Listen free for 30 days
-
Middlemarch
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 35 hrs and 38 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wish list failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $4.99
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Buy it with
-
The Magic Mountain
- Written by: Thomas Mann
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 37 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hans Castorp is, on the face of it, an ordinary man in his early 20s, on course to start a career in ship engineering in his home town of Hamburg, when he decides to travel to the Berghof Santatorium in Davos. The year is 1912 and an oblivious world is on the brink of war. Castorp’s friend Joachim Ziemssen is taking the cure and a three-week visit seems a perfect break before work begins. But when Castorp arrives he is surprised to find an established community of patients, and little by little, he gets drawn into the closeted life and the individual personalities of the residents.
-
-
Another masterpiece by Thomas Mann.
- By edmond on 2020-09-10
Written by: Thomas Mann
-
The Charles Dickens Collection: 10 Novels
- Great Expectations; A Tale of Two Cities; Nicholas Nickleby; Oliver Twist; Bleak House; Our Mutual Friend; The Old Curiosity Shop; Dombey and Son; Little Dorrit; A Christmas Carol
- Written by: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Mil Nicholson, Bob Neufeld
- Length: 264 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This audiobook includes unabridged recordings of 10 of Charles Dickens' great novels in one audiobook. The novels included here are A Tale of Two Cities, Bleak House, Great Expectations, The Old Curiosity Shop, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, Our Mutual Friend, Little Dorrit, Dombey and Son and A Christmas Carol.
Written by: Charles Dickens
-
House of Gold
- Written by: C. T. Rwizi
- Narrated by: Susan Dalian, Jaime Lincoln Smith
- Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A corporate aristocracy descended from Africa rules a colony on a distant planet. Life here is easy—for the rarified and privileged few. The aristocrats enjoy a powerful cybernetic technology that extends their life spans and ensures their prosperity. Those who serve them suffer under a heavy hand. But within this ruthless society are agents of hope and change. In a secret underwater laboratory, a separatist cult has created a threat to the aristocracy. The Primes are highly intelligent, manipulative products of genetic engineering, designed to lead a rebellion.
Written by: C. T. Rwizi
-
The George Orwell Complete Collection
- 1984; Animal Farm; Down and Out in Paris and London; The Road to Wigan Pier; Burmese Days; Homage to Catalonia; Essays; and More
- Written by: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble, Peter Noble, Leighton Pugh, and others
- Length: 87 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This audiobook includes unabridged recordings of all George Orwell's greatest works: six novels, three books of non-fiction, a collection of his most well-renowned essays and the complete collection of his poetry.
-
-
Buy the all once
- By Chris on 2022-11-27
Written by: George Orwell
-
Persuasion
- Written by: Jane Austen
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anne Elliot has grieved for seven years over the loss of her first love, Captain Frederick Wentworth. But events conspire to unravel the knots of deceit and misunderstanding in this beguiling and gently comic story of love and fidelity.
-
-
exceptional narration
- By Amanda on 2019-07-31
Written by: Jane Austen
-
Edgar Allan Poe - The Complete Works Collection
- Written by: Edgar Allan Poe
- Narrated by: Philippe Duquenoy
- Length: 48 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most prolific authors of his time, eventually gaining recognition for his tales of horror and his uncanny ability to paint a macabre picture with words. The Complete Works Collection of Edgar Allan Poe contains over 150 stories and poems, separated into individual chapters, including all of Poe's most notorious works such as The Raven, Annabel Lee, A Dream Within a Dream, Lenore, The Tell-Tale Heart, and many more.
-
-
searching for particular works.
- By sommer on 2018-08-24
Written by: Edgar Allan Poe
-
The Magic Mountain
- Written by: Thomas Mann
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 37 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hans Castorp is, on the face of it, an ordinary man in his early 20s, on course to start a career in ship engineering in his home town of Hamburg, when he decides to travel to the Berghof Santatorium in Davos. The year is 1912 and an oblivious world is on the brink of war. Castorp’s friend Joachim Ziemssen is taking the cure and a three-week visit seems a perfect break before work begins. But when Castorp arrives he is surprised to find an established community of patients, and little by little, he gets drawn into the closeted life and the individual personalities of the residents.
-
-
Another masterpiece by Thomas Mann.
