Audiobook Sample

Listen to the sample to experience the story.

Please wait while we verify your browser...

  • Title: Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Jazz Age Tales
  • Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Narrator: Grover Gardner
  • Length: 04:00:00
  • Version: Abridged
  • Release Date: 08/09/2008
  • Publisher: Tantor Media
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature, Short Stories, Literary Fiction, Classics
  • ISBN13: 9.78E+12
Hello fellow wanderers of the written and spoken word,

There’s something magical about listening to Fitzgerald’s prose while watching landscapes blur past a train window – an experience I had while riding through the Scottish Highlands last autumn. The rhythmic clatter of the tracks became an unconscious metronome for Grover Gardner’s narration, making this audiobook collection feel like a shared secret between the narrator, the author, and me.

Fitzgerald’s ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ unfolds like a fine whiskey – initially startling, then revealing complex layers that linger. Gardner’s narration captures this perfectly, his voice carrying both the whimsy and profound melancholy of a man living his life in reverse. I found myself pausing the recording frequently, just to sit with the implications of lines like ‘Youth is a dream, a form of chemical madness.’ It reminded me of conversations I’d had with elderly storytellers in Marrakech, where time seemed to move differently in the shadow of the Atlas Mountains.

The collection’s other gems shine just as brightly. ‘The Diamond as Big as the Ritz’ transported me back to my first visit to Newport’s Gilded Age mansions, where obscene wealth felt both dazzling and grotesque. Gardner’s performance here is particularly masterful – he delivers Fitzgerald’s satire with just enough restraint to let the absurdity speak for itself. When describing the diamond mountain, his voice takes on an awed hush that makes you lean closer, as if hearing a campfire tale.

What makes this audiobook special is how Gardner preserves Fitzgerald’s delicate balance between Jazz Age exuberance and existential dread. In ‘O Russet Witch!’, his narration subtly shifts from playful to poignant as the story reveals its sting. I found myself thinking of moonlit conversations in Oaxaca, where laughter often carried unspoken sorrows.

The audio production deserves special praise. The pacing allows Fitzgerald’s lyrical sentences room to breathe – crucial for lines like ‘The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time.’ There’s no intrusive music or sound effects, just clean, intimate storytelling that honors the text. At 2 hours total, it’s the perfect length for a long drive or an evening of quiet reflection.

While Gardner’s narration is generally excellent, some listeners might find his character voices occasionally blend together. This is a minor quibble in an otherwise superb performance that captures the essence of Fitzgerald’s world – where glamour and grief dance cheek-to-cheek.

Compared to other Fitzgerald audiobooks, this collection stands out for its variety. Where ‘Gatsby’ offers a single sustained melody, these stories form a jazz quartet – each with its own rhythm and mood, but united by themes of time, desire, and the American dream. It’s the audio equivalent of finding a perfect little speakeasy where the cocktails are strong and the conversations unforgettable.

For travelers like me who carry stories as constant companions, this audiobook is ideal company. Whether you’re watching desert sunrises or navigating crowded subway tunnels, Fitzgerald’s words and Gardner’s voice create a portable magic show – one that makes the ordinary world feel suddenly luminous with possibility.

Until our next literary adventure, keep listening to the stories the world whispers to you.
Marcus Rivera