Series ✦ Penny’s Take 🎧 Audiobook
Discourses and Selected Writings
Epictetus & Robert Dobbin · 2021
🎙 Narrated by Richard Goulding
80/100
👍 Worth It
Dobbin's translation of Epictetus is clear, faithful, and genuinely useful -- practical Stoic wisdom on what you can and can't control, backed by well-annotated commentary that adds real context without being inaccessible. This is a strong, enduring entry point into ancient philosophy for anyone interested in Stoicism or self-mastery. Richard Goulding's narration suits the material well and makes for a solid, thoughtful listen.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
⚠ Parent note — our reviewers flagged: Contains ancient Greco-Roman religious/philosophical references (e.g. 'the gods') -- not Christian, but generally treated as compatible background philosophy. We still scored it 80; these are context for your family, not an automatic skip.
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🎙 Narration: good Richard Goulding, known for stage and screen work, narrates this Penguin Audio edition; well suited to the material.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety88
Substance / usefulness82
Craft & writing80
Originality68
Evidence & accuracy82
Hype vs delivers75
Age-fit80
Human-eye read78
Penny’s verdict80
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