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caraway_and_rye's review against another edition
4.0
Having never read Shakespeare's play, I can't compare this novel to it. What I can compare it with, though, is Wuthering Heights: a tale of love, ambition and self-destruction. People with harsh lives loving their wild and beautiful land.
paperlove's review against another edition
5.0
Dieses Hörspiel basiert auf dem gleichnamigen Roman von David Hewson und A. J. Hartley, der 2011 erschienen ist. Erzählt wird der Shakespeare'sche Klassiker "Macbeth" als moderne Adaption in der Sprache, die wir heute gewöhnt sind. Das erleichtert das Verständnis ungemein und war mitunter der Hauptgrund für mich, es mit diesem Hörspiel zu versuchen. Ich interessiere mich zwar sehr für Klassiker, habe allerdings oft Mühe mich auf die ungewohnte und umständliche Schreibweise einzulassen. Ich habe weder das Original Macbeth von Shakespeare noch die Romanvorlage des Hörspiels gelesen und habe mich dementsprechend sehr unvoreingenommen auf das Ganze eingelassen.
Die Story: Die Geschichte beginnt damit, dass sich drei Hexen mit dem Kronvasallen Macbeth treffen wollen, um ihm eine Prophezeiung mitzuteilen, die besagt, dass er bald König von Schottland wird. Dies gelingt ihnen kurze Zeit später auch, nachdem Macbeth von einer gewonnenen Schlacht für Duncan, den jetzigen König Schottlands, nach Hause zurückkehrt.
Der Gedanke an diese Prophezeiung lässt Macbeth und seine Frau Skena nicht mehr aus der Ruhe. Eines Nachts beschliessen sie deshalb, den König umzubringen.
Nachdem ihnen das gelungen ist, schieben sie die Schuld an Duncans Tod dessen Söhnen zu, die daraufhin flüchten müssen. Doch mit dieser verräterischen Tat kommt das ganze Geschehen erst recht ins Rollen. Macbeths Wahnsinn und Machtgier treiben ihn immer weiter dazu an, unschuldige Menschen zu töten.
Das Hörspiel: Das Hörspiel ist ein richtiger Hörgenuss, was nicht zuletzt an den bekannten Sprechern liegt, die man bereits als Synchronsprecher aus zahlreichen Filmen kennt. Man merkt, dass die Sprecher ihr Handwerk verstehen. Untermalt wird die Geschichte mit Musik und einer Geräuschkulisse, die das Kopfkino während des Hörens mächtig ankurbelt.
Meine Meinung: Ich bin begeistert von diesem Hörspiel und muss zugeben, dass die Story mich in dieser modernen Adaption ein wenig an Game of Thrones erinnert hat. Ich kann das Hörspiel also nur wärmstens weiterempfehlen, sei es für Fans des Originalklassikers von Shakespeare oder auch Fans von Geschichten im Stil von Game of Thrones.
In diesem Stil würde ich gerne noch weitere Klassiker hören!
Die Story: Die Geschichte beginnt damit, dass sich drei Hexen mit dem Kronvasallen Macbeth treffen wollen, um ihm eine Prophezeiung mitzuteilen, die besagt, dass er bald König von Schottland wird. Dies gelingt ihnen kurze Zeit später auch, nachdem Macbeth von einer gewonnenen Schlacht für Duncan, den jetzigen König Schottlands, nach Hause zurückkehrt.
Der Gedanke an diese Prophezeiung lässt Macbeth und seine Frau Skena nicht mehr aus der Ruhe. Eines Nachts beschliessen sie deshalb, den König umzubringen.
Nachdem ihnen das gelungen ist, schieben sie die Schuld an Duncans Tod dessen Söhnen zu, die daraufhin flüchten müssen. Doch mit dieser verräterischen Tat kommt das ganze Geschehen erst recht ins Rollen. Macbeths Wahnsinn und Machtgier treiben ihn immer weiter dazu an, unschuldige Menschen zu töten.
Das Hörspiel: Das Hörspiel ist ein richtiger Hörgenuss, was nicht zuletzt an den bekannten Sprechern liegt, die man bereits als Synchronsprecher aus zahlreichen Filmen kennt. Man merkt, dass die Sprecher ihr Handwerk verstehen. Untermalt wird die Geschichte mit Musik und einer Geräuschkulisse, die das Kopfkino während des Hörens mächtig ankurbelt.
Meine Meinung: Ich bin begeistert von diesem Hörspiel und muss zugeben, dass die Story mich in dieser modernen Adaption ein wenig an Game of Thrones erinnert hat. Ich kann das Hörspiel also nur wärmstens weiterempfehlen, sei es für Fans des Originalklassikers von Shakespeare oder auch Fans von Geschichten im Stil von Game of Thrones.
