Obtenez votre premier livre audio gratuitement
-
War and Peace
- Narrateur(s): Frederick Davidson
- Durée: 61 h et 6 min
- Catégories: Littérature et fiction, Classiques
Les clients qui ont acheté ceci ont aussi acheté...
-
Crime and Punishment (Recorded Books Edition)
- Auteur(s): Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrateur(s): George Guidall
- Durée: 25 h et 1 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is universally regarded as one of literature's finest achievements, as the great Russian novelist explores the inner workings of a troubled intellectual. Raskolnikov, a nihilistic young man in the midst of a spiritual crisis, makes the fateful decision to murder a cruel pawnbroker, justifying his actions by relying on science and reason, and creating his own morality system. Dehumanized yet sympathetic, exhausted yet hopeful, Raskolnikov represents the best and worst elements of modern intellectualism. The aftermath of his crime and Petrovich's murder investigation result in an utterly compelling, truly unforgettable cat-and-mouse game. This stunning dramatization of Dostoevsky's magnum opus brings the slums of St. Petersburg and the demons of Raskolnikov's tortured mind vividly to life.
-
-
Great story, amazing narrator
- Écrit par Christophe Hotte le 2018-12-19
-
The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition]
- Auteur(s): Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrateur(s): Constantine Gregory
- Durée: 37 h et 4 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a titanic figure among the world's great authors, and The Brothers Karamazov is often hailed as his finest novel. A masterpiece on many levels, it transcends the boundaries of a gripping murder mystery to become a moving account of the battle between love and hate, faith and despair, compassion and cruelty, good and evil.
-
-
Best narrator for the best author
- Écrit par Tade le 2019-03-07
-
Anna Karenina
- Auteur(s): Leo Tolstoy
- Narrateur(s): Maggie Gyllenhaal
- Durée: 35 h et 35 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Leo Tolstoy's classic story of doomed love is one of the most admired novels in world literature. Generations of readers have been enthralled by his magnificent heroine, the unhappily married Anna Karenina, and her tragic affair with dashing Count Vronsky.
-
-
Fabulous Narration
- Écrit par C. J. Mccoy le 2018-01-21
-
Homer Box Set: Iliad & Odyssey
- Auteur(s): Homer, W. H. D. Rouse - translator
- Narrateur(s): Anthony Heald
- Durée: 25 h et 2 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are unquestionably two of the greatest epic masterpieces in Western literature. Though more than 2,700 years old, their stories of brave heroics, capricious gods, and towering human emotions are vividly timeless. The Iliad can justly be called the world’s greatest war epic. The terrible and long-drawn-out siege of Troy remains one of the classic campaigns. The Odyssey chronicles the many trials and adventures Odysseus must pass through on his long journey home from the Trojan wars to his beloved wife.
-
-
I mean... I got through it
- Écrit par Andrew Jones le 2020-06-19
-
Ulysses
- Penguin Classics
- Auteur(s): James Joyce
- Narrateur(s): Patrick Gibson
- Durée: 32 h et 38 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Following the events of one single day in Dublin, the 16th June 1904, and what happens to the characters Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom and his wife, Molly, Ulysses is a monument to the human condition. It has survived censorship, controversy and legal action and even been deemed blasphemous but remains an undisputed modernist classic: ceaselessly inventive, garrulous, funny, sorrowful, vulgar, lyrical and ultimately redemptive. It confirms Joyce's belief that literature 'is the eternal affirmation of the spirit of man'.
-
Don Quixote
- Translated by Edith Grossman
- Auteur(s): Miguel de Cervantes, Edith Grossman (translator)
- Narrateur(s): George Guidall
- Durée: 39 h et 37 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Sixteenth-century Spanish gentleman Don Quixote, fed by his own delusional fantasies, takes to the road in search of chivalrous adventures. But his quest leads to more trouble than triumph. At once humorous, romantic, and sad, Don Quixote is a literary landmark. This fresh edition, by award-winning translator Edith Grossman, brings the tale to life as never before.
-
-
Funny and fast paced
- Écrit par Pouria le 2017-12-19
-
Crime and Punishment (Recorded Books Edition)
- Auteur(s): Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrateur(s): George Guidall
- Durée: 25 h et 1 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment is universally regarded as one of literature's finest achievements, as the great Russian novelist explores the inner workings of a troubled intellectual. Raskolnikov, a nihilistic young man in the midst of a spiritual crisis, makes the fateful decision to murder a cruel pawnbroker, justifying his actions by relying on science and reason, and creating his own morality system. Dehumanized yet sympathetic, exhausted yet hopeful, Raskolnikov represents the best and worst elements of modern intellectualism. The aftermath of his crime and Petrovich's murder investigation result in an utterly compelling, truly unforgettable cat-and-mouse game. This stunning dramatization of Dostoevsky's magnum opus brings the slums of St. Petersburg and the demons of Raskolnikov's tortured mind vividly to life.
-
-
Great story, amazing narrator
- Écrit par Christophe Hotte le 2018-12-19
-
The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition]
- Auteur(s): Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrateur(s): Constantine Gregory
- Durée: 37 h et 4 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a titanic figure among the world's great authors, and The Brothers Karamazov is often hailed as his finest novel. A masterpiece on many levels, it transcends the boundaries of a gripping murder mystery to become a moving account of the battle between love and hate, faith and despair, compassion and cruelty, good and evil.
-
-
Best narrator for the best author
- Écrit par Tade le 2019-03-07
-
Anna Karenina
- Auteur(s): Leo Tolstoy
- Narrateur(s): Maggie Gyllenhaal
- Durée: 35 h et 35 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Leo Tolstoy's classic story of doomed love is one of the most admired novels in world literature. Generations of readers have been enthralled by his magnificent heroine, the unhappily married Anna Karenina, and her tragic affair with dashing Count Vronsky.
-
-
Fabulous Narration
- Écrit par C. J. Mccoy le 2018-01-21
-
Homer Box Set: Iliad & Odyssey
- Auteur(s): Homer, W. H. D. Rouse - translator
- Narrateur(s): Anthony Heald
- Durée: 25 h et 2 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey are unquestionably two of the greatest epic masterpieces in Western literature. Though more than 2,700 years old, their stories of brave heroics, capricious gods, and towering human emotions are vividly timeless. The Iliad can justly be called the world’s greatest war epic. The terrible and long-drawn-out siege of Troy remains one of the classic campaigns. The Odyssey chronicles the many trials and adventures Odysseus must pass through on his long journey home from the Trojan wars to his beloved wife.
-
-
I mean... I got through it
- Écrit par Andrew Jones le 2020-06-19
-
Ulysses
- Penguin Classics
- Auteur(s): James Joyce
- Narrateur(s): Patrick Gibson
- Durée: 32 h et 38 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Following the events of one single day in Dublin, the 16th June 1904, and what happens to the characters Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom and his wife, Molly, Ulysses is a monument to the human condition. It has survived censorship, controversy and legal action and even been deemed blasphemous but remains an undisputed modernist classic: ceaselessly inventive, garrulous, funny, sorrowful, vulgar, lyrical and ultimately redemptive. It confirms Joyce's belief that literature 'is the eternal affirmation of the spirit of man'.
-
Don Quixote
- Translated by Edith Grossman
- Auteur(s): Miguel de Cervantes, Edith Grossman (translator)
- Narrateur(s): George Guidall
- Durée: 39 h et 37 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Sixteenth-century Spanish gentleman Don Quixote, fed by his own delusional fantasies, takes to the road in search of chivalrous adventures. But his quest leads to more trouble than triumph. At once humorous, romantic, and sad, Don Quixote is a literary landmark. This fresh edition, by award-winning translator Edith Grossman, brings the tale to life as never before.
-
-
Funny and fast paced
- Écrit par Pouria le 2017-12-19
-
War and Peace (AmazonClassics Edition)
- Auteur(s): Leo Tolstoy, Louise Maude - translator, Aylmer Maude - translator
- Narrateur(s): Edoardo Ballerini
- Durée: 55 h et 30 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
In early nineteenth-century Russia, the threat of Napoleon’s invasion looms, and the lives of millions are about to be changed forever. This includes Pierre Bezúkhov, illegitimate son of an aristocrat; Andrew Bolkónski, ambitious military scion; and Natásha Rostóva, compassionate daughter of a nobleman. All of them are unprepared for what lies ahead. Alongside their fellow compatriots - a catalog of enduring literary characters - Pierre, Andrew, and Natásha will be irrevocably torn between fate and free will.
