Walden

Life in the Woods

By: Henry David Thoreau

Narrated by: Alec Sand

Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Thoreau's classic account of the solitary life, describing his attempts to simplify his life and sort out his priorities by living alone in a cabin beside Walden Pond for nearly two years, is one of the most influential books ever written. The bible of the environmental movement, Walden vividly portrays Thoreau's reverence for nature, and his understanding of the idea that nature is made up of crucially interrelated parts.

Public Domain (P)2006 Trout Lake Media

This Narration Brings Thoreau to Life

I think Henry David Thoreau gets lumped into a stuffy, "existentialist" group of writers that are just enough absorbed in themselves to be appealing to no one. Reading Walden two years ago made Thoreau seem stiff and unexciting to me. But narrator Alec Sand brought Thoreau and Walden to life. Here is Henry, the semi-jaded, standoffish nature-lover who, while examining the "crystalline structures" of ice forming on Walden's shores during the winter, is also wanted for refusing to pay the poll tax of a "Government of slaves". Sand reads Thoreau in a way that brings out the best and most grating parts of one of America's great writers and thinkers. Thoreau was right about so many things - and Sand narrates them in a way that make you think "man, this Thoreau was kind of self-righteous". But after 5 years spent living alone in the woods and going to jail for your beliefs - anyone would develop a clipped tone of righteousness. Or, in my opinion, the clipped tone of one whom has spent a lifetime trying to get himself "right". And if the reader/listener can't respect that, they can build their own cabin on their own Walden.

Difficult Narration

The halting, staccato delivery of the narrator, along with all the mispronunciations, made for a difficult book to appreciate and endure. I think some books are better read than listened to over headphones.

Great book!

Better brush up on the Greek Classics before tackle this book if you really want to understand it. Really enjoyed it.

I see why this is a literary classic

Thoreau has a way with description that is masterful. No extraneous words. Enough detail to give the reader an accurate image art picture of the scenes which he describes. I see now why this book has inspired generations of writers.

Listened at 1.7 times the normal speed.

important book

so much modern folk philosophy stared with this book. From environmentalism, to back-to-the-land-ers, to veganism. A must read for anyone wanting to understand contemporary society.

Must read

Such a beautiful conclusion, worth reading multiple times. It’s amazing how relevant a book from 1847 can be today

home remedy for existential angst

Home remedy for existential angst -- that pretty much covers it. Highly recommended for times like the present (2016 election season), or after reading Nietzche.
The narration glitched/repeated a few times, but the repeating sections were less than a minute and didn't disrupt the flow.

Thoreau was the best of us

Henry Thoreau spent two years, two months and two days living a simpler version of life so that he could change our view points for millennia. This book will change the way you see, hear, smell and experience our world. It is a pleasure to read and a warm reminder of the simple beauty in nature.

Literary practicality

I very much enjoyed the story and the practicality of it. I did not particlarly enjoy how the narrator would reread segments over and over several times like a broken record. I don't know if it's intentional or if they're just trying to fill the minutes up. It was quite distracting.

Difficult Read But At Moments Beautiful

This book has many remarkable passages that invoke the beauty of a simple life. With poignant observations about men and nature, it instills a sense of peace and wonder in the world...when it isn't boring you with tedium and condescending judgment doled out heavily throughout the narrative.