In diesem Stil würde ich gerne noch weitere Klassiker hören!
the_perks_of_being_mandi's review against another edition
2.0
Macbeth is hands down my favorite Shakespearian tragedy so I was really excited to head this novel. The idea of it being written in prose really appealed to me. However, I realized that without the beauty of the poetry the story is incredibly SLOW and I quickly lost interest.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
4.0
This is a different take on Macbeth from Shakespeare's. It's more accessible with easier language and clear motivations. Now I want to go back and read/see the original again.
caseythebookwitch's review against another edition
5.0
Superb retelling of The Scottish Play. This is a must listen, Alan Cumming is perfection. True to Shakespeare, yet bold enough to make you feel the pain Macbeth, Banquo and others without an overall villain.
morepagesplease's review against another edition
3.0
A good rendition of Macbeth. The witches were almost too creepy for me however.
fictionfan's review against another edition
3.0
Swords and sorcery...
In their afterword, the authors say '..our book…must be a new artistic product in its own right..' Sadly, I think they have failed in that objective. The book is based so closely on Shakespeare’s play, with only some changes in emphasis, that it isn’t possible to see it as a new artistic work. Throughout they take every opportunity to use the most-quoted words of the playwright – if this is a 'new' work then it is relies too heavily on borrowing from the old. If however, it is in fact a reworking of the play, which I believe it is, then it doesn't begin to compare on an artistic level.
In fact, it reads more like a historical sword and sorcery potboiler than like the psychologically complex and illuminating original. I found myself unmoved by the fate of either Macbeth or Lady Macbeth – despite considerably detailed descriptions of the events before and after the murder of Duncan, for me the authors failed to convey the horror, guilt and ultimate madness that Shakespeare got across with far fewer words. The lengthy descriptions of the landscape, fortresses and battles served merely to slow the plot down and to turn this from a psychological study of two complex individuals into a rather slow-moving action thriller – one in which we unfortunately already knew the end.
Where the authors mainly differed from Shakespeare was in the portrayal of the witches. Given a much more all-pervading role here, the emphasis became one of the supernatural controlling the puny affairs of men, whereas in the original, (in my humble opinion), Macbeth’s superstition is used primarily to further demonstrate the psychological weaknesses of the man.
I have struggled to decide what star rating to give the book. While my fairly damning review above shows that I don’t think it reaches the artistic height the authors were clearly aiming for, it is nevertheless well-written and for someone less interested in the original would work well as a historical action novel in the vein of Conn Iggulden or Robert Low. I am therefore rating it as 3-star on that basis, though it would merit only 2 if I were to judge it solely in comparison with its illustrious ancestor.
NB This book was provided for review by Amazon Vine UK.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
In their afterword, the authors say '..our book…must be a new artistic product in its own right..' Sadly, I think they have failed in that objective. The book is based so closely on Shakespeare’s play, with only some changes in emphasis, that it isn’t possible to see it as a new artistic work. Throughout they take every opportunity to use the most-quoted words of the playwright – if this is a 'new' work then it is relies too heavily on borrowing from the old. If however, it is in fact a reworking of the play, which I believe it is, then it doesn't begin to compare on an artistic level.
In fact, it reads more like a historical sword and sorcery potboiler than like the psychologically complex and illuminating original. I found myself unmoved by the fate of either Macbeth or Lady Macbeth – despite considerably detailed descriptions of the events before and after the murder of Duncan, for me the authors failed to convey the horror, guilt and ultimate madness that Shakespeare got across with far fewer words. The lengthy descriptions of the landscape, fortresses and battles served merely to slow the plot down and to turn this from a psychological study of two complex individuals into a rather slow-moving action thriller – one in which we unfortunately already knew the end.
Where the authors mainly differed from Shakespeare was in the portrayal of the witches. Given a much more all-pervading role here, the emphasis became one of the supernatural controlling the puny affairs of men, whereas in the original, (in my humble opinion), Macbeth’s superstition is used primarily to further demonstrate the psychological weaknesses of the man.
I have struggled to decide what star rating to give the book. While my fairly damning review above shows that I don’t think it reaches the artistic height the authors were clearly aiming for, it is nevertheless well-written and for someone less interested in the original would work well as a historical action novel in the vein of Conn Iggulden or Robert Low. I am therefore rating it as 3-star on that basis, though it would merit only 2 if I were to judge it solely in comparison with its illustrious ancestor.
