Get a free audiobook
-
Slaughterhouse-Five
- Narrated by: James Franco
- Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Humor & Satire
People who bought this also bought...
-
Catch-22
- Written by: Joseph Heller
- Narrated by: Jay O. Sanders
- Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy - it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he's assigned, he'll be in violation of Catch-22.
-
-
Great book, tough as audiobook
- By Andrew S on 2018-02-15
-
The Day of the Triffids
- Written by: John Wyndham
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill Masen wakes up one morning in his hospital bed. His eyes are completely bandaged after an eye operation so he is unable to see. He immediately notices how still and quiet everything is. Having taken off his bandages, he discovers that both inside the hospital and out, the majority of the population (who watched a display of startlingly bright comets in the night sky the previous evening) have all gone blind, and realises that there is a terrifying new enemy for humankind to contend with.
-
-
Awesome book.
- By StephanieD on 2019-10-11
-
Breakfast of Champions
- Written by: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: John Malkovich
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Breakfast of Champions (1973) provides frantic, scattershot satire and a collage of Vonnegut's obsessions. His recurring cast of characters and American landscape was perhaps the most controversial of his canon; it was felt by many at the time to be a disappointing successor to Slaughterhouse-Five, which had made Vonnegut's literary reputation.
-
-
Brilliant book brilliantly delivered.
- By Andrew Robulack on 2018-02-03
-
Cat's Cradle
- Written by: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: Tony Roberts
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cat's Cradle is Vonnegut's satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet's ultimate fate, it features a little person as the protagonist; a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer; and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny.
-
-
Excellent book and recording
- By Emergentmind on 2019-05-18
-
The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
- The Complete First Edition
- Written by: Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, Jack Zipes (translator and 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.
-
The Odyssey
- Written by: Homer, Emily Wilson - translator
- Narrated by: Claire Danes
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed actress Claire Danes burnishes an epic story of heroes, gods, and monsters in a groundbreaking translation of The Odyssey, the first great adventure story in the Western literary tradition. When the wily warrior-king Odysseus sets off for home after the Trojan War, he doesn’t realize this simple undertaking will become a perilous journey of 10 years. Beset at every turn, he encounters obstacles, detours, and temptations—both supernatural and human—while his wife Penelope fends off would-be suitors desperate to take the throne.
-
-
An epic will always be an epic!
- By JohnS on 2019-06-02
-
Catch-22
- Written by: Joseph Heller
- Narrated by: Jay O. Sanders
- Length: 19 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Set in Italy during World War II, this is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier Yossarian, a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy - it is his own army, which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to excuse himself from the perilous missions he's assigned, he'll be in violation of Catch-22.
-
-
Great book, tough as audiobook
- By Andrew S on 2018-02-15
-
The Day of the Triffids
- Written by: John Wyndham
- Narrated by: Alex Jennings
- Length: 5 hrs and 15 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bill Masen wakes up one morning in his hospital bed. His eyes are completely bandaged after an eye operation so he is unable to see. He immediately notices how still and quiet everything is. Having taken off his bandages, he discovers that both inside the hospital and out, the majority of the population (who watched a display of startlingly bright comets in the night sky the previous evening) have all gone blind, and realises that there is a terrifying new enemy for humankind to contend with.
-
-
Awesome book.
- By StephanieD on 2019-10-11
-
Breakfast of Champions
- Written by: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: John Malkovich
- Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Breakfast of Champions (1973) provides frantic, scattershot satire and a collage of Vonnegut's obsessions. His recurring cast of characters and American landscape was perhaps the most controversial of his canon; it was felt by many at the time to be a disappointing successor to Slaughterhouse-Five, which had made Vonnegut's literary reputation.
-
-
Brilliant book brilliantly delivered.
- By Andrew Robulack on 2018-02-03
-
Cat's Cradle
- Written by: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: Tony Roberts
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cat's Cradle is Vonnegut's satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet's ultimate fate, it features a little person as the protagonist; a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer; and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny.
-
-
Excellent book and recording
- By Emergentmind on 2019-05-18
-
The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
- The Complete First Edition
- Written by: Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, Jack Zipes (translator and 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.
