The Red and the Black
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Narrated by:
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Bill Homewood
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By:
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Stendhal
About this listen
Young Julien Sorel, the son of a country timber merchant, carries a portrait of his hero, Napoleon Bonaparte, and dreams of military glory. A brilliant career in the Church leads him into Parisian high society, where, "mounted upon the finest horse in Alsace", he gains high military office and wins the heart of the aristocratic Mlle Mathilde de la Mole. Julien's cunning and ambition lead him into all sorts of scrapes, but it is the struggle between his passion for two beautiful women - the quixotic Mathilde and the loyal Mme de Rênal - which ultimately decides his destiny.
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- By Luis Enrique Cuevas Hernández on 02-14-21
By: Alejandro Dumas
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Le Pere Goriot
- By: Honoré de Balzac
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
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At the shabby boarding house in the rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève, petty Madame Vauquer and her tenants wonder at the plight of the aging resident Goriot. Once a well-heeled merchant, Goriot was, at first, afforded special treatment from the Madame. But now something is clearly amiss in his financial affairs, and his increasingly tawdry appearance makes him a subject of ridicule in the household.
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balzac rocks
- By beatrice on 03-12-10
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Lady Susan, The Watsons, and Sanditon
- By: Jane Austen
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- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
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Previously unpublished in unabridged audio, these three works (one novel unpublished in her lifetime and two unfinished fragments) reveal Jane Austen's development as a great artist.
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For the Austen Addict
- By Joseph R on 09-09-09
By: Jane Austen
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On the Irrawaddy, A Story of the First Burmese War
- Svenska Ljud Classica
- By: G. A. Henty
- Narrated by: Mike Harris
- Length: 8 hrs and 42 mins
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With the exception of the terrible retreat from Afghanistan, none of England's many little wars have been so fatal in proportion to the number of those engaged as our first expedition to Burma. The Burman policy of carrying off every boat on the river, laying waste the whole country, and driving away the inhabitants and the herds, maintained our army as prisoners in Rangoon through the first wet season; and caused the loss of half the white officers and men first sent there.
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Great story! Great reading. Editor - not so much
- By David on 11-03-17
By: G. A. Henty
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The Three Musketeers (AmazonClassics Edition)
- By: Alexandre Dumas, William Robson - translator
- Narrated by: Guy Mott
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Young nobleman d’Artagnan has arrived in Paris intent on joining the guardians of King Louis XIII. He befriends the regiment’s most formidable musketeers, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, and together they unite in their commitment to uphold justice. Soon, a royal indiscretion thrusts them into an audacious escapade of courtly intrigue, thwarted romance, and daring rescue. But it’s the Machiavellian schemes of a powerful enemy and the wicked seductions of an ingenious female spy that will be their greatest challenges.
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terrible narrator. every comma is a 3 second pause
- By Anonymous User on 09-21-21
By: Alexandre Dumas, and others
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Anna Karenina
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Leo Tolstoy's classic story of doomed love is one of the most admired novels in world literature. Generations of readers have been enthralled by his magnificent heroine, the unhappily married Anna Karenina, and her tragic affair with dashing Count Vronsky.
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Need to Disclose and Highlight Name of Translator
- By Charles B on 08-27-18
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Scaramouche
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“He was born with a gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad … “So begins this historical tale of romantic adventure. Andre-Louis Moreau is an orphan and cousin of the beloved Aline. He is raised by his godfather, the Lord of Gavrillac, and matures into an educated lawyer—while Aline sets her mind on marrying the rich but dishonorable Marquis de la Tour d’Azyr. But when Moreau’s closest friend is killed by the Marquis in a duel, Moreau vows vengeance. After publicly denouncing the aristocracy and stirring up the crowds, Moreau is forced to go into hiding.
By: Rafael Sabatini
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The American
- By: Henry James
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
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Self-made American millionaire Christopher Newman arrives in Paris brimming with hope and optimism, excited to experience the culture and, hopefully, find the perfect woman to become his wife. After a chance encounter with American expatriate friends, his attention is drawn to Madame de Cintré, 25-year-old widowed daughter of the late Marquis de Bellegarde. Having fallen on hard times, the centuries-old aristocratic family permits Newman's courtship to proceed; however, they later persuade the widow to break off her engagement to the nouveau-riche businessman.
