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Middlemarch
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 31 hrs and 49 mins
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Publisher's summary
The novel is set in the small town of Middlemarch and follows the inter-related lives of several characters. At the heart of the book is Dorothea, a kind-hearted and honest woman, who longs to find some way to improve the world. She marries an older academic, Casaubon, against the advice of her friends and family. Casaubon tries to assert his influence over Dorothea, but she refuses to succumb to Casaubon's will. Casaubon soon dies of a heart attack, and Dorothea marries his cousin, Will. But, in a last attempt to control Dorothea's life, Casaubon's will states that if Dorothea marries Will, she will lose her claim to Casaubon's estate.
Other unforgettable characters in Middlemarch include the young doctor, Lydgate, who come to the town to start his own practice. He soon falls in love with Rosamund, a woman who has spent her life in Middlemarch, and they eventually marry. Fred Vincey, used to a lavish lifestyle but also a gambler, falls into debt as he waits to inherit money from a rich neighbor. He drifts toward the clergy, and longs to marry Mary Garth. But until he proves himself worthy, Mary will have nothing to do with him.
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classic satire- would make Jon Stewart laugh
- By Connie on 06-04-08
By: Samuel Butler
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Le Pere Goriot
- By: Honoré de Balzac
- Narrated by: David McCallion
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Honoré de Balzac uses his classic style of detail to describe a most controversial setting in his novel Le Pere Goriot. The story takes place in Paris just after the fall of Napoleon in 1819. The story focuses on three characters, Rastignac, a student who wants to try and make it big in the capital, Vautrin, an interesting and funny character who is also quite mysterious, and the main character, Goriot, that carries a heavy burden that only a loving parent would endure.
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A minor masterpiece
- By Jack Rock on 03-04-18
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Anna Karenina
- By: Leo Tolstoy
- Narrated by: David Horovitch
- Length: 38 hrs
- Unabridged
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Anna Karenina seems to have everything - beauty, wealth, popularity and an adored son. But she feels that her life is empty until the moment she encounters the impetuous officer Count Vronsky.
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Beautiful story, amazing narration
- By Marcus Vorwaller on 08-02-08
By: Leo Tolstoy
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Lady Audley's Secret
- By: Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 5 hrs and 12 mins
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A fast-paced Victorian thriller that will delight audiences today as it did 100 years ago, Lady Audley's Secret has subterfuge, kidnapping, jealousy, and fraud, all thrown into the mix and shaken up for good measure.
A mystery which keeps a listener guessing until the last moments, this production is a must-listen for anyone who enjoys playing detective.
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Narrator creates the listen
- By connie on 02-06-12
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The Idiot [Blackstone]
- By: Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Narrated by: Robert Whitfield
- Length: 22 hrs and 27 mins
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Prince Myshkin, is thrust into the heart of a society more concerned with wealth, power, and sexual conquest than the ideals of Christianity. Myshkin soon finds himself at the center of a violent love triangle in which a notorious woman and a beautiful young girl become rivals for his affections. Extortion, scandal, and murder follow, testing the wreckage left by human misery to find "man in man."
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Intense and painfully sad
- By Tad on 04-27-12
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3 Classic Novels
- Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Mansfield Park
- By: Jane Austen
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Giuliano, The Spire
- Length: 36 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Welcome to the world of Jane Austen, one of the most beloved authors in the English language. Austen's works are known for their wit, social commentary, and romantic storylines that have captivated readers for generations.
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Classic Novels are the best.
- By Maureen Hart on 09-07-23
By: Jane Austen
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2 Chapters and your hooked
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Problem with editing
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What listeners say about Middlemarch
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Elin VanD
- 04-08-15
Great reading, great book.
Would you listen to Middlemarch again? Why?
George Eliot creates a whole world that is now completely real to me. I'd like to spend time with these characters again.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Fred Vincy-- reminds me of myself. Also Lydgate because he is complex. And of course Dorothea-- even though she is so good all the time I am able to appreciate her for it.
