The English Patient Audiobook By Michael Ondaatje cover art

The English Patient

Preview

Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
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 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The English Patient

By: Michael Ondaatje
Narrated by: Jennifer Ehle
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.25

Buy for $20.25

Confirm purchase
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.
Cancel

About this listen

1992 Booker Prize

With ravishing beauty and unsettling intelligence, Michael Ondaatje's Booker Prize-winning novel traces the intersection of four damaged lives in an Italian villa at the end of World War II. Hana, the exhausted nurse; the maimed thief, Caravaggio; the wary sapper, Kip: Each is haunted by the riddle of the English patient, the nameless, burned man who lies in an upstairs room and whose memories of passion, betrayal, and rescue illuminate this book like flashes of heat lightening.

©2011 Michael Ondaatje (P)2022 Random House Audio
Classics Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Critic reviews

"A rare and spellbinding web of dreams." (Time)

"Sensuous, mysterious, rhapsodic, it transports the reader to another world.... Ondaatje's most probing examination yet of the nature of identity." (San Francisco Chronicle)

"Mr. Ondaatje [is] one of North America's finest novelists.... The spell of his haunted villa remains with us, inviting us to reread passages for the pure pleasure of being there." (Wall Street Journal)

Featured Article: Audible Essentials—The Top 100 Screen Adaptations of All Time


As the category of great page-to-screen storytelling continues to grow, we scoured our libraries, grilled audiophiles and cinephiles, and vetted the entire Audible catalog for the 100 greatest screen adaptations for watchers and listeners alike. These are the stories that inspired some of the greatest on-screen stories of all time, from Academy Award winners and cult classics to must-see TV. They're well worth the price of admission.

What listeners say about The English Patient

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    46
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    10
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    41
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    37
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 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

Great performance, timeless story

I’ve been exploring Man Booker finalists from past decades, and I’ve found that my favorite way to dive into these is through audiobook.

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje was one of the top books that I felt intrigued by (I love a good spy novel) and wanted to read straightaway. I remember hearing a lot about it as a child, because of the movie (which I haven’t watched yet, since I wanted to read the book first).

I loved the story. It focuses on four characters: Hana, Kip, a burned man who is the titular English Patient, and a former spy named Caravaggio, and how each of their lives was transformed and affected by the war. There is a post colonial narrative that was woven in subtly and in a meandering and indirect way, that culminates brilliantly in the book’s conclusion (very different from post colonial novels I’ve read which were written more recently, like RF Kuang’s Babel). This theme resonated deeply with me. The English Patient is one of my favorite books. The writing is evocative and poetic. There are so many great lines that I fell in love with, hearing them spoken out aloud. Not every fiction novel works well in the audio format, but since The English Patient is more about characters, and it has a sparse plot, it was easy to keep up. This was also excellently read and performed.

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
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

beautifully written

great. except for how the name "Laszlo" was pernounced. I highly recommend this book

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

Elegant and Evocative

Jennifer Ehle gives a steady well modulated performance to this elegantly and evocatively written novel.

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 pleasure to read a well-written book . GREAT

Loved it. Beautiful book. i read it and listened to it on Audible. Great narrator. It was even a beautiful movie.

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

Wow. I can't believe I waited so long!

So cerebral. so raw. Each paragraph a love letter to language. Very well read. An impossible story that makes you believe, even when you don't want to.

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

Beautiful writing!

Such wonderful imagery called up concerning four outstanding characters. The words had such a lovely and mysterious flow.
Everything was woven like a tapestry with rich colors and content.

The reader did a beautiful job! I never wanted it to end.

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
    4 out of 5 stars

A literary masterpiece

A literary masterpiece, and well-researched historical fiction. You’d think Ondaatje was once a sapper himself. The author’s poetic talents are on full display and the prose is beautiful and haunting as the mystery of the “English patient” is revealed. All the characters have lost something very dear to them, their lives rendered apart by a great war and their own foibles. It’s a tragic yet poignant story of loves that could not endure. Excellent narration and cadence by Jennifer Ehle.

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

So beautiful!

Highly recommend listening even if you may have read prior as I had. The beautiful words and prose come alive with the narration.
This novel is a treasure trove of deep meaning and irony. I feel I have been educated after reading. Thank you Michael Ondaatje

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
    4 out of 5 stars

Mesmerizing

Listening to Jennifer Ehle read this is a delight!
It made my travels much more palatable!
I saw the movie long ago and didn’t really get it…I am ready to watch it again, but I usually prefer the book.

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

El Paciente Inglés

Me encanto leer esta novela y me dio una mejor visión de los personajes mas que en el filme.
Los detalles históricos fueron impresionantes.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!