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excellent reading
- By Andorboth on 12-03-22
By: Henry James
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Agnes Grey
- By: Anne Brontë
- Narrated by: Emilia Fox
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Having lost the family savings on risky investments, Richard Grey removes himself from family life and suffers a bout of depression. Feeling helpless and frustrated, his youngest daughter, Agnes, applies for a job as a governess to the children of a wealthy, upper-class, English family. Ecstatic at the thought that she has finally gained control and freedom over her own life, Agnes arrives at the Bloomfield mansion armed with confidence and purpose.
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Loved it
- By Kerry on 05-22-10
By: Anne Brontë
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What listeners say about The Red and the Black
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- G. Hawkins
- 01-12-23
Best ending ever!
A forever entreating classic with respect to the complexity of human relations. The ending is Inevitable, even in contemporary matters, as the result of uncompromising ideology.
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- K. R. Elrod
- 07-04-22
Tedious! Listened for the narrator.
What a tedious listen. I enjoyed the history lesson on French Bourgeoisie of the 19th century, but the short life and death of Julian is pretty uninteresting through the modern lens. This style of writing favors the portrayal of ladies fainting away with the power of emotion, and overuse of tropes like turning red, then white, then purple (changing color) and the word “astonished!” Kind of funny if you can get through the boredom of the story. I listened because I fell in love with Bill Homewood’s gorgeous narration of The Count of Monte Cristo, but alas this story was kind of a stinker.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Lance L.
- 01-22-18
Why?
I read this book as assigned reading for a literature class. I finished reading it. I do not know why. Until the teacher explains that to me, my conjecture is that this helps understand the development of novel writing. I cannot think of any other possible reason to read it in 2018. Perhaps my evaluation says more about me than it does about the book.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Chrissie
- 08-30-14
Slow and wordy
No, I did not like this book. I disliked the intertwining of its two central themes, one being a criticism of French Bourbon society after the fall of Napoleon and the crazy, unbelievable love affairs. The writing becomes more and more absurd the further you progress into the novel. The language is old-fashioned, formal, complicated and wordy. I was bugged to no end by the excessive use of etcetera and etcetera over and over again. Perhaps that was a translation problem? I am not sure.
The book is extremely slow, even if it does pick speed as it nears the end only to fall again to turtle velocity at the conclusion.
This is a book of satire and by the end the author's "message" has been pounded into you. Events become absurdly ridiculous. I preferred the more subtle humor at the beginning. The question is - did I ever really laugh? No.
I must repeat my earlier statement found below: if this is a book that is supposed to offer a psychological study of characters, why are my feelings toward Julien, the main character, only lukewarm?
The famed actor Bill Homewood narrated the audiobook I listened to. The French pronunciation was fine but I disliked his added dramatics, even if perhaps he was merely exaggerating what the author intended to be exaggerated.
So I did not enjoy the humor, or the wordy writing, or the incredible romances. I will neither be listening to Homewood again nor reading more books by Stendhal.
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Two-thirds through the audiobook:
This is v-e-r-y slow.
Be prepared for a multitude of pontificating old men.
The language is old-fashioned and formal; it was written in 1830 and is concerned with the upper-classes of French society after the defeat of Napoleon.
What is important above all else is your class. Will Julien Sorel be able to escape his class? He is intelligent. He is ambitious.
And then there are scandalous love affairs....involving not only Julien but an older woman who really ought to know better because she at least has the experience of age! More importantly, the author's lines do not make me feel either Julien's or her passion.
I do not empathize with any character. I do not dislike Julien, but I dislike what he is aspiring to. In addition, if this is a book that is supposed to offer a psychological study of characters why are my feelings toward Julien only lukewarm?
I am not done, and I will continue, but.....
Keep in mind when you look at the rating that MANY people close the book before completion and thus do not rate it.
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11 people found this helpful
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- Aida B
- 09-09-19
Stendhal may well be defined as the Nicolas Sparks of his time
A cheesy romance; full of empty dialogues and without any consistent character development. If not for the narrator, this would be an extremely impossible to hear book.
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4 people found this helpful
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- SandyK
- 11-21-21
Not For Me, and No, Thank You!
I’ve read or listened to many of the world’s great novels. And I’ve studied much and thought a lot about this one in particular.
I’m sorry to say I find little of merit in it. The characterization of Julien is a mess, as is that of the other major characters. The plot proceeds with little sense or rhyme or reason. As I say, I’ve studied the case for the novel. It’s unconvincing to me and largely a pretentious cover for a mediocre novel.
The narration is ok. The sound quality is only fair.
If I were to have the choice again, I’d pass, realizing that not all novels on the list of the “great” are truly great.
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1 person found this helpful