Audiobook Review - The Adventure of English

Most books I read seem to work as well in audio format as in paper format. Some books really do work best in paper format but I have found a book that is really best in audio.

The Adventure of English by Melvyn Bragg has been out almost 10 years but I only recently found it. The book was written as a companion to a British TV series of the same name that ran in 2003 but the book is excellent on it's own.

The story starts 2000 years ago when the Celts were pushed to the Western edges of what is now Great Britain. The Frisian language of today is closest to that original language. 

The book takes us on a trip with the language as it developed through power struggles, religious influences and became the most prominent global language.

I know that books like this are not interesting to a lot of people but I found this one to be really entertaining and educational at the same time. If you like an occasional non-fiction book you might consider this one.

The benefit of reading this book in audio format is that the reader, Robert Powell, does a wonderful job of handling different pronunciations and dialects.

Comments

[Kristin]

Thanks for the recommendation, Vicki! This looks like a fascinating read.