NB This book was provided for review by Amazon Vine UK.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
vswoodward's review against another edition
4.0
I especially liked the fleshing out of MacBeth's wife and the weird sisters.
Both MacBeth and his wife became much more sympathetic and understandable. The tragedy comes about as a series of misunderstandings between these two, but still entirely plausible within the realm of the play.
Hartley also did a good job of dealing with the most famous of soliloquies from the play "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" and fitting it in quite naturally with the rest of the action.
Both MacBeth and his wife became much more sympathetic and understandable. The tragedy comes about as a series of misunderstandings between these two, but still entirely plausible within the realm of the play.
Hartley also did a good job of dealing with the most famous of soliloquies from the play "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" and fitting it in quite naturally with the rest of the action.
baronessekat's review against another edition
4.0
I am torn with giving this a 4 or a 5. If I could do a 4.5 I would. I thoroughly enjoyed this novelization of my all-time favorite Shakespearean play. I really liked how the authors brought more depth to the characters of Macbeth and his wife, added more eerie creep factor to the three witches and overall rounded out the story with more history and battles.
Add all that to the reading done by Alan Cummings and you have an utterly entertaining audiobook that I highly, highly recommend.
Add all that to the reading done by Alan Cummings and you have an utterly entertaining audiobook that I highly, highly recommend.
bgg616's review against another edition
5.0
Who would you choose to narrate this novelization of Macbeth if you had your druthers*? Why Alan Cummings, of course! Who else could pronounce the word "crennalated" with the same Scottish panache? This is my favorite narration of the year.
What does a novelization of this well known Shakespeare play offer that makes it worthwhile? For me, the details of places in Scotland brought it alive - the Cairngorms, and the Grampian ranges, the inhospitable weather, the yearning of characters for the landscapes they love. The vivid, and over-detailed descriptions of the (many) murders, combat and battles were almost too much, but this is Macbeth and not A Midsummer Night's Dream. Macbeth is the fourth most violent tragedy with 8 bodies, coming in after Hamlet. But listening to the novelization, there are many bodies by the end of the final battle. Blood and gore indeed. As one webpage I saw stated, Macbeth gives Game of Thrones a run for its money. I have only seen Macbeth performed once, but references to the play are ubiquitous. I have always had the impression that Lady Macbeth was the instigator of much of the violence, yet in the novel, Macbeth certainly comes off as the most culpable.
I have many literary friends who are big Shakespeare fans. One even has an important position at the Folger Library in Washington DC. But I am not afraid to tell them that I'm not a Shakespeare devotee. I have seen performances I thoroughly enjoyed here in Washington of A Winter's Tale, and others that fell flat of Hamlet and Macbeth. But this novel with its rich description and narrative was a great read.
*This is an American phrase and not used widely elsewhere. People elsewhere in the world might want to know what druthers are, as the phrase conveys otherwise. Druthers is a shortening of 'would rathers'. The phrase originated in the late 19th century and is first cited in the January 1870 edition of Overland monthly and Out West magazine, in a story called Centrepole Bill, by George F. Emery...
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/194850.html
What does a novelization of this well known Shakespeare play offer that makes it worthwhile? For me, the details of places in Scotland brought it alive - the Cairngorms, and the Grampian ranges, the inhospitable weather, the yearning of characters for the landscapes they love. The vivid, and over-detailed descriptions of the (many) murders, combat and battles were almost too much, but this is Macbeth and not A Midsummer Night's Dream. Macbeth is the fourth most violent tragedy with 8 bodies, coming in after Hamlet. But listening to the novelization, there are many bodies by the end of the final battle. Blood and gore indeed. As one webpage I saw stated, Macbeth gives Game of Thrones a run for its money. I have only seen Macbeth performed once, but references to the play are ubiquitous. I have always had the impression that Lady Macbeth was the instigator of much of the violence, yet in the novel, Macbeth certainly comes off as the most culpable.
I have many literary friends who are big Shakespeare fans. One even has an important position at the Folger Library in Washington DC. But I am not afraid to tell them that I'm not a Shakespeare devotee. I have seen performances I thoroughly enjoyed here in Washington of A Winter's Tale, and others that fell flat of Hamlet and Macbeth. But this novel with its rich description and narrative was a great read.
*This is an American phrase and not used widely elsewhere. People elsewhere in the world might want to know what druthers are, as the phrase conveys otherwise. Druthers is a shortening of 'would rathers'. The phrase originated in the late 19th century and is first cited in the January 1870 edition of Overland monthly and Out West magazine, in a story called Centrepole Bill, by George F. Emery...
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/194850.html