Carrawayed

Audible is releasing The Great Gatsby audiobook next week, read by Jake Gyllenhaal. You can listen to the first four minutes or so here:



For those who don't know the story, here's the Audible summary:

F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic American novel of the Roaring Twenties is beloved by generations of readers and stands as his crowning work. This new audio edition, authorized by the Fitzgerald estate, is narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain). Gyllenhaal's performance is a faithful delivery in the voice of Nick Carraway, the Midwesterner turned New York bond salesman, who rents a small house next door to the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. There, he has a firsthand view of Gatsby's lavish West Egg parties - and of his undying love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan.

After meeting and losing Daisy during the war, Gatsby has made himself fabulously wealthy. Now, he believes that his only way to true happiness is to find his way back into Daisy's life, and he uses Nick to try to reach her. What happens when the characters' fantasies are confronted with reality makes for a startling conclusion to this iconic masterpiece.

This special audio edition joins the upcoming film - as well as many other movie, radio, theater, and even video-game adaptations - as a fitting tribute to the cultural significance of Fitzgerald's Jazz Age classic, widely regarded as one of the greatest stories ever told.



And the first review, from an Audible editor:

Editors Select, April 2013 - I knew I always liked The Great Gatsby, but having not read it since high school, I couldn’t remember exactly why. After listening to Jake Gyllenhaal’s superb narration, I was reminded of what I found so great about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic. Gyllenhaal strikes the right chord as, Nick Carraway, who exists within the hyper-privileged world of Long Island’s upper crust but manages to avoid becoming jaded and swept up by the materialism of his cousin, Daisy, and the titular Gatsby. Fitzgerald’s elegant yet simple prose still holds up, and Gyllenhaal treats it with the utmost respect, allowing the vivid descriptions of mansions, landmarks, and 1920s New York to flow at just the right pace. While ultimately tragic, The Great Gatsby is full of light and beautiful moments that kindle a nostalgia for the Roaring Twenties, and I was glad to have been reintroduced to a favorite book this way. —Chris, Audible Editor



The Brothers Carraway. (Tobey Maguire plays Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story, in the upcoming film.)

You can listen to snippets here or download it here. (There are links for inside and outside the U.S.) The first snippet is 20 minutes. I think the shorter ones make up the longer one.

Also, if you have a Nook or the Nook app, you can listen to Jake read Make Way for Ducklings, a children's classic.

Another snippet:

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Jake was nominated for a Lucille Lortel award for his role in If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet: It’s an Off Broadway awards show, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of stars lined up for it: The roster of actors to score nominations for the 2013 Lucille Lortel Awards includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Vanessa Redgrave and American Ferrera. The Lortels, which consider only Off Broadway productions eligible for their annual kudofest, is one of the earliest in the round of Gotham legit trophies to announce nominations and winners. ... Gyllenhaal snagged a featured actor nod for his role in Nick Payne’s “If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet,” which the Roundabout Theater Company produced last fall. I miss Terry!

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Jake sent a note to a fellow L&OD castmembers on her 90th birthday: Just wanted to wish you a Happy 90th Birthday. I cherish our onscreen romance! Here's to you! I love that scene in the electronics store, where she gets annoyed when he doesn't give her his full attention. Go, Joan!

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Jake did a fashion shoot for Elle China, and the stylists posted an instagram from the shoot: