{"product_id":"9781543667547","title":"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for Nick Offerman narrating Mark Twain:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Offerman’s Illinois-raised voice and actor’s talent suit him ideally to channel Mark Twain.” (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“There’s something about his wry Midwestern merriment that aspires to Twainishness.” (\u003ci\u003eMen’s Journal\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It’s a melding of sardonic voices: Mark Twain, meet Nick Offerman.” (\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith his trademark mirth and boundless charisma, actor Nick Offerman brought the loveable shenanigans of Twain's adolescent hero to life in \u003ci\u003eThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer\u003c\/i\u003e. Now, in yet another virtuosic performance, the actor proves that despite being separated by a span of over a century, his connection to the author and his work is undeniable and that theirs is a timeless collaboration that should not be missed. Trading in the idyllic banks of Twain's Mississippi for medieval England, Offerman regales listeners with one of American literature's foremost satires and the author's most inventive and darkly funny pieces of fiction. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHank Morgan is the archetype of modern man in 19th-century New England: adept at his trade as a mechanic, innovative, forward thinking. So when a blow to the head inexplicably sends him back in time 1300 years and places him in Camelot, instead of despair, he feels emboldened by the prospect placed before him and sets out to modernize and improve the lives of his fellow citizens. But, in order to do so, he'll need to contend with brash nobles, superstitious nincompoops, and a conniving, blowhard wizard. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile time travel has become a common trope in storytelling today, in Twain's time it was truly a novel idea; all the more imaginative when you consider how it's used for satirical effect. A thinly veiled critique of the political and social institutions that impede progress and a scathing condemnation of the naiveté that allows them to thrive, \u003ci\u003eA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court\u003c\/i\u003e saw Twain's biting wit and sharp tongue honed to a fine point.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTold primarily through Hank's first-person perspective, Offerman effortlessly captures the Yankee's straightforward, matter-of-fact gruffness. Like Offerman - whose woodworking skills are the stuff of legend - Hank is a natural builder of things and his can-do, by-the-bootstraps spirit finds its vocal foil in Offerman's crisp delivery. But it's in Offerman's ability to convey the myriad characters and absurdities Hank faces that makes this an incomparable listening experience: the flowery embellishments and insane braggadocio of knights; the lilting, feathery sing-song of Clarence; the garrulous, long-winded pomp of the aristocracy; the old, dithering windbag pronouncements of Merlin. Offerman plays each of these with a humor and humanity that Twain himself would have enjoyed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mandy Starr","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47046689915120,"sku":"9781543667547","price":10.69,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781543667547_p0.jpg?v=1763751165","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781543667547","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}