- By edmond on 2020-09-10
Written by: Thomas Mann
-
The Charles Dickens Collection: 10 Novels
- Great Expectations; A Tale of Two Cities; Nicholas Nickleby; Oliver Twist; Bleak House; Our Mutual Friend; The Old Curiosity Shop; Dombey and Son; Little Dorrit; A Christmas Carol
- Written by: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Mil Nicholson, Bob Neufeld
- Length: 264 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This audiobook includes unabridged recordings of 10 of Charles Dickens' great novels in one audiobook. The novels included here are A Tale of Two Cities, Bleak House, Great Expectations, The Old Curiosity Shop, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, Our Mutual Friend, Little Dorrit, Dombey and Son and A Christmas Carol.
Written by: Charles Dickens
-
House of Gold
- Written by: C. T. Rwizi
- Narrated by: Susan Dalian, Jaime Lincoln Smith
- Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A corporate aristocracy descended from Africa rules a colony on a distant planet. Life here is easy—for the rarified and privileged few. The aristocrats enjoy a powerful cybernetic technology that extends their life spans and ensures their prosperity. Those who serve them suffer under a heavy hand. But within this ruthless society are agents of hope and change. In a secret underwater laboratory, a separatist cult has created a threat to the aristocracy. The Primes are highly intelligent, manipulative products of genetic engineering, designed to lead a rebellion.
Written by: C. T. Rwizi
-
The George Orwell Complete Collection
- 1984; Animal Farm; Down and Out in Paris and London; The Road to Wigan Pier; Burmese Days; Homage to Catalonia; Essays; and More
- Written by: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble, Peter Noble, Leighton Pugh, and others
- Length: 87 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This audiobook includes unabridged recordings of all George Orwell's greatest works: six novels, three books of non-fiction, a collection of his most well-renowned essays and the complete collection of his poetry.
-
-
Buy the all once
- By Chris on 2022-11-27
Written by: George Orwell
-
Persuasion
- Written by: Jane Austen
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Anne Elliot has grieved for seven years over the loss of her first love, Captain Frederick Wentworth. But events conspire to unravel the knots of deceit and misunderstanding in this beguiling and gently comic story of love and fidelity.
-
-
exceptional narration
- By Amanda on 2019-07-31
Written by: Jane Austen
-
Edgar Allan Poe - The Complete Works Collection
- Written by: Edgar Allan Poe
- Narrated by: Philippe Duquenoy
- Length: 48 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Edgar Allan Poe was one of the most prolific authors of his time, eventually gaining recognition for his tales of horror and his uncanny ability to paint a macabre picture with words. The Complete Works Collection of Edgar Allan Poe contains over 150 stories and poems, separated into individual chapters, including all of Poe's most notorious works such as The Raven, Annabel Lee, A Dream Within a Dream, Lenore, The Tell-Tale Heart, and many more.
-
-
searching for particular works.
- By sommer on 2018-08-24
Written by: Edgar Allan Poe
-
A Prayer for Owen Meany
- Written by: John Irving
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 27 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Of all of John Irving's books, this is the one that lends itself best to audio. In print, Owen Meany's dialogue is set in capital letters; for this production, Irving himself selected Joe Barrett to deliver Meany's difficult voice as intended. In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys – best friends – are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary and terrifying.
-
-
repeat listen
- By jolene on 2018-09-13
Written by: John Irving
-
The Collected Works of C.S. Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian and Other
- The Screwtape Letters, Screwtape Proposes a Toast
- Written by: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Peter Coates, Angela S. Clark, Mark Bowen
- Length: 35 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the complete seven-audiobook set of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis plus The Screwtape Letters and Screwtape Proposes a Toast. This edition collects the entirety of C.S. Lewis's most celebrated fictional series, The Chronicles of Narnia, together in a single tome. The series transports the listener to Narnia, an original world created from ancient legends, child-like fancies, and adult reflections. The resulting stories appeal to adults and children alike.
-
-
So Shrill, no chapter titles
- By irwinny on 2021-10-24
Written by: C. S. Lewis
-
The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke
- Written by: Arthur C. Clarke
- Narrated by: Ralph Lister, Ray Porter, Jonathan Davis
- Length: 51 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From early work like "Rescue Party" and "The Lion of Comarre", through classic stories including "The Star", "Earthlight", "The Nine Billion Names of God", and "The Sentinel" (kernel of the later novel and movie 2001: A Space Odyssey), all the way to later work like "A Meeting with Medusa" and "The Hammer of God", this comprehensive short story collection encapsulates one of the great science fiction careers of all time.
