All Quiet on the Western Front

By: Erich Maria Remarque

Narrated by: Frank Muller

Paul Bäumer is just 19 years old when he and his classmates enlist. They are Germany’s Iron Youth who enter the war with high ideals and leave it disillusioned or dead. As Paul struggles with the realities of the man he has become, and the inscrutable world to which he must return, he is led like a ghost of his former self into the war’s final hours. All Quiet is one of the greatest war novels of all time, an eloquent expression of the futility, hopelessness and irreparable losses of war.

©1958 Erich Maria Remarque (P)1994 Recorded Books, LLC

My Choice for Frank Muller's Best

I wish it were possible to award six or seven stars for a book and reader. This would be my choice for that combination. Listen and weep.

A Mandatory Listen

If you could sum up All Quiet on the Western Front in three words, what would they be?

It never gets old. Third listen over the years to this story about school boys thrown into the horrors of trench warfare. Frank Muller has the perfect voice and cadence to add to this great story. A must listen.

A classic that addresses all conflicts

Would you listen to All Quiet on the Western Front again? Why?

This book addresses issues that are represented in every international conflict. How soldiers deal with the horrors and depravity of war are the same in Afghanistan now as they were in WWI. While listening to this book is not necessarily "fun," it is very thought-provoking and helps me understand the stories I hear now from friends and relatives who have deployed to the Middle East.

Any additional comments?

I know many folks are reading the books being written now by returning heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan. I regard "All Quiet" as a primer on how soldiers learn to deal with war.

Novel about WWI...Gripping...De-Glorifies War.

Prose very simple & elegant, though the subject matter is war. A cautionary-tale about how destructive to a soldier's psyche war can be. Well-narrated.

Great story well read

Would you consider the audio edition of All Quiet on the Western Front to be better than the print version?

the audio edition was easy to listen to and made the story move

Who was your favorite character and why?

Kat is my favorite character because he's the scrounge that finds food and treats and comforts for his team. As the older man in the unit, he encourages team work and unity.

Which character – as performed by Frank Muller – was your favorite?

Muller portrays Paul so well, it's as if he was truly Paul, as if Paul himself was telling me the story.

If you could take any character from All Quiet on the Western Front out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Paul, I would want to encourage him that he can put the war behind him and have a joyful life.

Any additional comments?

There are pauses in the reading that are too long, probably needs better editing. These pauses are unnaturally long making me think my player has become disconnected or lost power. The too long pauses distract from the otherwise wonderful narrating.