-
-
Tolstoy does not disappoint
- Écrit par Author, THE SHAME GAME: A DAVID DUMARESQ NOVEL, Internet Marketer le 2020-12-27
-
For Whom the Bell Tolls
- Auteur(s): Ernest Hemingway
- Narrateur(s): Campbell Scott
- Durée: 16 h et 17 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
In 1937, Ernest Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the civil war there for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Three years later he completed the greatest novel to emerge from "the good fight", For Whom the Bell Tolls.
-
-
Disappointed
- Écrit par Utilisateur anonyme le 2019-01-10
-
Les Misérables: Translated by Julie Rose
- Auteur(s): Victor Hugo, Julie Rose - translator
- Narrateur(s): George Guidall
- Durée: 60 h et 26 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
One of the great classics of world literature and the inspiration for the most beloved stage musical of all time, Les Misérables is legendary author Victor Hugo’s masterpiece. This extraordinary English version by renowned translator Julie Rose captures all the majesty and brilliance of Hugo’s work. Here is the timeless story of the quintessential hunted man—Jean Valjean—and the injustices, violence, and social inequalities that torment him.
-
-
Just amazing!
- Écrit par Behrouz Taghizadeh le 2021-01-10
-
The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956
- An Experiment in Literary Investigation
- Auteur(s): Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn
- Narrateur(s): Ignat Solzhenitsyn
- Durée: 21 h et 53 min
- Version abrégée
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
The Nobel Prize winner’s towering masterpiece of world literature, the searing record of four decades of terror and oppression, in one abridged volume (authorized by the author). Features a new foreword by Anne Applebaum.
-
-
Important context, narrator lacks flow
- Écrit par Amazon Customer le 2020-11-13
-
Beyond Good and Evil
- Auteur(s): Friedrich Nietzsche
- Narrateur(s): Alex Jennings, Roy McMillan
- Durée: 8 h et 24 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Continuing where Thus Spoke Zarathustra left off, Nietzsche's controversial work Beyond Good and Evil is one of the most influential philosophical texts of the 19th century and one of the most controversial works of ideology ever written. Attacking the notion of morality as nothing more than institutionalised weakness, Nietzsche criticises past philosophers for their unquestioning acceptance of moral precepts. Nietzsche tried to formulate what he called "the philosophy of the future".
-
-
a bit of a dick
- Écrit par Paul David Evans le 2020-12-04
-
Fyodor Dostoyevsky Collection: The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, and The Idiot
- Auteur(s): Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- Narrateur(s): Kevin Theis
- Durée: 90 h et 32 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Inside this collection of timeless masterpieces, you’ll find three of Dostoyevsky’s most famous works - the gripping, drama-packed The Brothers Karamazov; a powerful account of a naive prince returning to his homeland and finding a world ready to take advantage of him in, The Idiot; and finally, a deep and thought-provoking novel about an impoverished student who, upon pushing himself to murder to get by, struggles with the guilt and ramifications as his actions and beliefs haunt him in the 1866 novel Crime and Punishment.
-
-
I can't stand the narrator.
- Écrit par bdaf le 2020-04-14
-
The Idiot
- Auteur(s): Fyodor Dostoyevsky
- Narrateur(s): Constantine Gregory
- Durée: 24 h et 56 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
Prince Lyov Nikolayevitch Myshkin is one of the great characters in Russian literature. Is he a saint or just naïve? Is he an idealist or, as many in General Epanchin's society feel, an "idiot"? Certainly his return to St. Petersburg after years in a Swiss clinic has a dramatic effect on the beautiful Aglaia, youngest of the Epanchin daughters, and on the charismatic but willful Nastasya Filippovna. As he paints a vivid picture of Russian society, Dostoyevsky shows how principles conflict with emotions - with tragic results.
-
-
Great book and a great performance!