-
-
Amazing Narration of Clarke’s Imagination
- By Mason on 2018-11-10
Written by: Arthur C. Clarke
-
Daniel Deronda
- Written by: George Eliot
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 36 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meeting by chance at a gambling hall in Europe, the separate lives of Daniel Deronda and Gwendolen Harleth are immediately intertwined. Daniel, an Englishman of uncertain parentage, becomes Gwendolyn's redeemer as she finds herself drawn to his spiritual and altruistic nature after a loveless marriage. But Daniel's path was already set when he rescued a young Jewess from suicide.
-
-
Amazing narration, boring story
- By Jasmine on 2023-04-27
Written by: George Eliot
-
Great Expectations
- The Audible Dickens Collection
- Written by: Charles Dickens, Howard Jacobson
- Narrated by: Matt Lucas, Howard Jacobson
- Length: 20 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
- By Laura on 2019-04-12
Written by: Charles Dickens, and others
-
Midnight's Children
- Written by: Salman Rushdie
- Narrated by: Lyndam Gregory
- Length: 24 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Salman Rushdie holds the literary world in awe with a jaw-dropping catalog of critically acclaimed novels that have made him one of the world's most celebrated authors. Winner of the prestigious Booker of Bookers, Midnight's Children tells the story of Saleem Sinai, born on the stroke of India's independence.
-
-
Absolutely awful!!!
- By DR NICHLAS SLADEN-DEW on 2018-08-24
Written by: Salman Rushdie
-
The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
- The Complete First Edition
- Written by: Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, Jack Zipes - translator/editor
- Narrated by: Joel Richards, Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 19 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published their Children's and Household Tales in 1812, followed by a second volume in 1815, they had no idea that such stories as "Rapunzel", "Hansel and Gretel", and "Cinderella" would become the most celebrated in the world. Yet few people today are familiar with the majority of tales from the two early volumes, since in the next four decades the Grimms would publish six other editions, each extensively revised in content and style.
-
-
Grim as you’d expect
- By E Mountain on 2022-04-23
Written by: Jacob Grimm, and others
-
Watership Down
- Written by: Richard Adams
- Narrated by: Peter Capaldi
- Length: 17 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Fiver could sense danger. Something terrible was going to happen to the warren; he felt sure of it. They had to leave immediately. So begins a long and perilous journey of survival for a small band of rabbits. As the rabbits skirt danger at every turn, we become acquainted with the band, its humorous characters, and its compelling culture, complete with its own folk history and mythos. Fiver’s vision finally leads them to Watership Down, an upland meadow. But here they face their most difficult challenges of all.
-
-
Peter Capaldi at his best
- By hdamoca on 2019-07-19
Written by: Richard Adams
-
Fingersmith
- Written by: Sarah Waters
- Narrated by: Juanita McMahon
- Length: 23 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Orphaned as an infant, Susan Trinder was raised by Mrs. Sucksby, “mother” to a host of pickpockets and con artists. To pay her debt, she joins legendary thief Gentleman in swindling an innocent woman out of her inheritence. But the two women form an unanticipated bond and the events that follow will surprise every listener. Fingersmith was shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Booker Prize, and was chosen as book of the year 2002 by more organizations than any other novel. Sarah Waters was named Author of the Year at the 2003 British Book Awards.
-
-
Boring beginning
- By arcstriker on 2021-03-26
Written by: Sarah Waters
-
All the Pretty Horses
- The Border Trilogy, Book One
- Written by: Cormac McCarthy
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sixteen-year-old John Grady Cole's grandfather has just died, his parents have permanently separated, and the family ranch, upon which he had placed so many boyish hopes, has been sold. Rootless and increasingly restive, Cole leaves Texas, accompanied by his friend Lacey Rawlins, and begins a journey across the vaquero frontier into the badlands of northern Mexico.
-
-
A tour de force!
- By Sean E. Kearney on 2020-12-06
Written by: Cormac McCarthy
-
The Road to Wigan Pier
- Written by: George Orwell
- Narrated by: Jeremy Northam
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A graphic and biting polemic that still holds a fierce political relevance and impact despite being written over half a century ago. First published in 1937 it charts George Orwell's observations of working-class life during the 1930s in the industrial heartlands of Yorkshire and Lancashire. His depictions of social injustice and rising unemployment, the dangerous working conditions in the mines amid general squalor and hunger also bring together many of the ideas explored in his later works and novels.
