
The Castle in the Forest
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Harris Yulin
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By:
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Norman Mailer
The narrator, a mysterious SS man who is later revealed to be an exceptional presence, follows the young Adolf from birth through his adolescence. En route, revealing portraits are offered of Hitler's father and mother, sisters, and brothers.
A tapestry of unforgettable characters, The Castle in the Forest delivers its myriad twists and surprises with astonishing insight into the nature of the struggle between good and evil that exists in us all. At its core is a hypothesis that is employed with stunning originality. Norman Mailer may well be saying more than he ever has before.
©2007 Norman Mailer. All rights reserved (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.Listeners also enjoyed...










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Critic reviews
"Mailer arrives at a somber, compelling portrait of a monstrous soul." (Publishers Weekly)
"This remarkable novel about the young Adolf Hitler, his family and their shifting circumstances, is Mailer's most perfect apprehension of the absolutely alien. No wonder it is narrated by a devil. Mailer doesn't inhabit these historical figures so much as possess them." (The New York Times Book Review)
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Laughably Amateur Narrator, At Best
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I want my CREDIT back!!!
I bought this book thinking it was a legitimate historical novel. It turns out it is a FANTASY! The "narrator," who is purported to be an SS officer, turns out to be a minon of SATAN, not just metaphorically but a real honest-to-God (no pun) agent of THE devil! Normal Mailer must have been going SENILE when he wrote this piece of dreck! Introducing an agent of Satan as being the reason for the monster that was Adolf Hitler is a COP-OUT and seems to falsely mitigate the true, very human, HORROR that was the man (not a "Rosemary's baby") and those who did his work. I want this piece of literary dung flushed out of my library, I assure you I'll be deleting it from my computer, and I want my credit BACK!!
Pure DRECK!! Should be ZERO stars!
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The reader is top notch, and has a tone akin to Mailer?s, making it very pleasing to listen to.
Worthy of Mailer
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Taking a cue from CS Lewis, a Devil who works for Satan narrates the early days of the Hitler. A lot is told about Alois' Hitler and his background.
This book is a mixture brilliance, excitement and sometimes dullness. I consider this book a great listen.
Great one
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All I kept thinking was off all the times when the course of history could have been altered for the better had Hitler's childhood / Education gone another way or had he not survived at all. I found the most interesting part was his chapter on Czar Nicholas II.
Interesting Premis
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disappointed
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This forensic psychological portrait of Hitler is both deeply disturbing and highly compelling, and I find myself looking forward to a quiet moment of the day when I can sit back enjoy some time with Mailer's extraodinary prose.
I'm a big fan of the printed word and I never thought I would choose an audio book of Mailer's work to listen to. Some of his phrases are so delicious, I like to re-read and savor them again and again. Perhaps I will buy a copy of the book to keep, too, but the narrator's voice on this is so wonderful I almost forget where I am. It is deep and resonant with diabolical mockery: Just listen to his charcterization of Himmler if you want a few goosebumps with your prose.
All and all a wonderful audiobook on all accounts. Mailer is at the peak of his powers as a novelist and the choice of narrator is perfect. You absolutely must get this!
Compelling
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Mailer's Swan Song
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I kept hoping this iconic author would redeem himself along the way. But, as the story plodded along, it became apparent that this work was the rambling of an artist whose time has past him by. The only reason this manuscript got published was the name Mailer was typed on the first page.
I would say the ending was a disappointment; however, it was a welcome relief.
Skip This Silliness
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Obscure, Speculative, but Genius
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