Quote:
Originally Posted by bfisher
There were about 350,000-400,000 words cut from the first draft. Apparently, whole chapters were removed.
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That is outright amazing. As it is, I think it would have benefited from pruning, most especially of the instances where a theme or conclusion is described, restated, and then rephrased a third time, just in case you were too dim too get it the first two times. It adds up to a somewhat patronizing tone, although I admit that listening might make me more sensitive to it.
In general, I think Caro's one who loses sight of the forest for the trees. Moses' problem, of course, was the opposite. Among others.
I'm not saying it isn't a great biography nor enthralling, because it's both. But the length is ridiculous.
One note on the audiobook: the narrator, Robertson Dean, has a pleasant voice and cadences and reads well for sense. The number of mispronunciations, though, especially of proper nouns, is entirely unacceptable.