Preview
  • Adam Bede

  • By: George Eliot
  • Narrated by: Nadia May
  • Length: 19 hrs and 52 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (314 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

Adam Bede

By: George Eliot
Narrated by: Nadia May
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.92

Buy for $24.92

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

George Eliot's first full-length novel is the moving, realistic portrait of three people troubled by unwise love.

Adam Bede is a hardy young carpenter who cares for his aging mother. His one weakness is the woman he loves blindly: the trifling town beauty, Hetty Sorrel, delights only in her baubles - and the delusion that the careless Captain Donnithorne may ask for her hand.

Betrayed by their innocence, both Adam and Hetty allow their foolish hearts to trap them in a triangle of seduction, murder, and retribution. Only in the lovely Dinah Morris, a preacher, does Adam find his redemption.

Public Domain (P)1995 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about Adam Bede

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    230
  • 4 Stars
    63
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    233
  • 4 Stars
    37
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    199
  • 4 Stars
    59
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Warren S

I have heard it said that it is easier for novelist to write about vicious characters than it is to create a virtuous character who is believable. George Elliot has created in Adam Bede and Dinah Morris two virtuous characters who are also complex. Thus, George Eliot, like her fellow, Victorian novelist, uses this novel as an occasion for the reader’s reflection and moral improvement of his character. Nadia May’s Nelly masters the heavy northern dialect that George Elliot commits to print. Therefore, this is one of the finest performances I have listened to. if you like, Victorian novels, this one is not to be missed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Amazing Narration

Maybe not surprisingly because this was Eliot's first novel, I had a few complaints about the pacing and about the resolution of some plot lines. But the prose was always beautiful and it was overall an interesting enough story to be worth the time. And, oh my god, Nadia May's narration! So good. All the voices were very distinct, all the accents and verbal mannerisms wonderfully captured. May also was always right on the mark with tone, hitting everything from the sometimes droly ironic narration or humorous dialog to the most tense scenes with just the right inflection. If you're thinking of reading Adam Bede, definitely give this audiobook a shot. Way better than slogging through the phonetically written dialect of the original text.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A heart wrenching and heart warming classic beautifully read

So beautifully read. Amazing how relatable George Elliott’s 18th/19th century characters can be. It’s her ability to put into words the internal workings and wrestling of her characters’ hearts, minds, and souls. And always a good history lesson included.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Captivating

Nadia has a beautiful reading voice
The representation of Dinah is encouraging and inspiring
Love for those tempted is masterfully brought about and redemption and forgiveness are key themes

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Book. Beautifully Narrated.

Another classic George Eliot work, Adam Bede did not disappoint. As in her other works, Ms. Eliot demonstrates through her characters and commentary the most penetrating and incisive understanding of human nature I’ve encountered. Nadia May’s performance as narrator is shockingly good considering the large number of characters and dialects she successfully mastered. A fantastic listen all around.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Story well read

How times have changed. This story was well read and helped to tell a story of faith, love, loss, tragedy and hope. Great characters.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding Character Development.

Adam Bede is one of my all time favorite books. Great male character development.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Worth a credit, wow

George Eliot was such an amazing writer, and Nadia May is one of my very favorite narrators. I’ll definitely listen to this again

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a perceptible writer

George Eliot certainly gets "into the bones " of her characters . As the first of her books it is a tantalising taste to what subsequently follows.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great plot, great performance

This book kept me listening till 4:30 AM. I thought I knew what would happen, but I was wrong. And the reader was always interesting to listen to. Kudos!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful