Of Peace of Mind

Decent

(4 stars)

DoubleTheK

This was so much nicer than having to sit down & read the book. The only reason I give it 4 stars is the lack of continuity in readers, and the woman reading ch. 3-17 uses the same tone for every sentence, so it sounds unnatural. The content, however, is fascinating. Very much about moderation & virtue.

Proto-self-help

(3 stars)

P.B.

On this letters Seneca preaches against the ornamental and the overwhelming in favor of that which one finds to be necessary. His pratical morality leads to some sort of ontological modesty and an essentialism brought about by some of the key tenets of the stoic life, such as the lucid acknowledgement of our flaws, a slight detachment from human experience and the acceptance of Fortune, thus bringing peace of mind. Jonathan Hockey's recording is not great, and his voice sounds very muffled with a lot of noise. Ann Boulais' narration, on the other of the specter, is also not that good, but this time due to her loud and robotic monotone voice, without any respect for prosody. I must say that this listening experience was a bit awkward: I was trying to listen to Seneca, but every so often all I could hear was the mediators.

not so great

(2 stars)

simon

I like the content and am very interested in the subject matter. Unfortunately, I found the readers to be particularly poor. I deeply appreciate their efforts but sadly this effort fell too short. The first reader was incredibly difficult to understand, and took a dark somewhat melancholic tone, which I found to be fairly fitting. just when I am getting use to the first reader the second reader starts off. The second reader is clear and understandable but he starts reading with a bright almost humorous or ironic tone. When compared to the first it feels like he is actively mocking the content as he reads it. I could not reconcile this. I stopped listening halfway through section two and will not be listening to the rest.

good stuff

(4 stars)

a

Great book. Intonation of the readers made it a little difficult but worthwhile. Grateful for their efforts.

(4 stars)

Dances with Prose

Has anything changed since c. 65 AD? Reading Seneca’s letters one realizes that no, nothing has changed. People think the same way they did over 2000 years ago, people feel the same way, people judge themselves the same way, people encounter the same peer and social pressures, and people strive for happiness and peace of mind the same way they did 2000 years ago. In these letters, Seneca offers a path to tranquility and equanimity. In his opinion, most people spend their time in “restless indolence.” Remedy - “Let their work have some purpose.” He emphasizes the need to be useful, to do something. He tells us the importance of having friends and describes how to choose them. Toward the end of these letters, Seneca elaborates on a very important topic - what to do when bad things happen to good people. This work is worth reading because by following his advice all of us will have something, besides our age, to prove that we have lived a long time (paraphrased from text).

clear readings and a good message

(4 stars)

Viktor

I'd recommend Seneca to everyone who wants a more settled state of mind and who appreciates ancient philosophy. in some ways, for one, it is comforting to think that many of the problems he describes people having are so familiar to us today, so they are something everyone always has and always will have to deal with in their own way, as long as humans are still human. not a fan of the first reading, I found it too quiet and flat though clear. second two I found much more engaging.

Fantastic

(5 stars)

NSA

A fantastic read, as well as a valid perspective - even today. The first reader was a bit quiet, but the second was much better.

A great works

(4 stars)

Cameron

As mentioned, it's a bit lacking in the audio department, but I greatly thank you for your reading.