Great book, poor narration

This is a very good book by NT Wright but the narration lets it down. I guess it may be an Audible policy but if a book is written by a British author and there’s a British narrator, then British pronunciations should be used. I’m fed up with American pronunciations and kept yelling at the narration every time I heard one, which was often.

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Exceedingly Good.

If you want to know what it meant when Jesus died and rose from the dead and the victory he achieved through it, then expect a brilliant unfolding of what the Bible has to say about it.

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Truly a revolution

This is an excellent book so good I have brought the paper copy. However it is not a great audio book, nothing to do with the performance but the volume of content and scriptural and theological references. Hence me buying the paper back copy, to read through at my own pace and leaving me time to look up the references and the take notes on this very well thought out book.
All christian ministers and preachers this is a must read but perhaps not a must listen to.

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Must read, fantastic book full of complex ideas

Loved it. Great scholarship and wonderful narration. Must read. N T Wright is a superb scholar

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1 person found this helpful

Very thought provoking

Well worth the time spent listening. Has Changed my outlook on God's purpose behind the Cross.

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5 people found this helpful

Important writing made unapproachable by narration

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Only in text format as the narration gets in the way. Much in the same way as good typography is ‘invisible’, so a narrator of an audio book shouldn’t be the subject of attention despite both being the medium by which the story and its meaning are conveyed.

Unfortunately, even after several attempts to ignore the way the words were being spoken I’ve been unable to get past the first few minutes of chapter two and am returning the audiobook. If it is ever reissued (perhaps read by the author, maybe by the same narrator with more preparation and consideration), but certainly with a more carefully read narration, I will try it again.

If listening is not the only way of imbibing books, I’d definitely recommend a friend buy the text version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I didn’t get far enough to answer this question, but I know the answer should definitely be Jesus ;-)

How did the narrator detract from the book?

See my recommendation to a friend, above. Unfortunately this narration is reminiscent of the experience of asking Siri or other voice over assistive technology to read the text. The cadences are wrong, the intonation slightly odd (random rising inflections instill a slight unrest, ill at ease, almost anxious-making feeling in the listener which don’t belong in a factual description and when outlining situations). Putting rises and fallings after alternative phrases regardless of what they emphasise is symptomatic of AI trying to approximate human speech but isn’t acceptable from a human. It merely makes the narrator sound as if they don’t understand what they’re reading. This may well be the case with most narrators of audiobooks—and the opposite holds true in that an author who knows exactly what he means may not have the skills to project the same words in speech—but a good narrator or actor can speak another’s words as if they know exactly what they mean and, if they don’t, or don’t believe them, at least not communicate that to the listener. In other words the narrator gets out of the way not in the way of the author and his audience. Without that the audiobook is rendered meaningless. This sounds as if it is a recording of a sight-reading done in a bit of a hurry.

Did The Day the Revolution Began inspire you to do anything?

To buy the Kindle edition and have Siri read it as I can expect and overlook many odd misplaced inflections or emphases and check the text for myself!

Any additional comments?

This might be an impossible request but when factual texts are written in the first person so an author is putting forward his own argument, having another, less knowledgeable person say their words undermines their authority. Tom Wright has a great speaking voice and I really hope he will have the time to narrate his own works in future. If this book is reissued in those circumstances I’ll certainly buy and recommend it!

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3 people found this helpful

Extraordinarily powerful

Folly to gentiles and shameful to Jews, the crucifixion is our cornerstone and foundation. NT Wright presents what sounds like a very academic book, but innocently creeps up on the listener and bursts into a flowering of faith and a call to action.

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1 person found this helpful

I have to listen to this again

Amazing! I'm going to buy the book and do a study because if the content being taught... this has the power to liberate so many people - believers and non-believers alike.

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Really insightful

it's amazing how God's word exposes the wisdom of man as stupidity and our profound thoughts as useless. I thank God for the blessing of this book.

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Spot On

I am only half way through the book, and already it summarises the message of scripture in a beautifu, l and if I may add erudite manner! The book is worded in a way that it can be easily understood and in my view is essential reading/listening for both great and small ...

I have finished the book now and it is highly recommended ! ...

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