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Jude the Obscure
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 17 hrs and 52 mins
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Publisher's summary
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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Editorial reviews
This is why you listen, or why you should: Because a good performance is more than an easy way to "read" a book. And a great performance enhances the original, no matter how great (or not) it may be. Jenny Sterlin animates Hardy's characters without calling attention to herself - that is without raising thoughts of "here's a woman trying to sound like a man." She encourages continued listening when continued reading might be difficult; for example, when Sue and Jude are at their most exasperating. Sterlin's performance is recommended to all listeners - not just fans of Hardy or classic British literature. After all, this is why you listen. Or why you should.
Featured Article: It Was the Best of Scribes—The Best British Authors
With its esteemed history and bold contemporary scene, Britain lays claim to some of the most exciting literature in audio. With the hundreds of incredible British writers throughout the centuries, a person could devote their whole literary life solely to British authors and still never run out of amazing things to listen to. Whether you're an avid Anglophile or just want to discover the best English novelists for yourself, here’s a list of the best for you to choose from!
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Performance
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A very mixed review
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From the author of The Christmas Hirelings comes this Audible Exclusive production of Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s classic sensation novel Lady Audley’s Secret. English actress Olivia Poulet gives an assured and captivating narration; a cornerstone of the genre and a scandal at the time of its publication, Lady Audley’s Secret is an entertaining and shocking tale of high drama and shifting perceptions.
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Classic 19th Century “sensation novel”
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In this rich new audio production, acclaimed British American actress Rebecca Hall brings one of E. M. Forster's most admired works to life in this classic tale of human struggle. A charming young Englishwoman, Lucy Honeychurch, is wooed by both free-spirited George Emerson and wealthy Cecil Vyse while vacationing in Italy. Though attracted to George, Lucy becomes engaged to Cecil despite twice turning down his proposals. On hearing of the news, George confesses his love, leaving Lucy torn between marrying the more socially acceptable Cecil or George, the man she knows would bring her true happiness. Should Lucy choose social acceptance or true love?
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A lovely performance, and a wonderful story
- By Robert on 01-19-19
By: E. M. Forster
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The Shuttle
- By: Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Narrated by: Tabi That
- Length: 19 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Rosalie Vanderpoel, the daughter of an American multimillionaire marries an impoverished English baronet and goes to live in England. She all but loses contact with her family in America. Years later her younger sister Bettina, beautiful, intelligent and extremely rich, goes to England to find what has happened to her sister. She finds Rosalie shabby and dispirited, cowed by her husband's ill-treatment. Bettina sets about to rectify matters.
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More than Lovely
- By jTacy67 on 01-17-18
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Scenes of Clerical Life
- By: George Eliot
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton, through vignettes of his life, portrays a character who is hard to like and easy to ridicule. Many people do ridicule as well as slander and despise him, until his suffering shocks them into fellowship and sympathy.
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The first work...from a very old soul
- By Theodoc on 04-07-21
By: George Eliot
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Silas Marner
- By: George Eliot
- Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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For 15 years the weaver Silas Marner has plied his loom near the village of Raveloe, alone and unjustly in exile, cut off from faith and human love, he cares only for his hoard of golden guineas. But two events occur that will change his life forever; his gold disappears and a golden-haired baby girl appears. But where did she come from and who really stole the gold? This moving tale sees Silas eventually redeemed and restored to life by the unlikely means of his love for the orphan child Eppie.
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amazing
- By Ramon on 06-04-12
By: George Eliot
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The Jewel of Seven Stars
- By: Bram Stoker
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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The warning was inscribed on the entrance of the hidden tomb, forgotten for millennia in the sands of mystic Egypt. Then the archaeologists and grave robbers came in search of the fabled Jewel of Seven Stars, which they found clutched in the hand of the mummy. Few heeded the ancient warning, until all who came in contact with the Jewel began to die in a mysterious and violent way, with the marks of a strangler around their neck.
