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Mark Twain (Abridged): A Life Audiobook
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(3.04) - 622 listener ratings
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“Powers brings to vivid life Twain's America...No biography of Mark Twain could do him full justice. Powers' comes as close as you can imagine." —Los Angeles Times
A magnificent and insightful biography of legendary writer Mark Twain and a great American story.
Samuel Clemens, the man known as Mark Twain, invented the American voice and became one of our greatest celebrities. His life mirrored his country's, as he grew from a Mississippi River boyhood in the days of the frontier, to a Wild-West journalist during the Gold Rush, to become the king of the eastern establishment and a global celebrity as America became an international power. Along the way, Mark Twain keenly observed the characters and voices that filled the growing country, and left us our first authentically American literature. Ron Powers's magnificent biography offers the definitive life of the founding father of our culture.
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"In a word, brilliant. Ron Powers not only captured details of Twain's life, but he did it in a way Twain himself might have done, with wry wit and aplomb. A must-read for anyone seeking to broaden their understanding of this 19th century American treasure."
— Kim (5 out of 5 stars)
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“Wise and lively…Powers makes sense of this crowded, whipsawing life…[a] grave and lovingly respectful treatment.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Powers has given us the whole man. We feel we know him, as well as we can, as well as his most perceptive friend and fellow writer William Dean Howells knew him. Along the way Powers brings to vivid life Twain’s America…No biography of Mark Twain could do him full justice. Powers’ comes as close as you can imagine.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“[An] enormous, enjoyable volume…Powers’ immensely rich book, the record of an epic, perplexing life, succeeds above all in freshening up one’s appetite for Twain’s own pungent prose and his magnificently challenging wit.”
— Guardian (London) -
“The special joy of Ron Powers’ Twain is not just that it’s comprehensive but also that it places this great novel and its author in their proper historical context, and shows how life and work played against each other.”
— Observer (London)
Awards
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A 2005 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
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A 2005 New York Times Book Review Notable Book
Mark Twain Listener Reviews
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" I have no interest in Mark Twain. Now I know. I'll be sure to remove any other Twain things from my reading lists. "
— Andrea, 2/12/2014 -
" Nothing yet, I just started. A friend of mine said I was a lot like Mark Twain. I didn't know what that meant but I trust his judgement so I bought the book. So far he seems like a kook. "
— Matt, 2/12/2014 -
" I think all biographies are long so in comparison it was pretty good. "
— Brinlie, 2/5/2014 -
" Loved this book! What a fascinating life. "
— Alex, 2/5/2014 -
" an interesting fella "
— Gwen, 2/4/2014 -
" A very solid biography. I confessed that I listened to it on tape. "
— Jed, 2/2/2014 -
" This is an in depth and well written biography that I plan to read again. For me it was even better because I liked the subject, Mark twain/Sam Clemens even more at the end of the book. this is not always true of biographies. "
— Jack, 1/11/2014 -
" This book is more interesting if the index is used to find topics of interest. I find that I pick up the book every now and then and will do this. Whatever I read is interesting. But when I read the book from the beginning, it seemed tedious. Twain is an interesting life, no doubt. "
— Mary-Ellen, 1/8/2014 -
" Then I became a fan of Mark Twain. He was an irreverent, fascinating man. His life is as eventful and colorful as any of his novels, just as plain and straightforward. He was a genius in a plain wrapper. "
— Dianne, 12/24/2013 -
" What a fascinating life this man led, and the changes he witnessed in his lifetime! "
— Corey, 12/16/2013 -
" A bit slow/too much information at times but an interesting look at his life with context of contemporary writers and times "
— Kate, 10/8/2013 -
" Detailed biography of the man behind the stories. It is interesting in learning about his background how he created the characters that later became the great stories. Well written book and worth the read. "
— Rick, 1/30/2013 -
" An interesting read that paralleled Twain's development as a writer with the development of American literature as it departed from the old world and established its own style. "
— Peter, 10/3/2012 -
" New information--but he is a little over the top with his vocabulary. "
— Booksrock, 5/26/2012 -
" Done! Conquered the tome! Bring on Hartford. "
— Ann, 4/4/2012 -
" Ron Powers did a fantastic job of providing a rich and interesting story of Mark Twain's stories and adventures in his book. "
— Bob, 1/20/2012 -
" The writing is good...but damn, Mark Twain was a dick. "
— Amber, 8/25/2011 -
" Mark Train was a freaking rockstar and a thoroughly American original. Powers does a great job. "
— Mark, 7/9/2011 -
" Loved this book! What a fascinating life. "
— Alex, 4/21/2011 -
" A bit slow/too much information at times but an interesting look at his life with context of contemporary writers and times "
— Kate, 3/15/2011 -
" couldn't finish it. Mark Twain is as witty and refreshing as Ron Powers is dull and dreary "
— Lisel, 1/7/2011 -
" Powers searched through Twain's letters, newspaper articles thoroughly and has come up with one of the best biographies I've read "
— Chuck, 11/10/2010 -
" Started this book, but lost it in a house fire (long story). I'm going to need to pick up another copy; from what I read I was really into it. "
— Andrew, 8/22/2010 -
" An interesting read that paralleled Twain's development as a writer with the development of American literature as it departed from the old world and established its own style. "
— Peter, 5/13/2010 -
" New information--but he is a little over the top with his vocabulary. "
— Booksrock, 8/6/2009
About Ron Powers
Ron Powers is the author of numerous books, including Dangerous Water: A Biography of the Boy Who Became Mark Twain, and coauthor of the #1 New York Times bestseller Flags of Our Fathers. He is an Emmy Award winner and the first television critic to win a Pulitzer Prize.