Remembrance of Things Past

Swann's Way

By: Marcel Proust, Scott Moncrieff - translator

Narrated by: John Rowe

Exclusively from Audible

Swann's Way is Marcel Proust's literary masterpiece and the first part of the multivolume audiobook Remembrance of Things Past.

In the opening volume, the narrator travels back in time to recall his childhood and to introduce the listener to Charles Swann, a wealthy friend of the family and celebrity in the Parisian social scene. He again travels back, this time to the youth of Charles Swann in the French town of Combray, to tell the story of the love affair that took place before his own birth. The jealous love that Swann feels for the courtesan Odette, is a foretelling of the narrator's own future relationships.

Proust paints an unforgettable, scathing and at times comic portrait of French society at the close of the 19th century and reveals a profound vision of obsessive love. The remarkable details from his memory are the fundamental triumph of the audiobook; details like his younger self's desperate need for a goodnight kiss from his mother.

In 1922, Virginia Woolf marvelled, 'Oh if I could write like that!'

Many adaptations have been made of Swann's Way including the 1984 English language film, Swann in Love, starring Jeremy Irons, and a graphic novel by French comic artist Stéphane Heuet that was first published in 1998.

Narrator Biography

Whilst training at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama, John Rowe did his first radio plays for the BBC before spending several years acting in repertory theatre. He then joined the BBC's Radio Drama Company at Broadcasting House and after a three year stint on stage with the Prospect Company at The Old Vic he became a committed radio actor. He is well known for his role as Professor Jim Lloyd in The Archers. He has not only worked extensively in radio but also in television and film, as well as narrating many audiobooks, including Within a Budding Grove by Marcel Proust. His film appearances have included The Heart of Me (2002) and Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001). He has most recently appeared on onscreen in the Netflix series The Crown (2016) and the BBC TV series Broken (2017).

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Proust isn't for sissies

What made the experience of listening to Remembrance of Things Past the most enjoyable?
It took me three years to get through those three volumes, and listening to it will only take about half as long. I like stories that take a long time to tell, and that don't rush the plot or the character development.

What other book might you compare Remembrance of Things Past to and why?
The Magic Mountain. These are books that take forever to get through because they are so dense, but in a good way. And rereading them is like reading them for the first time.

Which character – as performed by John Rowe – was your favorite?
Probably Sidonie Verdurin. She was a pretentious phony, but she knew how to get what she wanted.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
When Swann knew that Odette was cheating on him but he couldn't bring himself to go into the house where she was with her lover and confront her. At the same time, he couldn't leave either. Swann usually got on my nerves, but this scene made me feel a little sorry for him.

I guess this is above my head.

I did like the detail in the descriptions but for the most part I was lost during most of the book.

It’s worth the time.

Today I finished book 7- Time Regained and immediately started Swann’s Way again just to reflect a little. I highly recommend getting Hindus Milton’s readers guide if you are serious about reading all 7 books. There are a bunch of other great companions as well. The names I cannot remember as a lay here in the dark writing this. There’s one that shows all the art work with the corresponding text that is also really helpful in getting the full picture. Im so thankful that we leave in a world with so many answers at our fingertips. It made this easier than I thought… still hard but worth the effort. I wish I could have listened to all the books narrated by Rowe but I had to go to the Neville Jason ones to finish. Those are also narrated beautifully (I prefer Rowe though).

superb

A great rendition of a prose masterpiece. Perfect voice that captures the humor and melancholy of Proust's narrator.

A masterpiece beautifully read

Would you listen to Remembrance of Things Past again? Why?

Yes. The language is so rich, the ideas so prescient, the characters so vibrant, I am already listening to passages over again.

What does John Rowe bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

It's fascinating to see where John Rowe places his emphases, his pauses, his intonation, without over milking the text. A truly impressive reading.

BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN

The style of writing and the words used are unlike I have ever listened to. I have read many literary works, but Marcel Proust is in a class all by himself, although there are parts of the book that seem to go on and on, but overall it is worth listening to the end.
The narrator is unsurpassed. My thanks to all involved in making this work available, JK

Simply the best reader ever

A work of rhapsodic depth and complexity, John Rowe’s perfect reading provides both emotional resonance and appropriate emphasis allowing the listener to easily grasp the flow.

A Difficult, Beautiful, Touching Review

Proust makes me want to weep and tear my hair out. He is alternately brilliant and self-centered, expansive and small-minded, full of life and utterly hopeless. The story of Swann and Odette is the centerpiece of this book, but it is Proust’s descriptions of the thoughts and feelings of the first-person narrator, a boy, which shall stay in my memory more than the rest. A magnificent experience.

Beautiful performance!

What could possibly be better? Now to read Proust and Signs by Deleuze! And then, perhaps Conrad just for counterpoise.

This Is Something Else Entirely

If you could sum up Remembrance of Things Past in three words, what would they be?

No can do...

What other book might you compare Remembrance of Things Past to and why?

See above..

Which character – as performed by John Rowe – was your favorite?

Ah yes. I am dead certain no one will surpass John Rowe's performance. Ever. This is an effortless, virtuoso reading. I can't properly praise this sublime synthesis of actor and author.

WOW!

Any additional comments?

I can't find a complete recording of Remembrance by Rowe online?!?!???..
Is that possible? ([e-mail]) You Have A Friend Forever if you can help!