-
-
Must read
- By C_Gordey on 2019-12-22
Written by: George Orwell
-
Paris 1919
- Six Months That Changed the World
- Written by: Margaret MacMillan
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 25 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Winner of the Samuel Johnson Prize, renowned historian Margaret MacMillan's best-selling Paris 1919 is the story of six remarkable months that changed the world. At the close of WWI, between January and July of 1919, delegates from around the world converged on Paris under the auspices of peace. New countries were created, old empires were dissolved, and for six months, Paris was the center of the world.
-
-
Very important book
- By AvidReader on 2023-02-13
Written by: Margaret MacMillan
Publisher's Summary
Dorothea Brooke is an ardent idealist who represses her vivacity and intelligence for the cold, theological pedant Casaubon. One man understands her true nature: the artist Will Ladislaw. But how can love triumph against her sense of duty and Casaubon’s mean spirit? Meanwhile, in the little world of Middlemarch, the broader world is mirrored: the world of politics, social change, and reforms, as well as betrayal, greed, blackmail, ambition, and disappointment.
Dorothea Brooke is an outstanding heroine; Middlemarch is filled with characters that are vivid and true, comic and moving. It is one of the greatest novels in the English language.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
More from the same
What listeners say about Middlemarch
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- surprise/nutmeg
- 2018-09-18
Middlemarch Forever
Middlemarch should be read , in my opinion , every few years. The wit, erudition, character development are unparalleled. The reading by Juliet Stevenson is such a pleasure - she varies her accent and sex of character appropriately without relying on caricature. The life lessons therein are somehow still so current and relevant to our era.
#Audilble1 is to be congratulated for presenting this classic to us in such good quality. One feels that it could be applicable to any age group. My favourite audiobook so far.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Serena
- 2019-09-08
One of my new favourites
I loved loved loved this book! The story, the characters, and the language were all superb. Juliet Stevenson did the most incredible job reading this book. It was an absolute pleasure to listen too.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- SusanQQ
- 2020-08-28
Amazing!
What an amazing book! I dont even know where to begin it's praise. The narration was so well done! The characters came to life! Adding this to my top ten reads.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- keni
- 2019-06-22
inspiring story well read
I Couldn't help listening to it all day, for several days constantly till it finished
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Diana M
- 2021-06-27
very entertaining
I read this many years ago, and remembered enjoying it, but not a whole lot more about it than that. I decided to listen to it this time, and it was great. I loved Juliet Stevenson's narration; she moved among the different characters with different voices, seemingly without effort. And I really enjoyed the story. I think you do need to be tuned to the pace of a 19th century novel, which definitely moves more slowly and deliberately than modern fiction. But, I just loved all the sly observations from the author throughout the story, quite funny. And the depth of perception into the characters was very moving, particularly Bulstrode and Lydgate. First rate.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- David Gauthier
- 2021-03-01
Pandemic Benefits
Middlemarch narrated by the by the beautifully voiced Juliet Stevenson. A long and peaceful stroll through a world long passed, but alive with people as we know them in our present time. The pandemic has offered the lucky an extra serving of time for ourselves. Time immersed in the fulsome world of Middlemarch leaves us reluctant to leave and anxious to return.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jennifer from Montreal
- 2020-08-05
Marvellous!
George Eliot is my new literary icon, up in the firmament with Virginia Woolf, Charlotte Bronte, Jean Rhys, and Carson McCullers. This book is so full of humanity and intelligence— I think I will carry it with me for the rest of my days. Juliet Stevenson’s performance is an absolute tour de force— the best I’ve encountered.
I’m gutted it’s over.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2020-03-13
Beautifully read classic.
This highly praised novel did not disappoint. The author’s insight into social issues around the time of the 1832 Reform Act is remarkable. Although she wrote it forty years after that time, she was writing about the area she grew up in and her knowledge of it shows. I can hardly wait to listen to more books by the same author and reader.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- MM
- 2020-02-22
Casaubon’s letter
I was hooked on this book, on hearing Casaubon’s letter proposing marriage. That letter itself is a masterpiece. Thoroughly enjoyed the social commentary in this story, and the narrator really brought the characters to life. I enjoyed it so much more than if I had read the paper version.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- FFK
- 2019-08-27
Breathtakingly good reading
A terrific novel by the most humane and perceptive authors of the English language. The reading was breathtakingly good.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Molly-o
- 2011-12-25
Best Audible book ever
I have been an audible listener for close to five years now and this is the best book I have ever listened to. I hated this book in college and,if it hadn't been for a friend who suggested I try it again,I would have continued to hate it. I now say pish on my earlier self, this is a fantastic story and George Eliot is an insightful woman whose perspective on life is timeless. But the very best part of this listen is Juliet Stevenson. Oh my, what a narrator: I may be forever spoiled by her mastery. My favorite characterizations were the stuffy Englishmen whose voices were so perfectly captured that I was in awe each time I heard them. This is a must read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
280 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Jonelle
- 2011-08-18
Loved Middlemarch and Juliet Stevenson!