- Écrit par Nelu le 2020-11-08
-
The Count of Monte Cristo
- Auteur(s): Alexandre Dumas
- Narrateur(s): Bill Homewood
- Durée: 52 h et 41 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
On the eve of his marriage to the beautiful Mercedes, having that very day been made captain of his ship, the young sailor Edmond Dantès is arrested on a charge of treason, trumped up by jealous rivals. Incarcerated for many lonely years in the isolated and terrifying Chateau d'If near Marseille, he meticulously plans his brilliant escape and extraordinary revenge.
-
-
The Count of Monte Cristo
- Écrit par Amazon Customer le 2018-09-14
-
One Hundred Years of Solitude
- Auteur(s): Gabriel García Márquez, Gregory Rabassa - translator
- Narrateur(s): John Lee
- Durée: 14 h et 4 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
One of the 20th century's enduring works, One Hundred Years of Solitude is a widely beloved and acclaimed novel known throughout the world and the ultimate achievement in a Nobel Prize-winning career. The novel tells the story of the rise and fall of the mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendía family. Rich and brilliant, it is a chronicle of life, death, and the tragicomedy of humankind. In the beautiful, ridiculous, and tawdry story of the Buendía family, one sees all of humanity, just as in the history, myths, growth, and decay of Macondo, one sees all of Latin America.
-
-
Great Story
- Écrit par Miguel le 2018-09-28
-
1984
- New Classic Edition
- Auteur(s): George Orwell
- Narrateur(s): Simon Prebble
- Durée: 11 h et 22 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
George Orwell depicts a gray, totalitarian world dominated by Big Brother and its vast network of agents, including the Thought Police - a world in which news is manufactured according to the authorities' will and people live tepid lives by rote. Winston Smith, a hero with no heroic qualities, longs only for truth and decency. But living in a social system in which privacy does not exist and where those with unorthodox ideas are brainwashed or put to death, he knows there is no hope for him.
-
-
Excellent Reader
- Écrit par Emily Bright Kennedy le 2018-02-04
-
A Tale of Two Cities [Tantor]
- Auteur(s): Charles Dickens
- Narrateur(s): Simon Vance
- Durée: 13 h et 39 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
A Tale of Two Cities is one of Charles Dickens's most exciting novels. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, it tells the story of a family threatened by the terrible events of the past. Doctor Manette was wrongly imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years without trial by the aristocratic authorities.
-
-
A classic finally listened to.
- Écrit par Barbara S. le 2019-12-11
-
Great Expectations
- The Audible Dickens Collection
- Auteur(s): Charles Dickens, Howard Jacobson
- Narrateur(s): Matt Lucas, Howard Jacobson
- Durée: 20 h et 39 min
- Version intégrale
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
In this Audible Exclusive performance by Matt Lucas of Great Expectations, Charles Dickens demonstrates that conscience, loyalty and empathy are virtues far more valuable than intellect, wealth and social standing. First published in Dickens’ own periodical, All the Year Round, the novel was divided into nine monthly instalments, from December 1860 to August 1861. Unsurprisingly, it was an instant success and managed to sell over 100,000 copies per week. Though written at a challenging time in Dickens’ life, when the impending breakdown of his marriage loomed over him, Great Expectations proves to be one of his most optimistic, comical and romantic novels.
-
-
amazing.
- Écrit par Laura le 2019-04-12
Description
Often called the greatest novel ever written, War and Peace is at once an epic of the Napoleonic wars, a philosophical study, and a celebration of the Russian spirit. Tolstoy's genius is clearly seen in the multitude of characters in this massive chronicle, all of them fully realized and equally memorable. Out of this complex narrative emerges a profound examination of the individual's place in the historical process, one that makes it clear why Thomas Mann praised Tolstoy for his Homeric powers and placed War and Peace in the same category as The Iliad.
War and Peace was translated by Constance Garnett.
D'autres livres audio du même...
Ce que les auditeurs disent de War and Peace
Évaluations – Cliquez sur les onglets pour changer la source des évaluations.
Évaluations sur Audible.ca
Évaluations Audible.fr
Évaluations sur Audible.com
Évaluations sur Amazon.ca
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
- Trent DeJong
- 2018-09-13
It's not just Big, it's awesome!
