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Maurice
- Narrated by: Ben Whishaw
- Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins
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Maurice
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Publisher's Summary
Maurice by E.M. Forster is the story of a young man struggling with his sexuality at the beginning of the 20th century.
Written between 1913 and 1914, it was published over 50 years later, the author believing that due to public and legal attitudes to homosexuality, to publish it in his lifetime would signal an end to his career.
Maurice is now considered to be one of the most groundbreaking and significant novels of the LGBT+ canon, and in this brand-new recording Ben Whishaw (Mary Poppins Returns, Paddington, A Very English Scandal) gives an emotive and mesmerising performance.
Photo Credit: Tomo Brejc
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What listeners say about Maurice
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nilton C. Teixeira
- 2023-12-31
Terrific narration!
I’ve been meaning to read this book since I watched the movie adaptation in 1987.
I don’t know what triggered my desired to read this work now, but I was suddenly desperately seeking for a copy within my books, certain that I owned one. As I couldn’t find, I tried ordering a copy from the library but there was a 4 weeks waiting period. At the end I purchased a copy from Kobo, as well as the audiobook narrated by Ben Whishaw, available on Audible.
I listened to the audiobook as I read the book. The narration is formidable! One of those voices that you love listening at normal speed. It made my experience extraordinary!
As I read each page, scenes from the movie would clearly appear in front of my eyes, as if I had watched the movie adaptation just yesterday.
I immensely enjoyed the writing, which I thought was very easy and clear.
I also liked the structure and the development of the storyline.
The story is set in England, starting in 1898, when Maurice was 14 years old (in the movie he was 11).
The main character is not very likeable, but he is shown as being very human and believable.
Maurice’s & Clive’s struggles with theirs sexuality were quite touching (the young generation has no idea how fortunate they are now).
Differences in social status were also evident among the characters.
I praised the author for writing a story based on his own struggles and experiences, and also for not making the story about sex. This book is free of vulgarities.
I wonder how this book would have been taken by the society, had it been released back in 1914, instead of 1971.
Some readers may be upset about the treatment towards women, but you have to remember when the story is set (only selected women of 30 years old or older were allowed to vote in England starting in 1918, and 10 years later women of at least 21 years of age were finally able to vote).
Yes, society was cruel to women and homosexuals were treated as criminals
There are differences between the novel and the movie adaptation, and these differences are listed in Wikipedia.
Nothing major in my opinion, but the book is definitely better.
e-book (Kobo): 242 pages (default), 62k words
Audiobook narrated by Ben Whishaw: 7:28:17 hours (normal speed)
Paperback (Penguin Books): 272 pages
PS. I listened as I read the physical book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Fraser Simons
- 2022-06-28
Far better than expected
Is this a five star book if Ben Wishaw is not in my ear? I can’t say. I will say: I highly recommend consuming the book in that way, though. A gay story from 1910 is bound to sing with me too, since I haven’t read much set in that time period. And if I have, Likely gays and “queers”, meaning odd and weird are, to say the least, a pejorative. But I think the class differential also augmented this for me. It’s the kind of thing that resonates still in a timeless fashion, though tempered very much now. And this is, as Forster mentions in the end note, Very English, further exceeding my expectations.
In other ways it’s sometimes “too” quiet. But I’ve always liked books like that. It’s interior and probably “slow paced”, but that also usually means it’s brilliantly rendered, as it does here. The prose work was fine, augmented by Wishaw possibly—I’ll never know—and it far from overstays it’s welcome.
Can’t wait to read Alec, the recent novel that ties into this. I think extending the ending into a full-length novel. But I’m not positive. Any which way, I’m on board.
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