Thursday, 21 March 2013

Jake Gyllenhaal records audiobook of The Great Gatsby to accompany the movie release starring friend Carey Mulligan

It is no secret that Jake Gyllenhaal is a treat for the senses. Not only for our eyes (obviously) and noses (less obviously), but also for our ears. Just as well we have two of them. Earlier this month, we had a sniff of rumour that Jake had recorded an audiobook using his voice. It turns out that this rumour had legs - Jake has indeed recorded an audiobook and it's nothing less than one of my favourite books The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald, recorded for Audible.


This is designed to accompany the latest Hollywood dramatisation of the novel which stars Leo DiCaprio and Jake's good friend and Brothers' co-star Carey Mulligan. We don't forget that Jake even celebrated Carey's wedding to Marcus Mumford in wellies in a barn in Somerset last year. Surely recording an audiobook for her film is the least Jake could do.

I have just heard (thanks Susan!) that Tobey Maguire is also in The Great Gatsby and that Jake May be reading his part of Nick Carraway ('a Midwesterner turned New York salesman')! When we say that it's a small world, it really is...


The recording is available to buy for your digital device on 9 April (I'm assuming that 04-09-13 is written the American way...) and one hopes that it will also work on this side of the pond. The unfortunate news is that the novel is only 115 pages long and not the length of the 1086 edition of Doomsday. But 115 pages is better than nothing and maybe all my ears can cope with before my eardrums explode with the pressure of the excitement.


Pic source: ebay and thanks to Susan for the perfume information! Scans from IHJ.
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15 comments:

  1. Wet Dark and Wild21 March 2013 at 19:25

    This is good news! Hopefully we'll be able to download it in the UK.

    Snow coming again... Have a good evening everyone!

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  2. Susan21 March 2013 at 19:37

    Yes, very good news. Yes, it is 9 April. I've already pre-ordered my audio book and from what I've read on the website it is Kindle-compatible. I don't have a Kindle, but there are other options for downloading so my fingers are crossed. Is there actually some doubt that Kindle-compatible audio books might work in the US but not in the UK? This incompatibility nonsense is getting on my nerves.

    Don't forget that Tobey Maguire is also co-starring in Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby as Nick Carraway and was also in Brothers with Jake and Carey Mulligan. "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." So Jake is reading the role Tobey is playing. Or something like that. Another example of how it's a small world after all...

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  3. Wet Dark and Wild21 March 2013 at 19:54

    Thanks, Susan! I didn't know that. Added a bit to the post. Unbelievable... Unfortunately, sometimes kindle or ebooks aren't licensed for the UK. I'm hoping that won't be the case with this...

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  4. Dani21 March 2013 at 20:18

    Thanks for the exciting news! One of my friends is an avid audio book fan and I told her recently that Jake had recorded a book supposedly but I didn't know which one. Can't believe it's one of my favorites so I will definitely buy it. Of course it really doesn't matter what he reads. I'll listen anyway. :)

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  5. mermon21 March 2013 at 20:26

    Wait a minute! Does it mean that Jake reads only one person's text? Will be more readers then? I never heard any audiobook. I thought that 1 lector reads it all. Correct me, if I got it wrongly.
    Well, never mind. It's still exciting news. I have no idea how to get that, hopefully, it will be available on the net as well.
    Great Gatsby it's such a good book. Great start for Jake to show the world his beautiful voice. Premiere of the movie will help to promote it, for sure!

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  6. Susan21 March 2013 at 20:52

    Other unabridged audio editions of The Great Gatsby appear to run around 5 hours. (From the Audible.com site: Narrated By Tim Robbins, 5 hrs and 44 mins; Narrated By Anthony Heald,4 hrs and 53 mins; Narrated By Humphrey Bower,5 hrs and 23 mins)

    Hopefully Jake's will fall into this range, or will be even an little longer.

    Mermon, I think usually only one person reads the entire text but may use a particular "voice" when reading the dialogue of a main character.

    Kindle or ebooks not licensed for the UK?! What kind of world are we living in!!

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  7. Sonja21 March 2013 at 21:00

    The only audiobook I ever bought, was "Brokeback Mountain" on CD (for obvious reasons), and that is a short story (one hour), so I'm curious too!

    I also don't have a Kindle :-(

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  8. Stefanie21 March 2013 at 22:37

    Is the audio book compatible with an ipod?

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  9. mermon21 March 2013 at 22:42

    Thank you, Susan for explaining. Jake may modulate his voice as much as he wants! We will enjoy every shade of it!
    We were complaining on the silence from Jake. And we have few news today! The last one - Jake may play a villain in indie western "Jane Got A Gun". Jude Law left the movie project and new actor is needed. From Colider

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  10. Sonja22 March 2013 at 16:22

    Thanksfo the link, Mermon!

    I've just read the article. As Kate said: "When we say that it's a small world, it really is..." :-)

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  11. Sonja22 March 2013 at 16:24

    That should be
    "Thanks for"... ;-)

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  12. Anonymous24 March 2013 at 11:36

    I am looking forward so much for this audio book! Thanks, Kate, for posting that cool photo of Jake with the dog. Very "Gatsby."

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  13. BBMISwear25 March 2013 at 14:28

    A quick hello during a very busy few weeks for me...I've missed coming here so much! I did get to catch up a little this weekend but not fully and no time to really comment. But at least right now a quick stop by to say thank you, Kate, for keeping the updates coming (I've needed them)! I am sooooo excited for the audio book...oh that voice reciting that book...priceless!!

    I don't know how "real" the Jane Got A Gun" rumor might be but if it's real and Jake likes the idea and can find the time oh how I would love to see him in a cowboy hat again....*swoon*

    Gotta run...hoping things will calm down on this end shortly and I'll have more time on the internet. Sigh.

    :-)

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  14. Anonymous25 March 2013 at 18:55

    Thanks for this great update. I can't wait for this audiobook. Hope it will be available in Germany.
    Have a nice evening everyone.
    Christina

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  15. Wet Dark and Wild25 March 2013 at 21:32

    Hello everyone!

    Hi Dani - me too :)

    Hi Susan! I hope that this means that Jake will read it all but with different accents. Will be great to hear.

    Hi there Sonja - you should be able to listen to the file on your PC.

    Hi Stefanie - it may well be made available on iTunes.

    Thanks for the link, Mermon! That would be a coincidence - working with Natalie.

    Hi 11:36, I thought that photo was very appropriate!

    Great to see you, BBMISwear :-) Busy days indeed! I've been mostly offline myself over the last few days, so good to do a bit of catching up now! Jake is a gorgeous cowboy - I would LOVE this to happen. I doubt it will... but I really hope it will.

    Thanks, Christina!

    Have a good evening everyone!

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