I just finished reading War and Peace. I knew it was long, but I didn't know it was awesome! If you like stories about the two lovers finally overcoming their own pride and prejudice, like you find in Jane Austen novels, If you like stories where individuals are overcome by forces far bigger than themselves, like you find Thomas Hardy novels, If you like the witty critique of human foibles and foolishness, like you find in Flannery O'Connor's stories, If you like epic events carried out in fascinating, expansive and strange worlds like that found in Tolkien, If you like incredibly written histories like those of William Manchester, If you like the brilliant use of analogy in the critique of rationalism and historicism like you find in C. S. Lewis, Then you will love War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. #Audible1
12 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
- Blair
- 2019-05-02
Fantastic book and performer
6/5 story and the speaker is very skilled at using accents and other techniques to enliven and differentiate the extremely large and varied cast. However, he seems to constantly be shifting back and forth in his seat. Five or six times a chapter he gets so quiet, for no known textual benefit I can think of, that it makes me think a phone call is preempting my listening. In a book with dozens of chapters for each of eight parts, it gives the lasting impression of inconsistent and distracting sound leveling by the producers. This doesn’t diminish the speaker in any way. This issue could have been caught in post production.
2 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
- GeeGee
- 2019-08-08
Excellent story telling
The reader’s voice is so easy to listen to. I love that he changes his voice for certain characters! Excellent audiobook rendition.
1 personne a trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
- Beverley A Banks
- 2018-09-18
I tried.I really tried!
I am working through all the great classics while driving for work, what a super use of time. I persevered with Anna Karenina, and thought I should give Tolstoy another chance. I tried. I really tried, but found myself drifting to think about work, shopping, whether I cleaned the lint collector on the tumble dryer. The story was narrated well, but it just was not for me.
8 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
- Rae-Lee
- 2020-11-05
Be Prepared
Tolstoy's War and Peace is half historical fiction and half philosophical diatribe on the study and nature of history. The narrative portion is character driven, engaging, and overall enjoyable; however, the long philosophical meanderings often distract from the plot and deaden the overall pace of this already epic-length work. The second part of the epilogue being devoted entirely to these musings overshadows the characters' resolution and results in the book ending on a somewhat exhausted note. That being said, the narration is the shining light that prevents the philosophical wandering from dissolving into absolute monotonous white noise. It is, however, a classic.
-
Au global
-
Performance
- jeff
- 2020-06-01
Unbearable narration and recording quality
Unfortunately the narrators voice sounds extremely contrived, and it may have been recorded on a blackberry.
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
- Michael Broks
- 2020-03-09
If a book could be under rated...
I feel like this is it. This book made me laugh and cry, from sadness and joy, as I am still periodically listening to certain excerpts that are speaking to my current emotional state in just a way that that leaves my mouth hanging open when they are finished. I see much of myself in Dolokhov, both the good and the bad and the rest of the characters are made to come to life. The way Countess Natalya's brother meets his end is described is mindblowing, down to the way the narrator makes the sound of the Kossack sharpening the sabre of Pyotr. Tolstoy places you right in the middle of the action. He is a genious.
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
- Adam Dee
- 2020-01-09
Good story and reading.
The book is bit of a haul to sit through but worth the time. Reader was wonderful.
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
- Garnett
- 2020-01-09
How Can Someone Make the Napoleonic Era Boring?
I cannot finish this. Several things are in the way of me doing this, the critical part being the fact I expected a book, and was given some sort of stage play script. The chapters are haphazard; they are not scenes or points of dialogue between characters. new chapters will appear as new characters walk into an ongoing conversation, or in awkward spots that feel like they are mostly location transitions without needing them. The characters are dull, and some irritating. I did not expect one of the central figures to be a child then anyone else, asking opaque and making blunt assertions that makes one go crosseyed. The narrator actually does well in differentiating them, bit the tines he uses makes them all sound French, not Russian. This compounds the confusion that can be caused listening when they swap the words emperor and Napoleon, almost sounding they are one and the same and not speaking about the Russian Emperor. The narrator speaks like a slightly tipsy courtier, speaking languidly at a French court explaining a story. While randomly immersive, it also puts one dangerously eye glazed and yet not useful as sleeping material, and having books like the Count of Monte Cristo proving even long-term materials are not this tedious as this one produces. Good Luck if you bought this, but this isn't a novel and frankly it is very overrated.
