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Tales of the Alhambra
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins
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Tales of the Alhambra
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Summary
One of the most entertaining travelogues ever written, Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra is a heady mix of fact, myth, and depictions of secret chambers, desperate battles, imprisoned princesses, palace ghosts, and fragrant gardens, described in a wistful and dreamlike eloquence. Irving, who also penned "Rip Van Winkle" and "Sleepy Hollow," wrote Tales of the Alhambra during a stay at the legendary Alhambra in Granada, Spain. The Alhambra is a combination fort, palace, and gardens dating from the thirteenth century, filled with fantastic Arabic architecture (ornate plasterwork, ceramic tiles, sculpted marble fountains, and archways) and plenty of room for imagining the days of its former greatness, which Irving brings to life most memorably.
Even though Tales of the Alhambra is over 170 years old, it seems as if it was written yesterday. There are tales of princes, genies, lost and found loves, enchanted treasures, battles, hellish headless horses, and commentary on the Spanish landscape and nature of the Spaniards that he lives with. Full of bewitching music, the smell of roses and exotic perfumes, fiery sunsets, and the ghosts of the past, Tales of the Alhambra is a sensory treat as well.
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What listeners say about Tales of the Alhambra
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MR H.
- 30-10-20
A Real Find
The 5-stars are not given without some thought - although it took very little. Sometimes you just 'find' something which goes much further than you thought the audiobook experience could provide. And this most certainly opened my 'ears' to what could be possible when form and content find such a happy connection. Please don't ask why? I went to the Alhambra many years ago and probably just clicked rather instinctively - not knowing that I would find myself completely engrossed in this book and its masterful narrator. Even I think it is somewhat obscure to say the least but it really shouldn't be.
The narrator is a revelation - how could you possibly find someone better for this book? He was born to do this and eases us through both centuries of history and walks up the Sierra Nevada with delightful relish in anything and everything. And yes - there is a wonderful restraint coupled with a wicked sense of humour.
A wonderful book; a magnificent reading. I got very lucky here and I would wish that fellow readers will also take the chance. I've never done a review before but I hope that I can do so again with something like this because there simply must be other gems out there for me to discover. Washington Irving is not, as far as I know, a very 'famous' author but this book should be compulsory reading for anyone who wishes to be taken 'away from it all' for a while.
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