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The Old Man and the Sea cover art

The Old Man and the Sea

Written by: Ernest Hemingway
Narrated by: Donald Sutherland
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Publisher's Summary

The Old Man and the Sea is one of Hemingway's most enduring works. Told in language of great simplicity and power, it is the story of an old Cuban fisherman, down on his luck, and his supreme ordeal, a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. Here Hemingway recasts, in strikingly contemporary style, the classic theme of courage in the face of defeat, of personal triumph won from loss.

Written in 1952, this hugely successful novella confirmed Hemingway's power and presence in the literary world and played a large part in his winning the 1954 Nobel Prize for Literature.

©1952 Ernest Hemingway (P)2006 Simon and Schuster Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon and Schuster Audio Division, Simon and Schuster Inc.

What the critics say

  • Audie Award Finalist, Solo Narration - Male, 2007

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What listeners say about The Old Man and the Sea

Average Customer Ratings
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Well read.

Sutherland’s tone, cadence and careful articulation works well as ‘the old man’ in this Hemingway tale. My wife and I listened together and thoroughly enjoyed the retelling.

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  • Overall
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it really is beautiful

short and perfect book

a man can be destroyed but never defeated

will read it again

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Captivating beauty

Such a beautiful well written story! The book tells a charming heartfelt story of a fishermen and his relationship with the sea and a boy. His sense of duty, longing and meaning is portrait in the most eloquent and creative way .

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  • Overall
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  • KC
  • 2023-01-23

Beautiful story

Don’t expect a thriller, but if you want a very perfect and relaxing story with metaphors you can pull out, there’s a reason why it’s a classic

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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It gets better with every read.

Good stories have so much to teach us: We’re made for determination. Commitment and endurance take us there.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Classic

A classic well narrated by the brilliant Donald Sutherland. Man versus nature. And fish, oh the fish.

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fantastic

hands down my favorite narration ever, favorite book of all time ever after 20 plus listens

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You're killing me fish!

It was an alright story, if a bit long winded. This is fitting given the fact it's told by an old man. While it's a short story, it feels longer than it is. The narrator was fine, given what he had to read. It can make for a bedtime story to help you sleep.

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Old man & the Sea

Compelling adventure.
The struggle of man against the wild.
The struggle of man against endurance, the physical.
The struggle of man against his own mind, the mental.
Poetic.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Pure Hemingway

This is so his style, short and direct. He tells us what the sees, feels, smells, tastes, and even dreams.

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