical Wyoming perspective, I found a bit troubling. On the whole I can recommend this book.

The Cowboy Ideal

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It was painful to listen to this story. The story was overwritten and the reading put me to sleep. I couldn’t get past the first hour!

A monotonous reading

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