-
The Odyssey
- Written by: Homer, Emily Wilson - translator
- Narrated by: Claire Danes
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Acclaimed actress Claire Danes burnishes an epic story of heroes, gods, and monsters in a groundbreaking translation of The Odyssey, the first great adventure story in the Western literary tradition. When the wily warrior-king Odysseus sets off for home after the Trojan War, he doesn’t realize this simple undertaking will become a perilous journey of 10 years. Beset at every turn, he encounters obstacles, detours, and temptations—both supernatural and human—while his wife Penelope fends off would-be suitors desperate to take the throne.
-
-
An epic will always be an epic!
- By JohnS on 2019-06-02
-
The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition]
- Written by: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Constance Garnett - translator
- Narrated by: Constantine Gregory
- Length: 37 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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
- By Tade on 2019-03-07
-
The Story of Human Language
- Written by: John McWhorter, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: John McWhorter
- Length: 18 hrs and 15 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Language defines us as a species, placing humans head and shoulders above even the most proficient animal communicators. But it also beguiles us with its endless mysteries, allowing us to ponder why different languages emerged, why there isn't simply a single language, how languages change over time and whether that's good or bad, and how languages die out and become extinct.
-
-
Fascinating!
- By Jesslovescoffee on 2018-11-23
-
The Sirens of Titan
- Written by: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The richest, most depraved man on Earth, Malachi Constant, is offered a chance to take a space journey to distant worlds with a beautiful woman at his side. Of course, there's a catch to the invitation....
-
-
Great book. Fantastic narration.
- By Lucas Jalonen on 2018-03-06
-
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- Written by: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
-
-
Terrible start.
- By William H. on 2019-11-02
-
Mother Night
- Written by: Kurt Vonnegut
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
American Howard W. Campbell, Jr., a spy during World War II, is now on trial in Israel as a Nazi war criminal. But is he really guilty? In this brilliant book rife with true gallows humor, Kurt Vonnegut turns black and white into a chilling shade of grey with a verdict that will haunt us all. Mother Night is a daring challenge to our moral sense.
-
Neverwhere
- Written by: Neil Gaiman
- Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Mayhew is a young man with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. His small act of kindness propels him into a world he never dreamed existed. There are people who fall through the cracks, and Richard has become one of them. And he must learn to survive in this city of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels, if he is ever to return to the London that he knew.
-
-
Great, but not a masterwork
- By Anonymous User on 2019-08-16
-
Fahrenheit 451
- Written by: Ray Bradbury
- Narrated by: Tim Robbins
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television "family."
-
-
A dystopian tale relevant today
- By Tee on 2018-06-13
-
Brave New World
- Written by: Aldous Huxley
- Narrated by: Michael York
- Length: 8 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Lenina and Bernard visit a savage reservation, we experience how Utopia can destroy humanity.
Cloning, feel-good drugs, anti-aging programs, and total social control through politics, programming, and media: has Aldous Huxley accurately predicted our future? With a storyteller's genius, he weaves these ethical controversies in a compelling narrative that dawns in the year 632 A.F. (After Ford, the deity). When Lenina and Bernard visit a savage reservation, we experience how Utopia can destroy humanity.
-
-
great book narrator not
- By Jackson T. on 2019-09-30
-
Alas, Babylon
- Written by: Pat Frank
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This true modern masterpiece is built around the two fateful words that make up the title and herald the end - “Alas, Babylon.” When a nuclear holocaust ravages the United States, a thousand years of civilization are stripped away overnight, and tens of millions of people are killed instantly. But for one small town in Florida, miraculously spared, the struggle is just beginning, as men and women of all backgrounds join together to confront the darkness....
-
-
Why you should read this book.
- By hdamoca on 2019-08-26
-
The Selfish Gene
- Written by: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 16 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it. His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands to rethink their beliefs about life.
-
-
Life changing book
- By Amazon Customer on 2018-07-25
-
Rebecca
- Written by: Daphne Du Maurier
- Narrated by: Anna Massey
- Length: 14 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daphne du Maurier's young heroine meets the charming Maxim de Winter and despite her youth, they marry and go to Manderley, his home in Cornwall. There, the sinister housekeeper Mrs Danvers and the mystery she keeps alive of his first wife Rebecca - said to have drowned at sea - threatens to overwhelm the marriage.
