Commentary/review

Everyone knows that “Walden” is a great book and some of the more fortunate readers get to know it with assistance, as a part of an assignment or a curriculum. I was not one of them. I read it to make sure I cover the most important books ever written. I expected something heavy and idealistic. I got ready for obscurity and perhaps disappointment. What I found was anything but that.

This is one happy audiobook. It is obviously read by a lector who knows “Walden” very well. We are invited to share his fondness for this work. The book is a fun, witty testimony of the love of life and nature. It is easy to begin to long for the world which had been lost. Surprisingly, the Author did not weep for the past. He embraced the change, consciously and conscientiously living in the moment. He appears to be at peace. Thoreau’s philosophy of life and his general attitude can be seen in the ways he described his surroundings. He certainly believed that he was special in this way and the book made sense as a way of sharing his discovery. The book seems both ancient and fresh. It is certainly a must read. This performance does it justice.

Almost every cover of “Walden” features Thoreau’s hut, though this cover is colorful enough to hint at the loveliness of the book itself. “Walden” is more about the nature it was surrounded by than about the abode. A good choice of color and general theme.

Cover Photo by Ales Krivec on Unsplash