Royal Highness
Gelesen von Margaret Espaillat
Thomas Mann
(4,184 Sterne; 38 Bewertungen)
Royal Highness is the story of Prince Klaus Heinrich, a member of a struggling German duchy and an exotic American heiress who comes to live as his neighbor. The novel is a microcosm of Europe before World War I, with Mann's depiction of a decaying society that is rejuvenated by modern forces. A true modern day fairy tale. (Summary by Margaret Espaillat) (13 hr 0 min)
Chapters
Bewertungen
Margaret Espaillat is one of my favorites, but
dahszil
(2 Sterne)
i'm half way through and the book just seems like the trials and tribulations of the sort of crumbling "ancien regime" and the upper crust. btw i think is a pretty good joke: I was eating some great apple pie my granny made. granny: do you know what keeps the upper crust together(me thinking of the pie) me...umah...? no i don't know. grand mama: most of everybody elses dough$$$$ for a few fat crumbs at the top. withered arm. is that an allusion to Kaiser Wilhelm Emperor of Germany from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918? Geez! everyone has to walk backwards till there out of sight. wouldn't you just like to turn your back on this prince, king, duke whatever he is, pull your pants down and show him your bare arse? they must have had a terrible wealth distribution system. does that start to seem familiar today?
Not really a romance or fairy tale
TwinkieToes
(4 Sterne)
The love interest in the book doesn't arrive until halfway through (literally: at about 6.5 hours into this 13-hour recording, she and her father make their first appearance). The first half is about Klaus-Henirich and his Exalted Position and all that entails. His was a lonely, public life. The romance wasn't very romantic, but a bit more pragmatic. All in all, I enjoyed this book. Margaret did an excellent job reading it.
Royal Highness
TheBookworm
(5 Sterne)
A convincing insight into the world of hereditary monarchy. The Royal Highness is brought up to take his responsibilities incredibly seriously, which he does at significant emotional cost. Throughout the early chapters I was wondering what Prince Charles would think of this book -- perhaps it would be too painful. It certainly made me more understanding of those who live in the public view. These are fully developed characters and with whom the reader will empathise. Margaret Espaillat is an understated reader who does not inject herself into the listener's experience. She also does a good job of reading some hard-to-say lines. Thank you! TheBookworm (Manchester, UK)
jbrown
(4 Sterne)
Margaret Espaillat is an exceptional narrator and I’m in the process of listening to all her work here on LibriVox. While not my favorite book, Margaret draws one into this story of a painfully lonely prince who cares deeply for his subjects. The story has some very interesting and intense characters. I like the ending very much and do recommend this book.
a really beautiful narration
Tanya
(5 Sterne)
I really like how the reader has acted all the characters with changes in her voice tone for different types of characters. she really has put soul into it.
very good reading of a picturesque novel
(5 Sterne)