The Captive, Volume II (Abridged) Audiobook

" Young Proust develops, eclipsing his introspection (from the first volume), seeing the larger portion of the big picture at hand. This time the subject is in relationships: just as every other volume in this series, the characters are intricately living, and the details in description do nothing to deaden the livelihood. With every page, I am reminded at how homely and gifted Marcel Proust was as a writer. "

" This is probably my favourite. Stunning, beatuiful, clever, it tells me Everything. Yes, EVERYTHING. "

" Lovely, a moment captured in amber. "

" letdown after Swann's Way! I'd heard it gets better and better, so i was wondering how the hell Proust could top Vol I. he didn't. the quality of the writing was still excellent. but, honestly, it dragged. "

" The second volume started off a little slow, but even when he's getting side tracked Proust is infinitely more interesting than 90 percent of the writers you'll ever read. Once this one takes off it's even better than the first. "

" I loved this book. Really captures the psyche of a young man entering the world of teenage love: filled with hormones, mistakes, hopes and dreams. A beautiful "gang" of girls enters the world of man/child who has barely been able to leave the home of his mother for a vacation at the ocean. "

" Trouble from girls, trouble for girls, the rise of Elstir, and an introduction to the Baron. "

" Proust is a master; and what I love the most is that every time I read him; I feel the urge to write. I feel that my writing improves and I feel the drive to express myself in writing. I love him for that. "

" so far so beautiful! "

" An exhausting, brilliant journey. "

" Marcel meets Albertine, but getting to know her better is hard cause there is always one of her female friends with her. The construction is still good and not shattered with too much details. "

" Proust is always full of the deepest insights about our true selves, the ones we keep hidden. "

" I was still reading the archaic Moncrieff translation at this point. I can't remember the plot of the book. Oh that's right...there isn't one. "

" "Loving sharpens discernment and our power to make distinctions. In a wood, a bird-watcher's ear will instantly pick out the chirps and warbles peculiar to different species that the uninstructed cannot tell apart. The fancier of young girls knows that human voices are even more varied...." (486) "

" This is shelved -- and so starred -- not with reference to Proust, but with reference to the Grieves translation -- which I'm now persuaded is a dead-end. I'll stick with MKE.... "

" It's hard to believe this is my third time through this thing (ISOLT). I swear that I am never reading it again (though I suppose I'm not the first person to say that while reading this particular volume). Thank god that "Time Regained" is just around the corner. "