Kokoro Audiobook By Natsume Soseki cover art

Kokoro

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Kokoro

By: Natsume Soseki
Narrated by: Matt Shea
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.95

Buy for $19.95

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

"The subject of Kokoro, which can be translated as 'the heart of things' or as 'feeling,' is the delicate matter of the contrast between the meanings the various parties of a relationship attach to it. In the course of this exploration, Soseki brilliantly describes different levels of friendship, family relationships, and the devices by which men attempt to escape from their fundamental loneliness. The novel sustains throughout its length something approaching poetry, and it is rich in understanding and insight. The translation, by Edwin McClellan, is extremely good." (Anthony West, The New Yorker)

©1957 Regnery Publishing (P)2015 Regnery Publishing Classics Genre Fiction Literary Fiction United States World Literature
Beautiful Writing • Profound Themes • Perfect Narration • Emotional Depth • Universal Appeal • Cultural Insights
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
Cuánto tiempo es necesario para castigarnos por los pecados de antaño? Es el sentido de culpa tan fuerte o es la dificilísimo camino de perdonarnos... el que previene una vida tortuosa... un fin como salida

Melancolía y sentimientos de culpa

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The philosophy was deep and conveyed perfectly, and the novel itself was well structured and gripping, I got caught off guard by the story several times

Profound

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I think this book is definetely one of the Japanese classic. Soseki's writing skill is impeccable.

Hearth touching and make you in deep emotion.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I absolutely adore this book. It was written in such a subtle way which still was able to draw so many emotions from me, and it will definitely prove to be a truly unforgettable book. The narrator did a great job on it. I felt at some points as though he lacked great emotion but I soon realized that that was the way it was meant to be read. Over all, I would highly highly recommend this book.

Amazing story, amazing delivery

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Rather abrupt ending after quite a build-up, leaves the reader not knowing how the protagonist dealt with the situation he seemed to have ended up in.

A melancolic novel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I love this novel, and the fact that I can listen to it now, especially the part about Sensei, makes it more irresistible. I feel like I am actually listen to Sensei's voice and thoughts and it breaks my heart a little every time I listen to it.

This story always breaks my heart

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
the books pace is slow at first and you will question where the narrative leads you but once you get into the second part and truly understand the literature you will understand the importance of this book in terms of educating humanity and morality. a story about men i would say, and the struggles with pride and dignity

you will learn a lot from this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Kokoro is widely considered Soseki's masterpiece and listening to or reading the book makes it abundantly clear why. Matt Shea's narration is superb and never flags. I HIGHLY recommend this book and this recording.

Brilliant Novel / Affecting Performance

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great story. Very much recommended.

A coward dies a thousand times. Say what you need to say.

Mental

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I struggled to finish it at first. The first part of the narrative takes many words to say very little. I stopped midway out of boredom and irritation at the whiny-ness of the student character and didn't pick it up again for several months. Eventually I willed myself to finish the book since I had already read most of the way through it, and saw from other reviews that Sensei's portion of the story is more engaging.

Strangely, by the time I finished the book I'd decided that the story required the monotony to achieve its emotional peak. Matt Shea reads the text very flatly, so it allows Sensei's pain to come through very well without any distractions. This book tells a tale so sad and miserable that I think everyone can relate to, even if they haven't directly been touched by the tragedies that occur in the book. It touches on some qualities of human nature that we all acknowledge and possess, but puzzle us nonetheless.

This book is chilling. Heart-breaking. It will cause you to reflect on your own conscience. I recommend it.

Surprisingly moving

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews