Ben Hur

By: Lew Wallace

Narrated by: Jim Killavey

Ben-Hur could be said to be the first American blockbuster. When it was published in 1880, it sold over two million copies and was translated into numerous languages. It combines all the best elements of popular classic, epic, and action stories against a background of authoritative historical detail. The pace and immediacy of Ben-Hur was the basis of its appeal to filmmakers - Charlton Heston's portrayal of the title role became one of the classics of the cinema. Wallace's original novel has been largely forgotten now, but as this reading shows, the story, together with the sweeping rhythm of the writer's prose, make it ideally suited to audio.©1988 Jimcin Recordings (P)1988 Jimcin Recordings

Story Transcends Narration

Indeed, it is true that the narrator has a Bostonian accent, and that his narration is not the best out there. At first I found it mildly annoying. Once the story got rolling, however, I no longer cared about the accent or the delivery of the narration, for the the story and the characters in this incredible book transcend any lack of excellence in narration. This is a book for the ages, a magnificently written, sweeping tale of friendship, love, pain, revenge, and redemption. Lew Wallace's writing is equal to that of the greatest literary figures in history, and his storytelling is subordinate to none. If you have but one audiobook to hear in the next year, let this be the one. You will not regret it. Additionally, I should mention that while the movie "Ben Hur" was without a doubt one of the greatest ever made, the book, as is usually the case, is far better than the film. There is a ton of material in the book that is not in the film, probably for many reasons, that makes the book a much more rewarding experience than the film.

An Enduring Classic...

If you liked THE ROBE, this is another great book for you. If you are jaded on the "modern" vulgarity and a lot of just plain bad writing, here is a novelized history elegant and well-written. Like THE ROBE, it can be a tad didactic or overly explicative in its dialogue at times, but the overall magnitude of the book brings it above these minors flaws and sets it in the canon of the classics.

Use the sample

I always listen to the sample reading before downloading the book. I don't want any big surprises. I've come across some "big name" readers who, for one reason or another did not sound very good - so I didn't get those books. Try before you buy!
In the case of Ben Hur, ok, I'm from New England, so the slight Yankee accent was rather comforting. And, accent or not, I thought the reading itself was very well done and the book quite inspiring. A big "thumbs up" from me.

If you liked the movie, you will love the book

The reader is not the best I've heard, but Lew Wallace's story makes it worth the effort it takes. I think Wallace's writing style was somewhat stilted and would be difficult for anyone to read. But the story overcomes all. Don't miss it!

compelling story of the christ

ben hur was really a surprise for me i had thought that it was a story concocted for holywood but then i found out it was written by a civil war general in 1880, the historical narrative was surprisingly rich and replete with cultural details of period giving it a richness i had not suspected from a christian based novel. I had suspected the typical kich christianly cultural dogmatic proclamztion written for the club or condecsendedly written for the heathen, but instead i found a genuinely challenging presentation of the christian story that resonated with my own personal expierience with salvation and the conflict of the hopes and perspectives of the flesh and its own version of glory contracted against the internal recognition and realization of a power and love that renders all to dust in comparison.