This book has been on my to-read list for years. This year, I read a a very positive review of Juliet Stevenson's narration in Booklist and decided that the time was right...and I loved it!
Without a doubt, she is one of the best narrators I have ever listened to - ranking up there with Jim Dale, George Guidall and Scott Brick.
Plus, Middlemarch, which had been highly recommended to me by friends who knew I was a fan of Jane Austen, was wonderful. It's a big, big novel, but it really is a timeless classic, full of observations about people that still ring true today.
Give it a go...you won't regret it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
158 people found this helpful
-
Overall

- M Kaner
- 2011-06-20
I will listen to anything Juliet Stevenson reads
I have purchased Middlemarch read by a different narrator before and simply could not listen to it. It was boring, and very long.
Well, when I have learned that Juliet Stevenson has produced this book, I have purchased it right away and was not sorry. Amazing skill of the narrator brought all the characters alive and made this 19th century piece of literature very relevant in our modern life. George Elliot was one sharp woman and knew how to develop her characters. Brilliant!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
134 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Jane
- 2012-01-24
Perfect in every way
This is a remarkable book.
Listening to it being read -- so very beautifully by Stevenson -- allows the listener to absorb the many dimensions of this classic. There is the subtle humor and the witty and insightful political and social commentary. Then there are the calls for the liberation of women, not only on a social level, but urging women to recognise their own position in the society of the 1830s and respond even if it only within the confines of their family.
The main heroine, Dorothea, is remarkably portrayed: she could be a woman of 2012: she is ruled by a confused idealism, wanting to contribute positively to an unequal and unfair society and work towards higher philosophical understanding of the nature of existence. At the same time, she has tragically unrealistic expectations of a marriage where she believes she can help achieve her partner's fulfillment rather than her own. The male characters range from self absorption and selfishness, directionless laziness, caring partners: again these men are recognisable today. There is so very much in here.
But to return to the reader, Juliet Stevenson. She has a wonderful voice, her acting out of characters is superb -- and most of all, she shares her understanding of what Eliot was endeavoring to convey in this apparently ordinary story about ordinary people in an ordinary little town in England.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
75 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Robert
- 2012-10-02
Above star rating irrelevant.
While there were others that I read concurrently, for the past three months, I labored to finish this book. I did not finish reading it but I believe that I am finished trying to. This is not a short book but that was not the issue. I like long books. In fact, I generally prefer them but they must or I must have them engage my interest and imagination. Unfortunately this was not to be with Middlemarch. Maybe because I feel I am running out of it, I take time very seriously and books of this length require an investment. This was just not one I was willing to make that investment in.
There is a great deal to recommend about Middlemarch. A large cast of characters populate several plots with themes that are of interest to me personally: religion of which I subscribe to none, politics of which I have a love/hate relationship (especially the politics of medicine), philosophy which never ceases to intrigue and education which is my vocation. Virginia Woolf had high praise for Middlemarch as "one of the few English novels written for grown-up people." It has been described as one of the most important English novels almost since its publication.
The character development is deep with rich descriptions of provincial life. Almost from the beginning of this tome, I was drawing parallels with Jane Austen who also considers some of the same themes. Jane Austen, however, never comes across to me as quite so didactic or preaching. For me these were almost shouts that came through the narrative. And it wasn't that Eliot wasn't preaching to the choir. She was. I guess I just prefer to have my authors quite disappear in a book. Here I think Dickens is much better at considering social issues without exposing himself carrying around a placard about some kind of injustice.
I might also add in its defense that I felt Eliot's psychological studies of human nature with all of its flaws and complexity were also particularly well done. Contrasts between idealism and reality are very nicely drawn. I'd better stop at that. Thinking of all of its merits, I'm liable to pick the damn book up again. Too many times, as my friend Jen said, "I felt like throwing the book across the room." No mas!
Having barely finished half the book, I am even less qualified than usually to critique this fine piece of literature. Suffice it to say that it was mostly the pace of the book failed to hold my interest and I just gave up. I want to say that I will return to it someday but I probably will not.