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Mother of all Mummy-Stories
- By Dorothea on 03-15-08
By: Bram Stoker
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Ethan Frome
- By: Edith Wharton
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 3 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Ethan Frome, a poor, downtrodden New England farmer, is trapped in a loveless marriage to his invalid wife, Zeena.When Zeena's young cousin Mattie arrives to help care for her, Ethan is immediately taken by Mattie's warm, vivacious personality. They fall desperately in love as he realizes how much is missing from his life and marriage.
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Slow is smooth and smooth is Fast until it isn't
- By Darwin8u on 05-29-13
By: Edith Wharton
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Howards End
- By: E. M. Forster
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Howards End is a beautifully subtle tale of two very different families brought together by an unusual event. The Schlegels are intellectuals, devotees of art and literature. The Wilcoxes are practical and materialistic, leading lives of "telegrams and anger". When the elder Mrs. Wilcox dies and her family discovers she has left their country home - Howards End - to one of the Schlegel sisters, a crisis between the two families is precipitated that takes years to resolve.
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Fantastic Narration in Delightful Story
- By Wren on 05-05-18
By: E. M. Forster
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Ghosts: Edith Wharton's Gothic Tales
- By: Edith Wharton
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin, Jonathan Epstein, Corinna May, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Beneath the brilliance that was behind The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome was a dark side. A dark side which produced magnificent tales of the unseen influences in our lives, such as "Mr. Jones", "The Eyes", "Kerfol", "The Ladie's Maid's Bell", and "The Looking Glass".
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Ghastly Shadows of the Feminine Condition
- By Diane on 10-16-12
By: Edith Wharton
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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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- D. Byrd
- 10-17-15
A sad and world-changing book
I found this title on a list of books that will change the way you think. And, indeed, published in the late 1800s it must have been a shock to many at the time. It so criticizes and even destroys the notion of marriage as a universal good. Today, in North America at least, we all except the idea that the first person you marry might not be the last. But this book must've been one of the first to place the idea of righteous divorce in print, and, for that reason it must've been one of the first to change the great secret that many marriages are unhappy, previously only hidden in the hearts of so many. Poor Jude and poor Sue. My heart broke for them, reading this.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Sohairko
- 11-08-20
Extraordinary
Beautiful, so beautiful a story, liked it so much. One of Hardy's masterpieces. Recommended, thanks to Jenny Sterlin for the touch she added.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Ann Marie Taylor
- 05-13-24
Great author
This is the first book I have read of Thomas Hardy and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can understand why the book was so controversial.
It’s well worth the listen
Great narrator
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- tetrahymena
- 06-30-18
One of Hardy's Most Powerful Tales
Not everyone finds Thomas Hardy to their taste. However, if you like Hardy's other works, such as the Mayor of Caserbridge or Tess of the Dubivilles, you will like Jude the Obscure. Anyone who has reached for the stars only to find reality and circumstance standing in their way will be able to empathize with Jude, the labourer who dreams of being a scholar. He is the good man who makes one bad choice early in life and spends his remaining days burdened by that decision. Great reader. Throughly enjoyed the book.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Whitney
- 02-14-21
Important but not "enjoyable"
Don't come here expecting a feel good love story! But this story is thought-provoking in the best of ways.
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- mike s.
- 02-19-20
Bleak, but a great voice artist
What’s the point in reviewing a book written in 1895? I’m only doing it to praise the voice actor. I’ve liked other Thomas Hardy novels. I kept hoping that something good or even mildly pleasant would happen. I’m guessing this was Hardy’s last book because he didn’t think much of the world. He certainly seemed to hate woman. The two females in this book are perhaps the worse women ever written. Bleak and more bleak.
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1 person found this helpful
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- valerie
- 03-17-13
Ugh!
This Nartor is amazing!! If you like the english accent she is great I think I read another book by her about a scottish family. I enjoyed her reading but not the book at all. I finally stopped listenin, it was just too depressing, I just couldn't hang in long enough to find out if any good was going to happen to this guy
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