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Mad Enchantment
- Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Art
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Publisher's Summary
We have all seen, whether live, in photographs or on postcards, some of Claude Monet's legendary water lily paintings. They are in museums all over the world and are among the most beloved works of art of the past century. Yet, ironically, these soothing images were created amid terrible personal turmoil and sadness.
The extraordinarily dramatic history behind the creation of these paintings is little-known; Ross King's new audiobook tells that story for the first time and, in the process, presents a compelling and original portrait of one of our most beloved artists.
King tells the full history of the special circumstances in which Monet created the Water Lilies. As World War I exploded within hearing distance of his house at Giverny, he was facing his own personal crucible. In 1911, aged 71, his adored wife, Alice, died, plunging him into deep mourning. A year later he began going blind. Then his eldest son, Jean, fell ill and died of syphilis, and his other son was sent to the front to fight for France.
Within months a violent storm destroyed much of the garden that had been his inspiration for some 20 years. At the same time, his reputation was under attack, as a new generation of artists, led by Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse, were dazzling the art world and expressing disgust with Impressionism.
Against all this, fighting his own self-doubt, depression, and age, Monet found the wherewithal to construct a massive new studio, 70 feet long and 50 feet high, to accommodate the gigantic canvases that would, he hoped, revive him.
Using letters, memoirs, and other sources not employed by other biographers, and focusing on this remarkable period in the artist's life, Ross King reveals a more complex, more human, more intimate Claude Monet than has ever been portrayed and firmly places his water lily project among the greatest achievements in the history of art.
What listeners say about Mad Enchantment
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Performance
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- Claire
- 05-19-17
Good Story, Disappointing Narration
I love this author and I think this book is engagingly written. However, I feel like I am going to have to abandon it half-finished because of how frustrated I am with the narrator. He clearly has no idea how to pronounce French words, to the point that I often have no idea who, what or where he is talking about. Would have been better off with someone just pronouncing things phonetically rather than a mangled distortion. It feels like a bizarre oversight.
4 people found this helpful
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- Stephanie Croquez
- 06-23-17
Wonderful book. Awful awful narration.
They must re record this if it to remain an audiobook. The book has a french word or location in every sentence and this narrator destroys the french language. At best he doesn't know any pronunciation but frankly this ruins the book as he even changes the words by his terrible reading. I am telling everyone who would enjoy this to only read it. Do not get the audio. I hope the author hasn't listened to this or he would cringe.
12 people found this helpful
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- PC in TN
- 08-15-19
Bravo
I’m glad I didn’t pay attention to the complaints about the narrator’s French pronunciation. I thought to myself that since I don’t speak French, I wouldn’t know the difference. In this case ignorance is bliss. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, narration and story!
3 people found this helpful
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- Gary
- 11-04-16
Pronunciation
I was appalled and disappointed with the very poor pronunciation of all foreign words ie French names and places Some were indecipherable
Book should be re recorded with a stand in
For all of the French or your reader needs a 5 hour tutorial
Wonderful story excellent angle on monet's
Life with so much political context.
Riveting
10 people found this helpful
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- Barbara
- 09-18-19
Comprehensive but Painful to Listen
The book is clearly well researched and provides uncommon insights into the life of a remarkable artist. Because of that, I kept listening, though I felt my ears would bleed from the horrendous slaughter of the French language by the narrator. When a story is so filled with words of a foreign tongue, it should be narrated by someone conversant with pronunciation in that language. I know the narrator made the effort, but, oh là là! I need to recover from the hours of continuous assault upon the most beautiful language in the world!
1 person found this helpful
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- Nathalia
- 09-13-19
This book was boring and very poorly read. The French accent of the reader was awful!
This was the most boring and poorly read. There was no emotion and the French accent was the worst!
1 person found this helpful
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- Robin B.
- 05-15-17
Poor French pronunciations by Richards.
Would you try another book from Ross King and/or Joel Richards?
I would NEVER listen to another book read by Richards. His French mispronunciations were awful and almost ruined the book for me. You should refund everyone who paid for this book.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Disappointment with the reader, Joel Richards.
Any additional comments?
Refund all of us who paid for this book.
5 people found this helpful
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- gumnuts
- 04-20-22
bad narration, monty pythonesque
like a bad amateur doing a monty python impersonation, he mispronounces English words ("librerry"?) and slaughters French words so badly it's hard to understand who or what we're hearing about (is it the artist Gour-GAY?), and the painting of OH-lumpia. His female voices are a demeaning caricature. How on Earth did anyone, especially the narrator himself, consider him remotely competent for this long reading? There are numerous French words and names in the book. I don't speak French but his accents are obviously tortured and clumsy. If you're a tolerant person, you'll cope with listening to it, it's an interesting story. Use it as a drinking game: down one each time he murders a word
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- Theodore LaVern Triplett
- 08-02-21
nothing new for an artist
i hoped to learn about how he painted, and why he painted. nothing of first, little of second. sounded like newspaper reports.
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- K Rosa
- 06-28-21
Read it. don't listen.
The book had some interesting and solid info on the artist. However, the audio artist was awful. His pronunciation of French words and names was a disaster and completely distracted from the information. I had to relisten to many parts telling myself to ignore the reader, so it may have been better to read the hard copy.
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- Nicholas G Phillips
- 01-29-19
How did the editors/ producers possibly choose thi
How did the editors / producers possibly choose this narrator ?
D r e a d f u l.
The French names, places, words are rendered incomprehensible by the narrator who clearly has no knowledge of the language. A sad butchering of a story that would be otherwise of interest.
1 person found this helpful
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- Fran
- 12-03-21
Great book, terrible narration.
I love Ross King's books. I live in Argenteuil, and recently visited Giverny and the Orangerie again, so was excited to see this included with membership. Unfortunately, Joel Richards so mangles the French language that I had to order a hard copy so I can go back and read it properly. I am surprised nobody stepped after he read the first chapter...
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- Hiro
- 04-07-17
Great listen
Fascinating story written beautifully and narrated very well. It surely changes the way we see his paintings. Thank you for producing this remarkable audiobook.
1 person found this helpful