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
- BENNY
- 2019-07-06
worth it
I just have three words to describe my experience: stick with it. You will be satisfied.
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
- Utilisateur anonyme
- 2018-08-09
Its nice
I have read the book its very nice actually.So nice dits is awesome and rated the book
-
Au global
- Plumeria
- 2005-09-25
Glad I finally decided to read it
I downloaded a free study guide off the web and that helped me keep the characters straight in the beginning. The guide's critical analysis helped me enjoy the book even more. Be sure to let the first several hours wash over you. Just enjoy being swept along. Soon you'll remember who everyone is and be thoroughly engrossed. My dogs got extra long walks for a couple months! I was sorry it ended.
268 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
- James
- 2006-02-13
A Work of genius
I first read the book when in High School many years ago. Only now do I realize that much of the complexity and substance had escaped my first encounter.This is a timeless classic and a work of genius. The narration was superb. I was sorry to see it end.
84 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
- James
- 2005-02-16
Audible listens!
Subscribers asked for a better narrated version of the awesome "War and Peace," and quietly Audible recently offered this superb rendition. The narration is excellent and unlike the droning Zimmerman, Frederick Davidson brings the material and the characters to life. My opinion of Audible has risen substantially, and I am thoroughly enjoying one of the greatest novels ever written.
262 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
- Anthony
- 2008-09-22
Five stars doesn't say it
My limited experience doesn't have a class for War and Peace. Well, I'm no Ph.D, but I've done a respectable stint with the classic. I rattled off a list of reputable authors and how I like them at first, citing it sort of to demonstrate my taste; ultimately I deleted it because even all those invocations of classicism didn't express my newfound reverence for Tolstoy.
Anyway, I had anticipated reading War and Peace (eventually...), but hadn't anticipated it as an audiobook until I got two credits here as gifts. As you may have noticed, I liked it. I really liked it. I liked it so much that that, ruefully, I'm trying to write such a glowing review that people reading will think I must throw "five stars" around all the time, and they'll be wrong: Tolstoy not only snatched the Favorite Book trophy, he ran off with it for half a mile. Funny I've never *read* my favorite book, but there you go.
That's all opinion though, and for all I know an abnormal one. In fact, I'd be surprised if any significant statistic of people liked it as I do, but I'd wager on anybody loving it sooner than her hating it.
I don't think Frederick Davidson will remain my favorite narrator once I've heard more than two. I think he did very, very well with this, but I sympathize with some of the reviewers who couldn't get over some of his intonations. I got over them quite easily, you see, and even appreciate them, but they did take getting over first. Other than that, he slipped up only once in the whole work, mixing up two characters voices in one conversation. This is unabridged War and Peace: that has to count for something by itself.
Last thing, if you don't like history/philosophy/philosophy of history/lengthy tangents thereon, beware. Those things greatly added to my enjoyment, but there you go.
106 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
- Murasaki
- 2007-07-06
War and Peace
This is an experience everyone should have at least once in a lifetime -- and, with luck, multiple times. Listen and read simultaneously for even more exquisite hours. The reader is fabulous.
39 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
-
Performance
-
Histoire
- Erez
- 2008-11-27
Amazing
First, a few technical notes:
- The translation used in the audiobook is the one by Constance Garnett.
- The actual length of the book is about 61 hours, since the last four hours (the epilogues) are repeated twice.
The narrator (whose real name was David Case -- he passed away in 2005) seems to provoke extreme reactions: some people can't stand him, others can't get enough of him. I happen to belong to the second class, and I believe he is especially suited for this novel. However, if you find his voice as irritating as some of the other reviewers, you should probably go for another version.
