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Jude the Obscure
- Narrated by: Neville Jason
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
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Publisher's summary
Sexually innocent Jude Fawley is trapped into marriage by seductive Arabella Donn, but their union is an unhappy one and Arabella leaves him. Jude's welcome freedom allows him to pursue his obsession with his pretty cousin Sue Bridehead, a brilliant, charismatic free-thinker who would be his ideal soul mate if not for her aversion to physical love. When Jude and Sue decide to lead their lives outside marriage they bring down on themselves all the force of a repressive society. This fearless and outspoken story caused a furor on its publication, and was Hardy's last novel.
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Story
Working-class Jude Fawley longs to be a scholar. But after scheming local girl Arabella Donn traps him in marriage, Jude finds his university dreams drifting away. When his wife abandons him, a window of opportunity opens, and Jude moves to Christminster to work as a stonemason - his eye still on his studies. Then he falls in love with the modern-minded Sue Bridehead, and his descent into scandal, tragedy, and ruin truly begins. Shunned by society and the church, the outcasts find themselves on the brink of despair.
By: Thomas Hardy
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Jude the Obscure
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 14 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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His last and most controversial novel, Jude the Obscure provoked such widespread and bitter attacks that Hardy claimed it caused him to stop writing novels. The primary causes of the uproar involved Hardy’s frank treatment of sexual themes and his unconventional portrayal of the pillars of Victorian society: the British university system, marriage, and religion. Today, many consider this to be Hardy’s finest work.
By: Thomas Hardy
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Tess of the d'Urbervilles
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 17 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Tess Durbeyfield has become one of the most famous female protagonists in 19th-century British literature. Betrayed by the two men in her life - Alec D’Urberville, her seducer/rapist and father of her fated child; and Angel, her intellectual and pious husband - Tess takes justice, and her own destiny, into her delicate hands. In telling her desperate and passionate story, Hardy brings Tess to life with an extraordinary vividness that makes her live in the heart of the reader long after the novel is concluded.
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Davina Porter Does It Again!
- By misaki on 06-15-15
By: Thomas Hardy
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Romola
- By: George Eliot
- Narrated by: Lucy Scott
- Length: 22 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in the turbulent years following the death of Lorenzo de' Medici, George Eliot's fourth novel, Romola, moves the stage from the English countryside of the 19th century to an Italy four centuries before her time. It tells the tale of a young Florentine woman, Romola de' Bardi, and her coming of age through her troubled marriage to the suave and self-absorbed Greek Tito. Slowly Tito's true character begins to unfurl, and his lies and treachery push Romola toward a more spiritual path, where she transcends into a majestic, Madonna-like role.
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Listened to it 4 times in a row
- By Theodoc on 12-14-21
By: George Eliot
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Jude the Obscure
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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When the great Thomas Hardy published this heart-wrenching novel, he had no idea it would be his last. But the book stirred so much controversy and protest, Hardy vowed to never write fiction again. Jude the Obscure tells the story of a stonemason, tricked into a loveless marriage, who craves a formal education and a finer existence. Separated from his wife, Jude begins a new life with his cousin, and the couple defies social convention at every turn.
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A sad and world-changing book
- By D. Byrd on 10-17-15
By: Thomas Hardy
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Vanity Fair
- A Novel without a Hero
- By: William Makepeace Thackeray
- Narrated by: Georgina Sutton
- Length: 32 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Vanity Fair, with its rich cast of characters, takes place on the snakes-and-ladders board of life. Amelia Sedley, daughter of a wealthy merchant, has a loving mother to supervise her courtship. Becky Sharp, an orphan, has to use her wit, charm, and resourcefulness to escape from her destiny as a governess. This she does ruthlessly, musing: "I think I could become a good woman, if I had £5,000 a year."
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OUTSTANDIN!!!! EVERY MOMENT A JOY TO LISTEN TO!
- By Healerchick on 01-29-14
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Tess of the D'Urbervilles
- Penguin Classics
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Sian Clifford
- Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim kinship with the wealthy D'Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family fortune, meeting her 'cousin' Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope of a peaceful future. With its sensitive depiction of the wronged Tess and powerful criticism of social convention, Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of the most moving and poetic of Hardy's novels.
By: Thomas Hardy
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Far from the Madding Crowd
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Nathaniel Parker
- Length: 13 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Hardy's first major literary success, here brought to life by narrator Nathaniel Parker, is the story of the independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene, who inherits her uncle's farm, the largest estate in the area. She surprises the villagers of Weatherbury by deciding to run it herself. Attracted to this bold young woman are three suitors all vying for her affections. They include the lonely gentleman-farmer Boldwood, the young and handsome but inconsiderate Sergeant Troy and the faithful shepherd Gabriel Oak.
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Does Thomas Hardy justice
- By vhuggins on 06-11-13
By: Thomas Hardy
What listeners say about Jude the Obscure
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-19-23
Incredibly tragic but fascinating
The reader really brings this classic text to life. One of the best audio book performances I’ve listened to!