-
-
Superb Old-fashioned Drama
- By Cliente Amazon on 2019-11-20
-
The Stranger: International Edition
- Written by: Albert Camus
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With millions of copies sold The Stranger is one of the most widely read novels in the world. It stands as perhaps the greatest existentialist tale ever conceived. When a young Algerian named Meursault kills a man, his subsequent imprisonment and trial are puzzling and absurd. This remarkable translation by Matthew Ward has been considered the definitive English version since its original publication.
Publisher's Summary
Slaughterhouse-Five is the now famous parable of Billy Pilgrim, a World War II veteran and POW who has, in the later stage of his life, become "unstuck in time" and who experiences at will (or unwillingly) all known events of his chronology out of order and sometimes simultaneously.
Traumatized by the bombing of Dresden at the time he had been imprisoned, Pilgrim drifts through all events and history, sometimes deeply implicated, sometimes a witness. He is surrounded by Vonnegut's usual large cast of continuing characters (notably here the hack science fiction writer Kilgore Trout and the alien Tralfamadorians, who oversee his life and remind him constantly that there is no causation, no order, no motive to existence). The "unstuck" nature of Pilgrim's experience may constitute an early novelistic use of what we now call post-traumatic stress disorder; then again, Pilgrim's aliens may be as "real" as Dresden is real to him.
Struggling to find some purpose, order, or meaning to his existence and humanity's, Pilgrim meets the beauteous and mysterious Montana Wildhack (certainly the author's best character name), has a child with her, and drifts on some supernal plane, finally, in which Kilgore Trout, the Tralfamadorians, Montana Wildhack, and the ruins of Dresden do not merge but rather disperse through all planes of existence.
Slaughterhouse-Five was hugely successful, brought Vonnegut an enormous audience, was a finalist for the National Book Award and a best seller, and remains four decades later as timeless and shattering a war fiction as Catch-22, with which it stands as the two signal novels of their riotous and furious decade.
What the critics say
More from the same
Narrator:
What listeners say about Slaughterhouse-Five
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-01-06
great book bad narrator
I love this book, it is very well written, but James Franco falls flat as a narrator.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2019-12-27
More like James BLANKo
I really enjoyed the story but James is such a monotone speaker that it took away from my enjoyment of the book.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- lumpyP
- 2021-01-15
This is a must
Warning I was unable to properly function as a human until I finished. It requires complete focus.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Orrin farries
- 2020-09-30
my favourite book
James Franco does an admirable job of Vonnegut's finest piece of fiction . a really enjoyable book to listen front to back
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Langer
- 2020-06-11
Weird But Enjoyable. Bad Narration
This book - following a Time-Traveling American soldier from his time as a German POW, witnessing the Fire-bombing of Dresden, surviving a Plane Crash post-war, and being kidnapped by Aliens - jumps into and out of timelines. Somehow, it's still pretty easy to follow and is an engrossing tale. Vonnegut is a brilliant author with truly crazy characters. The plot is bizzarre and tbh, reminded me of 'Donnie Darko'. The prose is excellent, with a nice mixture of vivid mental images and brutally realistic dialogue. James Franco is an indifferent narrator at best. He slowly plods his way through the text with a strikingly monotone delivery. I had to speed the Recording up to 1.25x. I give this recording 3.5 out of 5 stars
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rochelle Klepel
- 2020-03-06
Pure literary enchantment!
This book speaks for itself. It was magical from beginning to end! Read it!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Karyn McKnight
- 2019-07-22
A Classic
This book had been recommended to me several times over the years, but I'd never read it. I'm glad I did! It's one of those books that will stay with you forever. Put it on your "Must Read" list. It's timeless.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Noah Van Nest
- 2019-04-12
all time great book. James Franco does a great job
James Franco does such a good job delivering Vonnegut's matter of fact style of writing.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2019-02-21
Greatest novel of the 20th century.
I love this book!! it's sad and it's sweet, and It's brilliantly mad! The performance of James Franco leaves a little to be desired. Some if his choices for pronunciation of certain words hit my ears in a strange way. Overall I was very pleased with this audio book.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 2018-09-15
Franco Won Me Over!