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- joseph berry
- 08-08-20
Wonderful
Loved every moment. Beautiful. Transcendent. Inspiring. Pleasurable. Great. Could not stop listening. Thank you. Recommend.
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- Linda Willardsdaughter
- 07-23-21
Great story, dense prose
It took me a bit to "get into" this book, and at one point I was ready to quit, but then I got hooked on the story - and it is a great story, and now I can't wait to listen to this book again! Kate Reading is one of my favorite narrators.
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- ladybug
- 02-20-13
Masterpiece
Of course, this is a must. Read this first in a university class Women in Literature. There is everything right about this story.
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Overall
- Jennifer
- 06-21-06
Engrossing, non-stuffy entertainment!
I was looking for something to take me through a VERY long car trip, and I admit I was a little skeptical given the length of the book and that it was a "classic," but I can see why this style of novel was so popular in the days before TV. This collection of characters from a small town in England are distinct and throughly entertaining. The storytelling was so good that I found myself looking forward to getting in the car again to find out what happened next. The narrator is wonderful-- much better than I thought she would be given the price and the size of the book. I read Middlemarch in high school, and didn't enjoy it nearly as much. I highly recommend giving this a try!
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27 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Marbon
- 08-15-07
Wonderful classic
After listening through Dickens and Austen, among other British writers, George Elliot rates among the best with wonderful dialogue and storytelling. The reader is excellent.
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7 people found this helpful
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- connie
- 06-11-08
my favorite 19th C novel
For almost 40 years I thought that no 19th century novel would displace Austen in my little world, but Eliot's prose and her commentary on women's roles and social change, especially with regards to religion, family roles, and morals converted me. What a bridge bewteen the world of Austen and late Victorian novels. I read the paperback when I was much younger, but only came to apppreciate the novel as I listened to it. Kate Reading was fabulous.
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4 people found this helpful
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- GH
- 01-29-17
Published 146 years ago and still fabulous!
Middlemarch is set in a town in England in the early 1800's. The book is written by George Eliot, a pen name for a woman (Mary Ann Evans). She wrote under a male pen name in order to be taken seriously in the time and escape stereotyping. For our benefit, I am glad she did, or this work of art might be lost to us for all time. This work is beautifully written with description stuffed into every sentence like a delicious, decadent confection. The the language is 150 years old, listening to it performed made it accessible and very enjoyable. I especially love Kate Reading's narration. She is a master and it is fit, that a woman of her talent convey this work with some much passion.
The story's heroine is Dorothea Brook. Secondary heroes and heroines include Tertius Lydgatye, Will Laidislaw, Mary Garth, and Fred Vincy. You are especially close to these characters as circumstances change around them and they grow in your imagination and good wishes. Eliot is careful to fully develop those characters evolving around the hero/heroine set and show their full colors.
The town's political and social ecosystem is the protagonist throughout the entire work. Unlike many works that foreshadow way too much, Eliot uses this device sparingly so you may only peer a bit ahead with a guess, which may likely be as inaccurate. This story is so believable, touching so many varied emotions that it must be underscored to take ones time. Eliot wraps up the work's loose ends into a nice package which Hollywood should take note of.
I want to especially encourage followers to listen to this book. It's on many of the best 100 books of all times and in many, it is in the top ten for most. My literary soul is better for it.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Jennifer
- 07-22-10
Wonderful
I'll admit that I'd only ever heard this narrator reading trash, and I confess that I got this version out of a somewhat twisted idea that it might be funny, but the narration was perfect.
Elliot is, as always, delightful. You need some historical knowledge to fully appriciate all of it, but most of it translates surprisingly well to modern life. There are parts where the sarcasm is a bit thick, but overall Middlemarch has earned its place as a classic by having a compelling story mixed with witty and touching writing.
Well worth the credit.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Jerry
- 08-28-08
Unknown Saint
In the opening pages Elliott presents the notion of an unknown saint, then proceeds to flesh this character out in the exquisite detail of an entire world. In result both the human complexity and secret logic of such divinity is revealed. It's a breathtaking lesson in the possibility of soul. The narrator couldn't have helped more. Wow.
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1 person found this helpful