I had various expectations of a book about a man who sells his soul to the devil in return for musical brilliance - I thought it might be horrific, frightening, creepy, atmospheric, thrilling... but I never expected it to be boring. Mann manages to take what should be a heart rending tale and turn it into a trudge through politics and philosophy that at times I thought would never end. It's a shame, because in little parts it is written very effectively and movingly - the section describing the death of a child towards the end of the book is very powerful, for example.

The first-person narrator, Zeitblom, is a sympathetic character, particularly as he writes of his despair and disillusionment over Nazism. But I couldn't form any particular liking of or sympathy for Adrian himself. I couldn't really understand the depth of Zeitblom's affection for him, except perhaps the irresistible pull of unrequited feelings. I never fully understood if Adrian really had formed a pact with the devil or just imagined the whole thing. Certainly there is nothing atmospheric or thrilling about any of it. The devil is just as wordy and boring as everyone else.

I didn't always find the audiobook easy to follow, because I would get bored and my mind would wander. If you are an auditory learner then it would be a good option, if you're more of a visual person, it does feel like hard work. It did work well at sending me to sleep though. The audiobook's narrator has a really lovely voice that is nice to listen to and he reads what must have been a pretty difficult story to narrate given all the long words and German names, very well.

If you want to read/listen to an intellectual book, full of long words and philosophical concepts, this certainly delivers on that. But in terms of entertainment value, it doesn't give much. I know it's a classic and I should probably be finding lots of deep meaning in it, but thankfully since I'm no longer at school and obliged to study literature, I can just look for things I can enjoy reading/hearing. This wasn't one of them for me.

Doctor Faustus is the life of a fictitious musician, the tragic hero of this novel Adrian Leverkühn is told by his childhood friend, named after his last piano score, The Lamentation of Dr. Faustus.

"Must I not ask if I was right in do­ing so? And again: Did I actually do so? I have clung to one man, one painfully important man, unto death and have described his life, which never ceased to fill me with loving fear. It is as if this loyalty may well have made up for my having fled in horror from my country's guilt."

This book reminded me of Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad. While the two stories are not alike, they share a fascinating way of exploring a character. The narrator beautifully portrays the protagonist so compellingly and with infatuation that you cannot help but love him.

And I weep for them both, mostly Adrian, who believed the devil inside him made everything around him wrong. But don't we all feel that way, cursed?

Thank you W.F. Howes Ltd via NetGalley for giving me the chance to listen to Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann, translated by John E. Woods and beautifully narrated by David Rintoul. I have given my honest review.

A book that brings Adrian Leverkuhn to life from his childhood onwards as seen by his friend.

So much detail and history of his life. I feel I would have appreciated it more if I knew more about music.

Well written and well narrated (I listened to the audiobook). A deep look into this composer’s life.

Really enjoyed the narrator of this audio. Will be also grabbing the paper version from Waterstones asap. Loved the plot and great characters. Not what I expected but still amazing. Liked the cover art

I’m new to the works of Thomas Mann. I ‘discovered’ Buddenbrook last year, a family saga that’s packed with characters and I really enjoyed it. I’m part way through The Magic Mountain and was interested in Doctor Faustus, a much later work and one based on an interpretation of Goethe’s poem. I’m not familiar with Faustus other than having read Marlowe’s play many years ago.

I’m listening to the audio of Doctor Faustus, very ably narrated. Make no mistake; this is a work which requires attention throughout. It’s multi layered, complex, confounding and is clearly the work of a powerful intellectual who is prepared to challenge convention and the State. It’s not a lightweight listen; I’m tackling it in small chunks of up to an hour to allow time for thought and reflection about what’s going on. It’s certainly a title I’ll want to revisit because of the complexity of themes. Mann uses the central character to explore the Faustian themes of loss, lust, greed etc. But more than that, he uses the tale as an allegory for the German nation, inter war and the links between art, intellectualism and politics. It’s a true epic and one which is difficult to summarise but rewarding if you’re prepared to put in a little effort. I’m enjoying it, even though there are parts I don’t fully understand.