Audio Book from Librivox

A Room with a View, by E.M. Forster
finished on Wednesday, February 4, 09

I just finished listening to E.M. Forster’s A Room with a View. I downloaded it from Librivox.org. This was the first time I used Librivox and I definitely will do it again. Since everything recorded there is in public domain the downloads are free. This will be a good way to catch up on some of the “classics” I probably should have read in high school when I was doing other things.

I was able to download it as a podcast through iTunes. A volunteer reader records each chapter, which is an episode within the podcast. Audiobooks that I have purchased through iTunes will group several chapters into smaller “audiobooks” (i.e. Northhanger Abbey is divided into four parts, each part containing several of the original publications chapters.) I think I prefer iTunes way of grouping the chapters, but if I can download a book in the public domain without cost, why gripe about how it is organized. My one other tiny complaint is that there is a disclaimer about Librivox at the beginning and end of each chapter that breaks the mood of the reading.

The book was read by a volunteer named Kara Shallenberg; I found her reading to be very pleasant and easy to listen too. In the background of several chapters, a bird or birds are chattering and singing. Some listeners might find this annoying, but I actually thought it added to the ambience, particularly while all the characters were in Italy.

About the book itself…I love the 1986 movie and I really wanted to love the book. However, I can only say it is enjoyable. I may sometime in the future actually read a printed version of the book, but I don’t feel as compelled now as I once did. However, if do actually read it now I feel that there is more of a chance of my actually finishing it then there would have been before ‘reading’ the audiobook.