Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life Audiobook

Quotes

• “Quietly enthralling…Ackroyd’s coolly perceptive literary style and equally devastatingly effective observations suggest that he doesn’t care a fig about pleasing geeks or fans or anyone else.”

  — New York Times Book Review

• “Chaplin’s rise makes an enthralling story, and it’s one perfectly suited to Peter Ackroyd’s prodigious and idiosyncratic talents…Ackroyd acknowledges Chaplin’s many human failings, while at the same time giving us a vivid sense of what made the man a genius.”

  — Telegraph (London)

• “[A] fine biography…The luxury of a short book about a vast life cannot be overestimated.”

  — Financial Times (UK)

• “Compact, engrossing, intelligent.”

  — Sunday Times (London)

• “Ackroyd brings a novelist’s as well as a biographer’s eye to the story of a man who ‘seemed to epitomize the human condition itself, flawed and frail and funny.’”

  — Independent (London)

• “Ackroyd rewards his readers with a tale fit for a Chaplin film, featuring humor, tragedy and a poignant fade-out.”

  — Associated Press

• “Ackroyd’s writing is masterful—elegant, pitch-perfect, a pleasure to read—and his timing is as impeccable as Bob Hope’s …Chaplin [is a] small gem.”

  — Cleveland Plain Dealer

• "[Ackroyd] deftly navigates the myriad facets of his subject.”

  — Columbus Dispatch

• “In his typically elegant and measured prose, prize-winning biographer Ackroyd brilliantly brings Chaplin to life…Ackroyd’s book introduces the Little Tramp in such a charming and candid fashion that it will drive movie buffs to watch Chaplin on screen once again.”

  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

• “Detailed yet breezy, full of sharp insights into Chaplin’s public and private personas…Expect plenty of interest in this fine biography.”

  — Booklist (starred review)

• “Award-winning author Ackroyd exposes the hidden truths in Chaplin’s life that help us to understand the artist both personally and professionally. An exceptional read for those who love Chaplin, film, history, and gossip.”

  — Library Journal

• “Narrator Ralph Lister is well matched to this biography of film star Charlie Chaplin. His English accent reflects Chaplin’s place of birth and gives dialogue added realism while setting it off with oral quotation marks. Though his facility with American accents is less polished, his overall narration matches the author’s writing style effectively: He delivers the numerous simple declarative sentences with emphasis and pauses after each…This is an interesting book, well read.”

  — AudioFile