Because I did not finish reading this book, the above star rating is based on an Internet average. Audible does not allow submitting reviews without putting in a star rating first.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
52 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Christina
- 2011-11-20
Juliet Stevenson is a genius
Ordinarily, I would begin a review with an evaluation of the actual book rather than the narrator but in this case, Stevenson was SUCH a standout that I had to begin with her. To say that she inhabits each character fully is to sell her performance short. I remember Stevenson from the movie version of Emma in which she plays Mrs. Elton so wonderfully snarky and politely arrogant. But this narration shows her talents to a greater degree. Not only does each character have a different sounding voice, but one can practically hear their thoughts as Stevenson brings them to life.
What is so perfect about this amazing performance is that it makes a somewhat challenging novel much easier to manage. There are so many characters and so many story lines that Eliot brings together so beautifully (eventually) that a reader can easily lose track. Several of the characters are not easy to like, a few are like-able at first and then become less so, some are not like-able at first and grow on you. It is a lot to keep up with. But the story is well worth the investment. Eliot is wise and funny. Her take on the relationships between men and women is insightful. Well-deserving of its status as one of the greatest books ever written.
I gave the story only 4 stars because there isn't much that actually "happens." It is not an exciting story. The story is really in the every day happenings of the characters. That is where the true genius lies.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
48 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Daniel
- 2012-07-01
Juliet Stevenson -- not perfect -- but CLOSE
Where does Middlemarch rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
One of the best audiobooks I've listened to.
Have you listened to any of Juliet Stevenson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
Juliet Stevenson is always fantastic. This might be my favorite of her narrations, though.
Who was the most memorable character of Middlemarch and why?
Rosamond. Stevenson (and Eliot) depicts her in her complexity brilliantly.
Any additional comments?
If you're considering M-march as an audiobook, ignore reviewers recommending other narrators (a few of which I've listened to as well), GET JULIET STEVENSON.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
37 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Matilda
- 2012-01-18
Juliet Sevenson brings it alive
I tried to read Middlemarch in highschool and again in university but could never sink in. What was missing for me was Juliet Stevenson's narration. Her skill makes this masterful story much more accessible and a pleasure to experience. Eliot's wit sparkles through in this performance.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
33 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Lisa
- 2011-11-14
George and Juliet - the magic of Middlemarch
My first exposure to Middlemarch was as a teenager when my older brother read it to me. He was studying it at University and I was still in school. I loved it and the book became one of my favourite books after Pride and Prejudice.
Then I watched the BBC serialisation of Middlemarch when I was a bit older and it meant more to me and I loved that too.
But the Juliet Stevenson version is quite simply the one that was meant by George Eliot. It is masterpiece. I will treasure it for ever. The fact that one single human being can interpret the nuances of tone and texture of so many personas is remarkable. I am not sure who is the more remarkable artist; George Eliot or Juliet Stevenson. I fell in love with Juliet Stevenson when I happened upon a small English movie called something like deeply madly and I knew she was a star.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
29 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Jane
- 2012-01-24
Perfect in every way
This is a remarkable book.
Listening to it being read -- so very beautifully by Stevenson -- allows the listener to absorb the many dimensions of this classic. There is the subtle humor and the witty and insightful political and social commentary. Then there are the calls for the liberation of women, not only on a social level, but urging women to recognise their own position in the society of the 1830s and respond even if it only within the confines of their family.
The main heroine, Dorothea, is remarkably portrayed: she could be a woman of 2012: she is ruled by a confused idealism, wanting to contribute positively to an unequal and unfair society and work towards higher philosophical understanding of the nature of existence. At the same time, she has tragically unrealistic expectations of a marriage where she believes she can help achieve her partner's fulfillment rather than her own. The male characters range from self absorption and selfishness, directionless laziness, caring partners: again these men are recognisable today. There is so very much in here.
But to return to the reader, Juliet Stevenson. She has a wonderful voice, her acting out of characters is superb -- and most of all, she shares her understanding of what Eliot was endeavoring to convey in this apparently ordinary story about ordinary people in an ordinary little town in England.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
27 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- darkpandora
- 2020-04-25
Amazing work and amazing reader.
Great story and amazing performance of the actress who reads it. She manages to embody the numerous characters with a precise consistency that make the reading of
George Elliott's masterpiece quite an unforgettable and pleasurable experience.
As for Elliott's work, it shows the extent of her talent at creating complex characters moved by deep-rooted motives, a life philosophy and their own personality. They all evolve in the Middlemarch Parish, the existence of which emerges from their links and interactions that the narrator keeps the closest to recreation of the genuine state of mind of a town from the era the narrative takes place in.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful