Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Dramatised)

The book requires two reads. after the first read you can go back and with the knowledge gained from the back half of the book more completely soak in all of the knowledge from the first half. It's amazing how on a second read, all of the details stand out as having a significance well beyond their letters and words.BUT! Be warned: The CD currently listed here is NOT an audio book. It has a run time of just over an hour! It was just some episode on a talk radio show about the book. Steer clear from the single CD "Audio Book" currently listed as one of the options on the product page. The book is the real deal.

I got part way through this CD and I started thinking of all the stuff, good and bad, that I wanted to say on amazon about this novel on CD. Then I realized that this was a heavily abridged if attractive multi-voice production, and my review wouldn't make much sense. I'll save my extended review for an unabridged CD version, if such exists. As it is, this is one really pricey selection for maybe 2 to 3 hours of listening.Heavy spoiler alert going forward. So what to say here? I don't know how much this CD is going to make sense to somebody who hasn't read the book. It's a nice reminder to those of us who read the actual, considerably lengthier novel 30+ years ago. Part mystery novel about the author - what did he do to get his brain zapped so long ago - how did he recover from that - what happened to his family in the meantime? Part story of father/son issues. Part philosophical discussion (the part I like least). On the one hand I'd like to say that this man's past sacrificed for his message to the rest of us. But a larger part of me says this guy is bonkers regardless of the message. Maybe both are right. I find a lot of the philosophical stuff mumbo jumbo. I find a lot else objectionable in the actual book, but it is memorable and thought-provoking just the same. I had no trouble remembering specific incidents from this book which I read 1978-ish in confirming how abridged this CD was, which says something about something. So at the minimum it's memorable.

It was an interesting perspective on life and how one lives. It took a bit of getting used to the multi voice and sound effects when you are used to one reader, just reading the book. It kind of reminded me of a radio program of yesteryear. Worth the read, it makes you think.

Had I been asked whether or not I thought that Robert M. Pirsig's seminal, and partially auto-biographical, 70s novel "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" was suitable material for adaptation into a radio play, I would have had to express some very serious misgivings indeed. The book is so long and detailed, and operates on so many different levels, that I would have expected the simplifications necessary to render it into acceptable radio drama to have stripped it of much of its point. It was with some trepidation, therefore, that I came to this double CD recording of the BBC's full cast dramatisation of the book, broadcast on Radio 4 earlier this year. It took no more than 5 minutes' worth of Peter Flannery's masterful adaptation to win me over completely, however.James Purefoy does a more than credible job of carrying the bulk of the story, as narrator and motorcycling father of troubled teenager, Chris -- played by Max Cazier -- as they travel together on a road trip across America in the late 1960s. The book is also a treatise on the incompatibilities of Western and Eastern philosophical systems, as well as a meditation on values and the concept of "quality", and an exploration of mental illness and its impact on family relationships. To pack all of the book's themes and messages into just over an hour and a half of radio drama is an altogether impossible task although Peter Flannery has done an excellent job of making you believe that he has managed it, honing the text down to its most essential parts without, in the process, sacrificing very many of its threads. Original music by Jon Nicholls, and sensitive and atmospheric sound design by Eloise Witmore, also add greatly to the effectiveness of the adaptation and provide the finishing touches that truly bring this iconic story to life. All in all, this excellent production shows Pirsig's tale to be every bit as relevant today as it was when it was first penned almost 40 years ago.Containing an extra 10 minutes of material that had to be pruned from the radio transmission, this recording is highly recommended; especially for those who may feel over-faced tackling the book.

So, crossing midlife, I've become more introspective and interested in philosophy. Being a Karateka, interested in pursuing Zen, and someone with mechanical aptitude, I decided that I should finally check out this renowned book for its application of transcendent philosophy to something mundane like maintenance of a machine. Also being someone who has more time to walk or drive and listen than to sit and read, I purchased the CD copy of this book. I did *not* realize that I'd be getting a dramatization or that there would be almost no Zen or Motorcycle Maintenance in this audio recording.As others have said in their reviews - this is very short. I think I completed it in only a couple.. maybe three... hours. I was left with a feeling of WTF? Why do people go on and on about this book? I should go back to Alan Watts and the I-Ching. I did a quick check with Wikipedia to make sure that this was actually the right plot for the much-lauded book. I was disappointed to learn that I did indeed have the right book with he right plot. So did all the people and authors, and movies, and TV shows that mention this book get it wrong? Well, not entirely.After reading many reviews I've now realized that this is greatly diminished version of the book. I have to assume that all of the Zen and Motorcycle Maintenance that I expected to find was cut from the audio version to fit a schedule.I *still* haven't had time to read the paper book, but now I know that this wasn't the version to start with.

This is one of those books that it seems everybody has heard of. I have never read it myself and thought I would listen to this to get an idea if it is the kind of thing I would be interested in reading. I came to this recording with no real idea what to expect but knowing this book is seen as a classic/cult classic ("One of the most important and influential books of the past half-century").I found the production to be well done and the story was of some interest. Some of the ideas were kind of interesting (the Metaphysics of Quality) but I guess I expected more given the book's reputation. That said of course, one should never judge a book by the abridged radio dramatization which is, of necessity, a different animal. This is worth a listen if you haven't read the book but given that this costs about the same as the book you might be better off just buying that.This is an abridged full cast dramatization originally broadcast on 4th June 2012 on BBC Radio 4 (and containing 10 minutes of bonus material not previously broadcast).

This is a BBC Radio 4's full-cast dramatisation of the multi-million best-selling philosophical novel which tells the story of a father and son's motorcycle trip across the USA in the '60s. It describes a personal and philosophical journey asking questions about how to live a meaningful life. Still relevant today as it ever was. It stars James Purefoy (Rome, The Following). It consists of 2 CDs lasting 1hour and 40 minutes. It is compelling and interesting and above all, well-acted.

This is a dramatised recording and so gives a much better atmosphere than a straight narrative recording. The story is a bit confusing and you need to see it through to get the fuller understanding of what it\'s all about. It isn't really about Zen in the typical sense of the word. It is also different to the book as this is an abridged version and so there are chunks missing. However, it is a powerful story well told.

The story is well produced and easy to listen to. I remember, 20 years ago, when I first read the book being wowed by the ideas in it. But I didn't get that same feeling - or the insights I was looking for - by listening to this production.

This really is a delight. It has to be 30 years since I read the original novel. I was expecting an audio version of the book but was pleasantly surprised to find a British cast performing a play. The two voices of the protagonist, the first person speech and the narration, are performed by the same actor which can be a tad confusing to begin with.This is not something to play in the background or in the car. It needs to be listened to and concentrated upon. Some of the philosophical questions are relevant today as they were when it is written in the 70s. It is overall a quality (sic) production.