Penguin Classics presents Laurence Sterne's The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, adapted for audio and available as a digital download as part of the Penguin English Library series. Read by Steven Pacey.
I am got, I know not how, into a cold un-metaphorical vein of infamous writing, and cannot take a plumb-lift out of it for my soul; so must be obliged to go on writing like a Dutch commentator to the end of the chapter, unless something be done....
Laurence Sterne's great masterpiece of bawdy humour and rich satire defies any attempt to categorize it. Part novel, part digression, its gloriously disordered narrative interweaves the birth and life of the unfortunate hero Tristram Shandy, the eccentric philosophy of his father Walter, the amours and military obsessions of Uncle Toby, and a host of other characters, including Dr Slop, Corporal Trim and the parson Yorick.
A joyful celebration of the endless possibilities of the art of fiction, Tristram Shandy is also a wry demonstration of its limitations. Part of a series of vintage recordings taken from the Penguin Archives. Affordable, collectable, quality productions - perfect for on-the-go listening.
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"Sometimes the archaic (even for the time) language and incredibly twisty sentences get a bit too much, but that's part of the humour. The way the book messes around with what a book *is* and the ideas of narrative structure are laugh out loud funny and made funnier by the things that also make it difficult to read sometimes. Highlights include a chapter where he plays the fiddle between events, including some incredible onomatopoeia, and a chapter which he begins by apologising for digressing constantly, describes the difficulties involved in writing as such for 2 pages, and then apologises again and starts the chapter again."
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Tombom (5 out of 5 stars)