And now for the book itself. In "The Brothers Karamazov", Dostoyevsky writes: "Show a Russian schoolboy a map of the stars, which he knows nothing about, and he will give you back the map next day with corrections on it." Tolstoy is the ideal to which all such schoolboys aspire, and "War and Peace" is his greatest achievement. Not only is this immense work a novel, it is a place for Tolstoy to expound his views on the causes and persons of the Napoleonic wars, on the methods of historical research, on free will and (of course) the existence of God. I can't say that I found everything convincing or even interesting -- for example, he takes a lot of pains to demonstrate the Napoleon was not a military genius but a blundering fool -- but for the sheer complexity and ambition of this work I cannot help but award it five stars.
129 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
- connie
- 2008-05-20
A great listen- not a cliche!
I did not expect to like W&P (in fact, I downloaded it only because I was stuck in bed for a length of time and wanted to joke that I was so bored that I read/listened to W&P), but it's become one of my favorite listens. On one level it's a riveting 19th century soap opera, with breaks for philosophical treatises rather than commercials. Then there's Tolstoy's brilliant expression of his psychological insight. What I studied at university (70s, 80s,) as the "new" historiography was actually expressed better by Tostoy than the postmoderns I read. I usually skip battle scenes to avoid violence, but skipped none of this - even the description of "wolf hunting" referred to by another reviewer was so well done that it captured me. This is one of the few audiobooks that I will subsequently buy to read/reread passages.
Unlike other reviewers, I like Frederick Davidson's narration. His style for W&P was a bit more lively than usual (more variety than his delivery of Les Miserables but not as campy as his readings of P.G. Wodehouse). For me he enhanced the listen. As others pointed out - there ARE many characters, and Davidson's style helped me sort them out. Tolstoy sometimes changes his prose style to reflect his characters mentality does he not? The variety of inflection sometimes helped point to that.
72 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
- thunder road
- 2006-10-16
Great literature given justice
Now I know why “War and Peace” ranks so high on great books lists. Tolstoy has the unique ability to move from the high to the low seamlessly. His minute descriptions of daily life are detailed, yet lithe enough to pulse with life without plodding. His treatment of his character’s psychology is nuanced without being pretentious. And lastly, his grasp of the philosophy behind human events is stunning, though decidedly debatable.
Plot-wise, there are few novels that leave me feeling that everything that happened was inevitable without second guessing the author. This novel, though sprawling and complex, has a feeling of self-contained inevitability.
The characters seem to breathe. Tolstoy develops his main character, Pierre from a seeming oaf in a prissy drawing room, through mystical insanity to a final solidity in his final married life. Indeed, it seems that the “peace” of Pierre finds in the hearth is the proper counterpoint to the backdrop of “war.” Other characters seem intensely real as well, from the duplicitous Kuragin to the lively, pretty and impetuous Natalia. These characters strike a chord of truth and grow to encompass their experiences.
There are, of course, flaws. Karatayev seems an idealized Russian peasant. Though feeling inevitable in the novel, the Pierre- Natasha- Andre love triangle seems overly novelistic. And Tolstoy has a propensity to preach for pages at an end.
The flaws, however, are far outweighed by the perfections. “War and Peace” is worth experiencing.
As to the reading, Davidson animates his characters, giving each a separate voice. He does have a habit of pausing in the middle of sentences to take a breath, and emphasizing odd phrases. Still, I find myself immensely pleased with the book. Great literature given justice; Entertaining as well as enlightening.
23 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
- Tad Davis
- 2008-08-17
The narrator is an acquired taste
Frederick Davidson is definitely an acquired taste. Other reviews here have noted some of the irritating qualities of his narration: fey, somewhat nasal, pseudo-posh, most sentences ending with a rising inflection, like a question. On the other hand, it should be said that his narration is always clear and energetic, and the characters are given immediately recognizable voices; in this particular case, given the length of the book, the recording is a good value for the money. Listen to the sample, and if Davidson's voice doesn't bother you, get it. (On balance, I'd have to say I prefer the Naxos recording with Neville Jason, although I have some issues with his narration as well.)
65 les gens ont trouvé cela utile
-
Au global
- Caio
- 2007-12-25
An incredible experince
The book is amazingly good, Frederick Davidson is an excelente narrator too. The only flaw in this audio book is the recording. A few times it looks like your're listening to a jumping vinyl record, but nothing that prevents you from having a wonderful experience.
Higly recomended.
41 les gens ont trouvé cela utile