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Title: Gargantua and Pantagruel

Author: François Rabelais

Narrator: Bill Homewood

Format: Unabridged

Length: 34 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-23-16

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

"Most noble and illustrious drinkers..." Thus begins Gargantua and Pantagruel, a grotesque and carnivalesque collection of exuberant, fantastical stories that takes us from the ancient world through to the European Renaissance. At the heart of these tall tales are the giant Gargantua and his equally seismic son, Pantagruel. Containing magical adventures, maniacal punning, slapstick humor, erudite allusions, and just about any bodily function one can think of, here is quite possibly the zaniest, most risqué book ever written.

Featuring the original translation by Urquhart and Motteaux - celebrated for its fluidity and playfulness.

Bill Homewood gives a virtuosic and delightfully exuberant reading of this extraordinary text - "a narrator so perfectly matched to his material that you can't help but smile." [The Times (London)]

Members Reviews:

Rabelais alive and well

All right. This is a loooong book. Actually five books. And they werer written two hundred years ago. Original is in French, but IMO, this translation is very good. Gargantua is a gentle giant . An intellect. A warrior. And a wise King. His son Pantagruel is also huge, and watching his development during his early years is a delight. Most of the books deal with Pantagruel's doings, and with his hilarious group of pals. There is some very funny stuff going on. And if anyone thinks that Chaucer is the master of the long list or catalogue, then meet Rabelais. He can give you two or more pages of words that mean crappy lawyers, or excrement, and corrupt priests, etc etc. A lot of the latter part of the work is the quest for a prediction as to whether friend Panurge will be successful in marriage. All the various attempts at this are quite fun. I am glad to have finally encountered and read this great satire.

Read This Book!

I love Francois Rabelais's Gargantua and Pantagruel. I first read this wonderful book when I was 12 years old and I laughed and stayed up threw the night just to read it. Rabelais is for real and he relishes every moment and every conceivable fart or noise that celebrates our human existence. I read Gargantua and Pantagruel in English and I am sure the French version is just as wild, perhaps even more so! This is a wonderful author to read.

I have really enjoyed it although the language and style are difficult

I was unaware of Rabelais and only knew that Gargantua was a term for a giant. I have really enjoyed it although the language and style are difficult.

Lots of fun, food for thought

Holds up as a classic farce that is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

I'm glad they can enjoy

Not the knee slapper I thought it would be.

Some people are in to this sort of book. I'm glad they can enjoy.