The Dead

By: James Joyce

Narrated by: Michael Orenstein

Often cited as the best work of short fiction ever written, Joyce's elegant story details a New Year's Eve gathering in Dublin that is so evocative and beautiful that it prompts the protagonist's wife to make a shocking revelation to her husband - closing the story with an emotionally powerful epiphany that is unsurpassed in modern literature."The Dead" is the final short story in Joyce's 1914 collection Dubliners. It is the longest story in the collection and widely considered to be one of the greatest short stories in the English language.

Public Domain (P)2013 Trout Lake Media

Not the best Narrator

What made the experience of listening to The Dead the most enjoyable?

I did not finish listening to this. I found the narration was not nuanced and so stopped listening.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Dead?

The description of the supper table.

What three words best describe Michael Orenstein’s voice?

I'm not sure.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Fantastic narration! Excellent story!

I don't like to write reviews for audible titles (though I almost always give a rating). However, IMHO this was as fine a narration as any of the many hundreds I've heard over the years. Some people didn't seem to like the narrator, but to me it was just super. As for the story, in the first part I was thinking it was way overrated (I've seen it mentioned as the best short story ever), but as it progressed it kept getting better and the ending portion really elevates it to something special (though as for best story ever, that's seems to me a silly attempt to label anything).

ironic

ironic, scandal, a view of reality, a reason to be humble and seek insight and understand.

Narration not great

The narrator seemed to want to read it as fast as possible. Character voices were annoying. Didn’t enjoy it until the last 15 minutes. Read the story on my own and got so much more out of the story.

Holistic, Hypnotic Look at the Past and Present

The Dead is likely the most poignant and holistic look in literature at the ends of roads in our lives, lost loves and expectations (our personal myths of the perfect life, which for many are shattered along the way). Joyce's prose here is hypnotic.

I had read this before, but I thought I'd have another go on audio. While I think it's probably worth the price, I'd suggest the print edition if you haven't read it. The narrator laid the Irish brogue on too thick for my taste.