Charlie Chaplin by Peter Ackroyd audiobook

Charlie Chaplin: A Brief Life

By Peter Ackroyd
Read by Ralph Lister

Blackstone Publishing 9780385537377

The Ackroyd’s Brief Lives Series: Book 6

• 9.18 Hours • Unabridged
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A brief yet definitive new biography of one of film's greatest legends, perfect for readers who want to know more about the iconic star but who don't want to commit to a lengthy work. He was the very first icon of the silver screen and is one of the most recognizable of Hollywood faces, even a hundred years after his first film. But what of the man behind the moustache? Peter Ackroyd's biography turns the spotlight on Chaplin's life as well as his work, from his humble theatrical beginnings in music halls to winning an honorary Academy Award. Everything is here, from the glamor of his golden age to the murky scandals of the 1940s and eventual exile to Switzerland. There are charming anecdotes along the way: playing the violin in a New York hotel room to mask the sound of Stan Laurel frying pork chops and long Hollywood lunches with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. This masterful, brief biography offers fresh revelations about one of the most familiar faces of the last century and brings the Little Tramp vividly to life.

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Summary

Summary

A brief yet definitive new biography of one of film's greatest legends, perfect for readers who want to know more about the iconic star but who don't want to commit to a lengthy work.

He was the very first icon of the silver screen and is one of the most recognizable of Hollywood faces, even a hundred years after his first film. But what of the man behind the moustache? Peter Ackroyd's biography turns the spotlight on Chaplin's life as well as his work, from his humble theatrical beginnings in music halls to winning an honorary Academy Award. Everything is here, from the glamor of his golden age to the murky scandals of the 1940s and eventual exile to Switzerland. There are charming anecdotes along the way: playing the violin in a New York hotel room to mask the sound of Stan Laurel frying pork chops and long Hollywood lunches with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Jr. This masterful, brief biography offers fresh revelations about one of the most familiar faces of the last century and brings the Little Tramp vividly to life.

Editorial Reviews

Editorial Reviews

“Quietly enthralling…Ackroyd’s coolly perceptive literary style and equally devastatingly effective observations suggest that he doesn’t care a fig about pleasing geeks or fans or anyone else.” —New York Times Book Review
“Chaplin’s rise makes an enthralling story, and it’s one perfectly suited to Peter Ackroyd’s prodigious and idiosyncratic talents…Ackroyd acknowledges Chaplin’s many human failings, while at the same time giving us a vivid sense of what made the man a genius.” —Telegraph (London)
“Detailed yet breezy, full of sharp insights into Chaplin’s public and private personas…Expect plenty of interest in this fine biography.” —Booklist (starred review)
“Award-winning author Ackroyd exposes the hidden truths in Chaplin’s life that help us to understand the artist both personally and professionally. An exceptional read for those who love Chaplin, film, history, and gossip.” —Library Journal
“Narrator Ralph Lister is well matched to this biography of film star Charlie Chaplin. His English accent reflects Chaplin’s place of birth and gives dialogue added realism while setting it off with oral quotation marks. Though his facility with American accents is less polished, his overall narration matches the author’s writing style effectively: He delivers the numerous simple declarative sentences with emphasis and pauses after each…This is an interesting book, well read.” —AudioFile
“[A] fine biography…The luxury of a short book about a vast life cannot be overestimated.” —Financial Times (UK)
“Compact, engrossing, intelligent.” —Sunday Times (London)
“Ackroyd brings a novelist’s as well as a biographer’s eye to the story of a man who ‘seemed to epitomize the human condition itself, flawed and frail and funny.’” —Independent (London)
“Ackroyd rewards his readers with a tale fit for a Chaplin film, featuring humor, tragedy and a poignant fade-out.” —Associated Press
“Apparently, Peter Ackroyd can do anything. In the past, he’s written artful novels and books of poetry; adept biographies of Sir Isaac Newton, Chaucer, and Shakespeare; and encompassing histories of whole cities and civilizations, ancient and modern. Now he has keyboarded a brilliant little biography of Charlie Chaplin. Having been raised on silent films, I had already read Chaplin’s autobiography and another biography, but Ackroyd’s brief life kept me enraptured throughout its 273 pages. His well-turned anecdotes and judicious insights taught me things about the great comedian and filmmaker that I had never even suspected and sent me off to the internet, searching for his films—and more of Ackroyd’s books.” —Barnes&Noble.com, editorial review
“Ackroyd’s writing is masterful—elegant, pitch-perfect, a pleasure to read—and his timing is as impeccable as Bob Hope’s …Chaplin [is a] small gem.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer
"[Ackroyd] deftly navigates the myriad facets of his subject.” —Columbus Dispatch
“In his typically elegant and measured prose, prize-winning biographer Ackroyd brilliantly brings Chaplin to life…Ackroyd’s book introduces the Little Tramp in such a charming and candid fashion that it will drive movie buffs to watch Chaplin on screen once again.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Reviews

Reviews

by Chuck1 9/13/2017
Narration
Overall Performance
Story

An intriguing look at the Little Tramp

The Little Tramp twirled his cane, doffed his bowler, wiggled his moustache and shuffled along to become one of most recognized and beloved characters in the world. Without saying a word.
Peter Ackroyd is the author of Charlie Chaplin, a new look at how a skinny little kid survives a frightful childhood in a London slum to bring laughter to millions.
UK-trained narrator Ralph Lister’s professionalism shines through as he brings the renowned author’s words to life. His expert characterizations of Chaplin and others appear to be right on.
Ackroyd delves into all facets of Chaplin’s life, from his early successes in the silent-film era to his often tortured personal life that included numerous wives, mistresses and one very dangerous stalker.
Chaplin was loved and hated. He is described as both a comedic genius who produced countless outstanding films, and as a cold, self-possessed, despotic director who lashed out at all who threatened his drive for perfection. The author depicted a man ill at ease whenever he was not making a film.
Despite a handful of Britishisms that might sound strange to the American ear, and the occasional word that fades out at the end of a line, Lister was an ideal choice to narrate Ackroyd’s book.
This audiobook, with a poignant story to tell and an enjoyable narration, deserves a listen. The sad times described might moisten an eye, but the hijinks of the Little Tramp will definitely bring a smile.

Author

Author Bio: Peter Ackroyd

Author Bio: Peter Ackroyd

Peter Ackroyd has written acclaimed biographies of T. S. Eliot, Dickens, Blake, and Sir Thomas More, as well as several successful novels. He has won the Whitbread Book Award for Biography, the Royal Society of Literature’s W. H. Heinemann Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, the Guardian Fiction Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award, and the South Bank Show Award for Literature.

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Details

Details

Available Formats : Digital Download, CD, MP3 CD
Category: Nonfiction/Biography & Autobiography
Runtime: 9.18
Audience: Adult
Language: English

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