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Lord of the Flies cover art

Lord of the Flies

Written by: William Golding
Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
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Publisher's Summary

Skilfully exploring the tension between individuality and conformity, the desire for civilisation versus the lust for power, it is unsurprising that William Golding's debut novel went on to become such a triumph. 

A plane crashes on a desert island, and the only survivors, a group of schoolboys, assembles on the beach and waits to be rescued. By day they inhabit a land of bright fantastic birds and dark blue seas, but at night their dreams are haunted by the image of a terrifying beast. As the boys’ delicate sense of order fades, so their childish dreams are transformed into something more primitive and their behaviour starts to take on a murderous, savage significance.

©1954 William Golding (P)2012 Faber Audio

What listeners say about Lord of the Flies

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Enjoyed listening to this classic

Loved the book, my only complaint was when they bleeped out “Indians”. Can we not except literature understanding that it was written in a day that’s different than our own?

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Take a walk on the dark side

I read Lord of the Flies long ago, so I was ready for a new take on the classic. Fortunately, it was long enough ago that I didn't remember the plot details. Oh my, what dark sides we humans have.... and so interesting to see how they come out. Good vs evil. Dark vs light. Excellent narration, which really added to my experience ~ I felt I 'got' the characters.

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simply beautiful

now i understand why this story is a classic masterpiece. the meaning behind the story really reflects on society. overall amazing. must read for sure!

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Brilliant Speculative Fiction

What would happen if a bunch of boys were stranded on a Tropical Island and had to develop a Society? William Golding endeavors to answer this question. He explores psychological resilience, ethical/moral decision-making, and personal responsibility vs leadership. Golding uses vivid imagery and unparallelled character development to dive deep into these issues. His hypothetical nascent society spirals into chaos.
This book is quite rightly discussed in classrooms and English Lit classes for it's brilliance. The metaphorical symbolism is astounding - the conch, the fire, the beast, etc.. The imagery is compelling - the Fire, the Dance, etc..

Martin Jarvis does a good job bringing the story to listeners - using generally well-chosen cadences and accents for the characters - but the voice choices for Piggy and Jack get grating after awhile.
The performance is nothing special.

This recording of a classic tale is worth 9.5 stars out of 10.

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Meh.

Its was hard to follow but had to power through it for the school curriculum :(

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Classic

it is well written and we'll narrated book. I came to think this is how humans might have behaved before civilization and how Gods and ghost where created.

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Good Story, Even If Since Disproven

Lord of the Flies is a good, well-told story that’s compelling to read. Golding’s outlook on human nature has, in the decades since the book’s publication, been largely proven wrong, though. When similar strandings have happened in reality, the results have been wildly different from Golding’s speculations; a group of children stuck on an island is not, as it turns out, comparable to the evil incentives that arise in a totalitarian fascist military dictatorship as in World War II. Still, even if the story is wrong in its diagnosis of the world’s problems, that doesn’t stop Lord of the Flies from being a rather enjoyable read, particularly as it’s short enough that it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

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Excellent

A story for the times.

A more than worthwhile read, with flawless narration. I cannot recommend this book, enough.

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Great read

It was a very pleasant book to read especially in the winter when there’s nothing to do

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Classic book on life & psychology

Classic book on life & psychology. Makes you ponder what it is to be a human being.

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