In my view, this isn't always an easy read. The social commentary is often communicated through strange and random characters, episodes, and dialogue...which, I guess...and gather, is maybe the point. The further I got into it the more brilliant I found it to be - in language, lessons, and themes. At first, I was not captured by Franco's interpretation...but the longer I listened and the better able I was to figure out what Vonnegut was talking about the more I found Franco's narration and Vonnegut's words a perfect match. #Audible1
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- james
- 2018-12-11
3.45 stars......mediocre
James Franco narrates Vonnegut’s classic, a tale that takes the listener inside the time traveling mind of Billy Pilgrim, a war vet suffering from PTSD. Franco isn’t a terrible narrator, but he should stick to acting. A good narrator makes all the difference. Vonnegut is a beloved author, and this post-war classic is considered great by many. Unfortunately, I’m in the minority....and so it goes. Overall rating: 3.45 stars
28 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Rhiannon
- 2018-04-20
Please God, no more James Franco.
Normally, no matter good or bad a book may be, I HAVE to finish it. I have to know how it ends. This book is the exception. It's not so much to do with the Author, but the Narrator. James Franco's narration of the book makes this story virtually unbearable. Honestly, I couldn't even get past the first hour. I'll have to see if there's another narrator for the book.
26 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 2018-05-20
Never let James Franco narrate
I knew little about this book other than it was apparently a must read. The story itself is unique if not confusing until you get the hang of it. Not as satisfying a tale as I would have liked but the flow and form of the story was enjoyable. James Franco though... you'd think you'd get a decent voice performance out of a film actor. It was like having a high school junior drama student read it to me: apathetic tone, crappy fake accents, limited emotional range. There was barely an audible difference between characters and he sounded SO BORED the whole time. All in all, a real turd of a reading. I'd recommend the book, just do yourself a favor and find a different narrator.
19 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Screech
- 2016-11-16
Good story, poor audio & reading
Classic 1960's writing. Terrible 2010 voice. Male vocal fry. Also, levels should have been normalized. Too much gain adjustment required. Kept having to back up position and increase volume to hear what I'd missed. Then, few minutes later, pull out the earbuds to keep from being blasted out.
37 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Walter W. Quinn
- 2018-07-05
Horrible narration.
One of my all-time favorites novels ruined by a narrator who just sounds bored. Real shame.
58 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- illnist
- 2017-03-03
Don't bother
I loved this book until James Franco butchered it. I suggest having a listen to the preview first. Wish I did.
44 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- alan
- 2018-07-02
Franco ruins this.
Franco's reading made me stop listening in under 10 minutes. Poor performance by him, I will buy the actual text instead.
23 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Shane Fuder
- 2017-03-11
Not well read
James Franco did a terrible job. Practically monotone. Audible could've gotten anybody to better than this.
44 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Darwin8u
- 2017-01-22
Everything is nothing, with a twist.
I've read Slaughterhouse-Five several times and I'm still not sure I know exactly how Vonnegut pulls it off. It is primarily a postmodern, anti-war novel. It is an absurd look at war, memory, time, and humanity, but it is also gentle. Its prose emotionally feels (go ahead, pet the emotion) like the tug of the tides, the heaviness of sleep, the seduction of alcohol, the dizziness of love. His prose is simple, but beautiful.
Obviously, part of the brilliance of this novel is born from the reality that Vonnegut is largely playing the notes of his own song (obviously, obscured by an unreliable narrator, time that is unstuck, and generous kidnapping aliens). It is the song of someone who has seen horrible, horrible things but still wants to dance and smile (so a Totentanz?).
Emperor, your sword won't help you out
Sceptre and crown are worthless here
I've taken you by the hand
For you must come to my dance
I had to work very much and very hard
The sweat was running down my skin
I'd like to escape death nonetheless
But here I won't have any luck
It is essentially art pulled out of the tension between despair and hope, grief and celebration, love and death. It is a classic not because it has a message about war, but because it has a message about life. Vonnegut aimed at war and hit everything.
90 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Keith
- 2015-11-20
Don't Quit Your Daytime Job, James
Vonnegut is one of a kind, and if you like that kind, Slaughterhouse Five is not to be missed. However, the same cannot be said about this audiobook. I usually like James Franco as an actor, but I was greatly disappointed with his narration of this book. There was nothing at all remarkable about his voice. He mumbled some of the time, and he sounded bored and listless all of the time. He seemed to be phoning it in.
90 people found this helpful