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- Friend in NYC
- 10-25-19
Sad indictment against marriage
This is another gripping but tragic Thomas Hardy novel. This one is quite heavy-handed. The writing style changes as Jude grows up and his views and experiences change. Its not my favorite Hardy novel but it is definitely worth the read. I don't want to discuss the story because it is full of surprises and I would be a spoiler if I talked about it. Just buy it and listen to it. You won't regret it (unless you are engaged to be married.)
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- C. E. Vandenelzen
- 12-30-18
One of the best books ever written!
Masterfully, performed! The reader enhances the understanding of the characters. Hardy is one of the most talented writers to have ever scratched the page, and Jude is his opus.
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- Larry G Camp
- 08-27-15
What was the point in writing this book?
Would you try another book from Thomas Hardy and/or Neville Jason?
i previously read The Woodlanders and enjoyed it. This book however was devoid of any main characters who were likable or one could say sane. I keep waiting for anyone to "break through" and show a redeeming quality or to display sound judgment. Didn't happen.
Would you ever listen to anything by Thomas Hardy again?
I'm moving on.
What does Neville Jason bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Good job!
Could you see Jude the Obscure being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?
Please no.
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3 people found this helpful
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- prasanthedward
- 07-25-19
Tragic and beautiful
Hardy is really sneering at tradition and conventionality and deploring elitism and misguided morality and the human need to find a reason for every calamity where none actually exists.
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- Merlin
- 08-21-18
Hardy at his best--and at his worst
I found the first three quarters of this novel excellent. Hardy is a great novelist, a wonderful observer of nature and and people, and full of profound reflection. He also constructs great stories. I have to say, though, that I found the last quarter of the book a bit disappointing. Sue and Jude behave so foolishly, especially Sue, and they become downright annoying. Also, when the gloom descends in a Hardy novel, it blots put any light; so things become very grim indeed. For all that, I'm glad I re-read the book. It was better than I remember it. The narrator is excellent.
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- Tad Davis
- 03-03-14
Left reeling
Well, that were a grim'un, to be sure. Jude, a decent man with ambitions to become a scholar, doesn't stand a chance in Hardy's cold universe. Let down by everyone he chooses as a mentor (one of them doesn't last long enough for a round trip from one village to the next); spurned by the university he longs to enter; and used and confused by the women in his life, he keeps trying to draw a smaller circle in the sand after each fresh assault, but ultimately he loses, and by then he doesn't care, and then he dies.
The women in his life are used and confused in turn, not so much by Jude as by the terrible straitjacket women were forced into. The love of his life, Sue, is particularly confused: she combines an open, somewhat flirtatious manner with a pathological aversion to sex that left me wondering if she'd been abused as a child. (Or better to say, since she's not real: wondering if Hardy intentionally set her character up to convey that.) She does finally overcome her aversion, to the extent of having children with Jude, but it's a fragile adjustment. And even the best-adjusted person would have trouble keeping their sanity when confronted by the major tragedy in this book of tragedies: an event that strikes suddenly and brutally in a few swift paragraphs and leaves the characters - and the reader - reeling.
Neville Jason has not been one of my favorite narrators in the past, but I'm warming up to him. Part of the pleasure of his performance here is the skill he shows in voicing the many characters, with their many accents and moods. There is humor here at times, and Jason brings it out in the voices of Arabella and other "country folk," who have no intellectual ambitions and are more willing to go with the flow. His characterization of Sue, to me, was somewhat less successful than his Jude; but his Jude is so brilliantly done, so exceptional in the way it conveys Jude's gentleness, rage, and despair, that I'm willing to give him five stars for the whole thing. I'll definitely make an effort, in the future, to listen to more of his readings.
Listen to it, by all means, but don't listen to it if you're depressed or even just having a bad day. It will exercise your compassion to the breaking point.
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13 people found this helpful
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- Lauren
- 03-23-17
Another good, tragic Hardy Novel
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would the themes of being trapped outside of a dream are still relevant today.
What did you like best about this story?
He teaches about life lessons and the characters are memorable and relateable.
What does Neville Jason bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Speed.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
And you thought your life was miserable...
Any additional comments?
Great reader (and I am picky). Enjoyable story.
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2 people found this helpful
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- inbar
- 06-10-21
If you’re looking for a Bildungsroman tragic book…..
I think this book is for classic lovers at heart.
It was read in British English which made it a bit difficult in the beginning, if you’d rather have an American accent find another version. Also, it was slow. I listened to it at a 1.6x times faster…
Tragic, a little boring at times, and yet: a Tom Hardy classic.
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- 33480
- 09-07-15
As Good As It Gets for Hardy
I would recommend this Hardy Novel for anyone who is interested in perusing his work. It's not nearly so depressing as the rest. The Narrator did a very good job. It's a long story, best enjoyed when you have a long trip ahead or a lot of down time. Once you start into Jude the Obscure, you will be compelled to keep going. At least, I was. If you are already familiar with Hardy novels and his style of characters, you will find these ones as engaging. The thing I love about Hardy's characters is, whether good, bad, ugly or downright deplorable, he really nails them. They spring to life. Sue - I wanted to throttle her. There isn't quite the degree of tragedy in Jude that exists in Mayor of Casterbridge or Tess. This is an unforgettable Thomas Hardy classic. Definitely "entry level" Hardy.
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1 person found this helpful