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The Mysterious Island

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The Mysterious Island

By: Jules Verne
Narrated by: Berny Clark
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About this listen

Based on the true story of Alexander Selkirk, who survived alone for almost five years on an uninhabited island off the coast of Chile, The Mysterious Island is considered by many to be Jules Verne’s masterpiece.

“Wide-eyed mid-nineteenth-century humanistic optimism in a breezy, blissfully readable translation by Stump” (Kirkus Reviews), here is the enthralling tale of five men and a dog who land in a balloon on a faraway, fantastic island of bewildering goings-on and their struggle to survive as they uncover the island’s secret.

Public Domain (P)2012 Audible, Inc. Classics Fiction Science Fiction

Editor reviews

This 19th-century adventure novel will delight Verne fans. As in other works by Verne the characters are ideal and the plot seems convenient rather than organic. Verne was not a scientist, but he was obsessed by all the scientific disciplines. Verne’s novels are full of magical inventions and pseudo-scientific rhetoric. In The Mysterious Island, five men and a pooch land their balloon on an exotic island. They undertake to learn the secret of the place. Narrator Berny Clark’s lively voice sings out the animated dialogue. His excited yet genteel tone makes the densely descriptive text sound lighter and less mannered. His voice sustains an energetic lilt throughout his performance of this lengthy and exhaustively sketched fiction.
All stars
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, yes and yes again, I loved this book and couldn't put it down.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Mysterious Island?

Any thing involving pencroft and food!

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

Try it, you'll love it!

in the words of Pencroft, Hoorah!

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If I am ever on "Desert Island Discs" this is the book I would take. It tells me everything I would need to know to survive comfortably. I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the details, that's a lot to remember, still if I take a pencil as well I could mark up the book with headings. Narrator was good, though the only criticism I have is his occasional mispronounced word. Apart from that; Topping.

Basically a survival guide.

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A fantasy-inducing adventure leaning heavily on a belief in strong men conquering nature. Exterminating animals and industrialising a paradise island seems less impressive today than it perhaps did at the time of the books writing.

Fascinating despite far from Verne's scifi

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one must remember that Jules Verne was an educated man and at the time that this was written the United States and England were at the dawn of "modern" science. This book celebrates the passion for education and the investigation of new things through the words of both Jules Verne and the hero of the adventure Cyprus Harding.

This book is a perfect reflection of both the attitude and the dedication to study that our ancestors of the time help in the highest regard, which defined a society that was both well educated and morally rich.

Some might argue that these opinions are somewhat biased and seen through rose tinted glasses others the romanticism of the past, however the values that our ancestors held in the highest regard are so sadly lacking in our "modern-day" society.

The narrative of this book dwells largely on the scientific study of flora and fauna and touches deeply on the natural sciences, which only adds to the charm of the adventure of a group of men, escaping from the terrible effects of the American Civil War only to find themselves marooned on an unknown island hundreds of miles from civilisation.

These men were what we would term today as "old school educated", armed with practical knowledge which allowed then to survive the terrible and hostile environment that they now found themselves in.

Armed with that knowledge and applying it practically to their current situation allowed them no only to survive but to colonise their small island, building small manufactories and going beyond basic survival to establishing a proper civilised community.

The prodigious fauna does, in some places, over-step the boundaries of possibility, but it displays the fantastic passion that the people of that generation felt towards society. The importance of learning all aspects of the sciences and the practicality of survival.

This adventure rates very highly to anybody who has the imagination to let themselves be immersed in the society of that era, open their minds to the infinite possibilities and the great hopes of the people of that time period and to live through every success and tragedy of this group of people who pulled together in the common fight for survival.

It is a great pity that the passions and hopes of our modern-day attitudes and education are not so profound, and we have lost that which we were given so long ago... a desire to learn and to further ourselves for the good of all.

An all-time classic

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The narration was so good that it Made the story more interesting, worth it, great job:)

Awesome narration!!

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