The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar


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(4.6 stars; 135 reviews)

A contemporary of Arthur Conan Doyle, Maurice Leblanc (1864-1941) was the creator of the character of gentleman thief Arsène Lupin who, in France, has enjoyed a popularity as long-lasting and considerable as Sherlock Holmes in the English-speaking world. This is the delightful first of twenty volumes in the Arsène Lupin series written by Leblanc himself. In an unprecedented act of literary pastiche and cross-over, Sherlock Holmes and Lupin actually meet, briefly in this first volume, and more substantially in the next. But after legal objections from Conan Doyle, the name was changed to "Herlock Sholmes." (adapted from Wikipedia by a.r.dobbs) (5 hr 54 min)

Chapters

The Arrest of Arsene Lupin 23:39 Read by Karen Savage
Arsene Lupin in Prison 47:32 Read by Gesine
The Escape of Arsene Lupin 45:24 Read by Peter Yearsley
The Mysterious Traveller 35:43 Read by Gesine
The Queen's Necklace 33:21 Read by Julian Jamison
The Seven of Hearts 1:05:17 Read by Tim Bulkeley (1948-2019)
Madame Imbert's Safe 20:31 Read by Alex Patterson
The Black Pearl 32:03 Read by Gesine
Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late 51:17 Read by Tim Bulkeley (1948-2019)

Reviews


(4 stars)

I love Sherlock Holmes more but I enjoyed this. I can see why Conan Doyle put a stop to using Holmes with Lupin. At the end Lupin gets Holmes' goat a bit in a way that would never happen. I wish that part wasn't in the book but it did make me chuckle. I like that Lupin isn't just a cold selfish thief. He shows he has a tiny bit of heart inside that beats at times! I like the format where each chapter is a new tale & he has a friend who records them. I am ignorant regarding French names & places so I didn't notice if anything was mispronounced. More often than not I couldn't make them out anyway whether the reader was American, British, or French but I still enjoyed the stories & the readers.

An outstanding reading


(5 stars)

I jokingly tell everyone that this is the audio book I have heard the most, but it's true. Every single one of the performers has a nice calm voice that makes this an enjoyable experience

Superb


(4 stars)

I personally love a good read, especially an Arsene Lupin story. This, the introduction of Lupin to the world doesn't disappoint. I, however, will say a few of the narrators slurred their French pronunciation. The narrator of ch6, Madame Imbert's Safe, almost deliberately mispronounces Arsene's name as Lupeen. He should have listened to the others when they used the Lieu-pehgn pronunciation. And some of the French language misfires can grate your ear, like Sante (sahn-tay) Aside of that, I enjoyed this.

A very enjoyable listen


(4.5 stars)

The stories are interesting and fun, and almost all of the narrators do a wonderful job. I skipped "Madame Imbert's Safe" because the audio was much quieter than the other chapters and I could not hear it while gardening or cooking. Lupin's name is also pronounced incorrectly in this chapter. I will be looking for more Lupin stories in the future.

Much appreciated


(4 stars)

A most enjoyable presentation. If fault there be, it is that the reader slurs his French place-names and outright mispronounces as "Sant" the name of the famous Paris prison La Santé (the proper sound of which is "la santay"). As this crops up more than once, this error grates on the ear.


(4.5 stars)

I think this was the best way of introducing the great gentleman burglar Arsène Lupin to the readers. The narration was superb apart from some few mispronunciation of "Lupin" and "Santé" by the narrator. I also noticed a push in the narrator's French accent at some point. Anyway I really enjoyed the narration.


(5 stars)

Very entertaining. I am looking forward to reading more of M. Lupin's adventures. I couldn't help wondering whether he served, at least partly, as an inspiration for Leslie Charteris's suave and sometimes larcenous Simon Templar. The narrators were all excellent.

Criminally underread!


(5 stars)

I wish I would have known about this book growing up! Lupin is excellent. the perfect foil for Sherlock Holmes. the stories are very well written and entertaining. all but one of the readers is good.