The Innocents Abroad

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: Robin Field

What do you get when you combine classic travel literature with the inimitable wit of Mark Twain? The Innocents Abroad is a keenly observant, politically incorrect and often hilarious narration of the author’s cruise to the Holy Land aboard a retired Civil War ship. First published in 1869 and the best selling of Twain’s works in his lifetime, The Innocents Abroad will delight listeners with the celebrated author’s musings on historic landmarks, cultural differences, and silly travelling companions.

©2010 Mission Audio (P)2010 Mission Audio

Mediterranean cultures according to Twain

With his trademark irony a young Mark Twain describes the joys and especially the tribulations of his journey by boat, train, horse and donkey from NYC to Palestine through Spain, Italy, Greece, Istanbul and the Middle East. Comments on art and architecture are not particularly poignant (in fact, they are quite shallow), but observations of costumes, habits and social mores are carried out with the flare and acumen we would expect, even though they are at times informed the prejudices of the time.
Don't expect to be mesmerized. it can be a slow ride at times. But a worthwhile journey in the end

A step in the right direction.

Until recently, "The Innocents Abroad" was only available read by Flo Gibson. The Flo Gibson reading is one of the most horrible readings available.

I was glad to have this narration available. However, it's got issues: first of all, goofy music at the beginning of each chapter, first it was banjo, then crazy computer music.

The narrator adds some cheesy editorial "ahems" and some other noises that I don't think were present in the text. He also reads very slow in an attempt at a drawl. I was so glad to get a version other than Flo Gibsons, and was happy enough until I listened to Bronson Pinchots "Autobiography," then I knew how this book should have been done.

The Innocents Abroad is a great read, good enough to make up for the shortcomings of this narration, but we can wish for a Bronson Pinchot reading.

Excellent

The story was extraordinary. Robin Field’s voice captured the wit and wisdom of the writing. I loved the music that began each chapter. I was saddened when the novel ended. I looked forward to each day’s adventure as much as the passengers aboard the “pleasure trip”!

Great narration!

Best book/narrator matchup I've heard in all my years listening to Audible! Story is good and typical Twain but the narration makes it great!

A hidden treasure

The humor and wit of the consummate storyteller Mark Twain is well known and beyond question. My only question is: where has this book been hiding? Detailed and vivid description mixed with antiquities and biblical history and text, riveting vignettes and outstanding satire and humor. The Holy Land, southern Europe and Egypt of 1867 came to life. As usual Robin Field was a fantastic reader; he was Twain. This is a must have for your Audible Library...

Has got to be the best narrated audiobook, yet!

The book and story are of a quality one is unlikely to ever find again. Twain is a master, but where to find a voice equal to such a task? Here's the man! Effortlessly natural, relaxed, perfect pacing, timing and intonation ...I could go on far too long.

This narrator is unparalleled, the perfect reader for this book! I cannot find the tiniest quibble at any point. I should only hope to be as good of a voice actor as he.

His natural HUMAN voice sets the bar so high his should be THE standard, the example to learn from. His voice especially pulls back the curtain and reveals AI voices as the cheap, tawdry imitations they are.

The pleasure of listening to him read is hard to describe. He's an absolute natural, he IS the "voice" of Mark Twain, and I can't imagine anyone better. Twain would be proud.

Any previous reviews of mine giving a reader 5 ⭐ should be changed to 4⭐ because this man is a true 5⭐, the G.O.A.T. of voice actors.

Channeling Mark Twain

Robin Field comes about as close to channelling Mark Twain as it's possible for someone to do in the electronic age. Contemporaries described Twain's voice as a somewhat high-pitched drawl, and Field's reedy voice comes close to matching that description. He delivers Twain's observations on the Mediterranean world and the people who travel to see it with mostly deadpan humor, occasionally pausing slightly for timing or not-quite-clearing-his-throat for emphasis. For a long time, the only version of this book available on Audible was narrated by Flo Gibson; and while Flo Gibson is always a delight to hear, this reading is clearly more Twain-ish.

The book itself poses some problems for the reader in the 21st century. Twain spares no one his satiric eye; the "quaint" customs of Old Europe come in for particularly acidic commentary, as do the fawning antics of the New World travellers. But it's when the book veers out of Europe and into the Muslim worlds of Turkey, Syria, and Palestine that Twain's voice becomes a bit grating. Twain had few equals when decrying the ravages of poverty close to home, but for some reason when he got to the Middle East, his usual compassion deserted him, and the behavior of people trapped in brutal poverty -- alternately begging, feuding, and slumped in despair -- seems to have aroused a sense of moral indignation at the victims.

Still, Twain was a hard-nosed reporter to his core, and it would be difficult to find more precisely-observed pictures of unfamiliar sights than the ones he sets forth here. This isn't the funniest of his travel books, but it's a good place to start.

An epic journey with digressions

What did you love best about The Innocents Abroad?

Well, Mark Twain is delightful the 5th time or the 100th time, and this is a book that had stayed with me 25 years, so needed revisiting. What I love is the pace - slower than most Twain works - and filled with his digestion of other histories and literatures, so you get a lot of bang for your buck reading this.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Innocents Abroad?

I love the delightful tour of Europe, with his ironic reports of how many religious relics there are and the mean conditions of some very grand old cultures from his humorous point of view [no carpets, lousy haircuts!]

What does Robin Field bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

It is a genuine channeling of Twain. Terrific pauses for ironic emphasis - you can just see Twain stroking his mustaches.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Actually, a lifelong disdain of cruises came from reading this as a young person.

I was reminded of that when the Italian cruise ship crash happened and wanted to revisit it.

It started right in with a transcription of the promotion for the trip he was about to embark on, complete with all of the promises of cruising elegance and then it did not even take a week for everything on the cruise to be turned on its head.

Any additional comments?

I laughed a lot, but also cringed a lot.

The racial remarks made throughout the book have to be swallowed in context, but give a lot of insight into the era. Overall, he is as liberal an observer of the era's world as I have found.

the Middle East and Europe in 1870

Would you listen to The Innocents Abroad again? Why?

yer, it was fascinating to hear about places in Europe and the Middle East from a historical but sly manner. Twain's observations resonate today.

What about Robin Field’s performance did you like?

Great performance. It really added to hearing

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the descriptions of being in Syria, Jordan and other middle eastern areas and travelling by donkey to explore.

Actor vs Orator

I first got Grover Gardner's version. He sounded just how I imagined Mark Train should sound like. But by Chapter 16 I wanted to hear pauses. So, I used one of my credits to save myself some money and got this, Robin Field's, version. I'm up to Chapter 46 as I write this. This is somebody who sounds well rehearsed in the part. He sounds quite a lot like what I heard when YouTube'd "Mark Train's Voice". The real one wasn't an orator. He was " folksy". (The actor in Field insists on taking on totally different voices as he does others' dialog, something Twain may not have done with such skill.)

The reason I took away a star from the performance was because I was looking for somebody who had more comedic timing. And I took a star away from the story because often it wasn't comedic. Mark Twain wasn't politically correct, but he did seem to be an equal opportunity offender. He was just as offended by European wrechedness as Turkish and Arabic, Jewish and the Christianity of his fellow travellers. And yet in the very next section he could be giving well-crafted, descriptive praises.