Gradually I seem to be developing a liking for (auto)biographies/memoirs. Previously I always avoided those because I feared that they would bore me too easily. With Chapters from My Autobiography by Mark Twain, I’ve read four autobiographies in the recent past. This book and John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley certainly convinced me how much fun autobiographies can be.
Mark Twain has a way of presenting the facts in a funny way. I especially liked how he frequently cited from his daughter Susi’s biography of him. Those thow narrations (Twain’s own dictation and Susi’s biography of him) are combined to give a unique picture of the author.
Once again I listened to the free audiobook from LibriVox, read by John Greenman. He knows how to give Twain his due and I think I wouldn’t have liked the book so much had I not listened to this narration. This is the second book by Mark Twain read by John Greenman I’ve enjoyed (the first was Twain’s retelling of the story of Joan of Arc) and Greenman has become my “voice of Twain” by now. He has done other Twain books as well and I’ll be certain to listen to those as well. ( )

[This review appears in longer form at Bookin' It.]

Mark Twain began dictating (most) of his autobiography in 1906, but stipulated that it not be published until 100 years after his death in April, 1910. Indeed, the first volume of that massive publication has recently come out.

However, Twain did select 25 extracts from his dictations and other papers to be published in the North American Review from September 1906 through December 1907. That is what is included in this audiobook.

Twain doesn't tell his story chronologically. Indeed, this audiobook only touches on Twain's life, but mostly focuses on amusing anecdotes, and his family. Most interesting (and emotive) are the sections on the death of his daughter Susy at age 24 in 1896, and Twain's inclusion of excerpts Susy wrote about her father in a biography she attempted at age 14.

Actor Bronson Pinchot is the perfect narrator for this audiobook - he applies an accent that makes you think Twain might be the one speaking. The audiobook comes with a bonus disc containing a (190-page) PDF e-book of the contents, as well as a reading of Twain's The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.

© Amanda Pape - 2012

[This audiobook was borrowed from and returned to my university library.] ( )

Mark Twain dictated his autobiography with the stated intention that it wouldn't be published for 100 years after his death. Accordingly, the first volume (of three) of the first complete edition just came out about a year ago. I intend to begin that soon, but in the meantime I've just finished "Chapters from My Autobiography", selections which were the only parts to be published during Twain's lifetime, in 25 installments in the North American Review in 1906-07.

Not a chronological autobiography, but more a free association of (mostly humorous) stories, these chapters still somehow manage to add up to an integrated picture of the man. Early on he relates the death of his middle daughter Suzie at the age of 25, and from that point on quotes from a biography of him she had written about ten years earlier. This provides some structure, as he quotes passages and then elaborates on them or tells a story they remind him of, but it also provides a sort of emotional line, regularly reminding us of Twain's family life besides his professional life.

These chapters do jump around a lot, ranging from recollections of his boyhood, to his early attempts at making a living, to becoming a successful writer, to his middle age as a family man, to his old age. The effect is a picture of a whole life, even if it is only in snapshots.

And of course, Twain is often very funny, sometimes poignant, and uses language beautifully. Definitely worth reading. ( )

Within the first few minutes of this audiobook, one knows exactly why Mark Twain was such a success as an author and humorist. His wit and satire abound with each story, and yet he maintains a level of humility that is just as charming as it is surprising. The anecdotes and stories presented by Twain in this collection are at times heartbreaking, touching, difficult, and, as one would expect, hilarious. Twain does not shy away from highlighting his faults and foibles and presents them with an alacrity that is simply amusing.

What makes Chapters from My Autobiography so difficult is the randomness of each story. Twain jumps around from discussing his children to his brother to his time in Europe and back with no introduction and no preparation for the reader. Following along quickly becomes a study in concentration, as this is not an audiobook that allows one's mind to drift. However, when the effort is made, the reader/listener is rewarded with a better understanding of how remarkable Twain's life was. His relationship with his wife and children is especially poignant, as he presents his daughter's biography of him in its entirety, complete with spelling errors. His pride at his daughter's ability to capture him in all his faults is simply beautiful to behold.

Mr. Pinchot earns his Narrator of the Year nod with a spot-on performance as Mark Twain. His accent never wavers, and his ability to take rather dry material and imbibe it with spirit and humor is alone worth the time necessary to listen to the audio. Twain literally comes alive again through Mr. Pinchot.

Chapters from My Autobiography is charming in its own right, especially with such highlights as Susie's biography of her father, but it is truly the narrator who makes this such a special experience for the listener. For those who are not willing to tackle Mr. Twain's entire autobiography, or at least the one volume of it that was recently released, this audio is a great introduction to his story and a wonderful teaser of the true face of one of America's most celebrated authors.