Brideshead Revisited

By: Evelyn Waugh

Narrated by: Jeremy Irons

Length: 11 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

Selected by Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of the century and called "Evelyn Waugh's finest achievement" by the New York Times, Brideshead Revisited is a stunning exploration of desire, duty, and memory. Read by Jeremy Irons, star of the acclaimed 1981 television series based on the novel.

The wellsprings of desire and the impediments to love come brilliantly into focus in Evelyn Waugh's masterpiece - a novel that immerses us in the glittering and seductive world of English aristocracy in the waning days of the empire. Through the story of Charles Ryder's entanglement with the Flytes, a great Catholic family, Evelyn Waugh charts the passing of the privileged world he knew in his own youth and vividly recalls the sensuous pleasures denied him by wartime austerities.

At once romantic, sensuous, comic, and somber, Brideshead Revisited transcends Waugh's early satiric explorations and reveals him to be an elegiac, lyrical novelist of the utmost feeling and lucidity.

"A genuine literary masterpiece." (Time)

"Heartbreakingly beautiful...The 20th century's finest English novel." (Los Angeles Times)

©1973 Laura Waugh (P)2012 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Evelyn Waugh's finest achievement." (John K. Hutchens, New York Times)

"A many-faceted book....beautifully told by one of the most exhilarating stylists of our time." (Newsweek)

Irons is too good for this

Jeremy Irons' performance is better than this story deserved. It's not often I read something as well written as this that is so irritating. The protagonist is an immature fool who doesn't begin to grow up until the end of the story.

Brilliant novel with flawless narration

Never having seen the BBC series, and having read very little Waugh, I come to Brideshead Revisited with an open mind and no expectations.

I was surprised by the beauty and power of the prose, the complexity of the characters, and skillful balancing act between deadly seriousness and laugh out loud humor (and I almost never lol from fiction). Amazing writing.

Jeremy Irons is an actor I’ve always admired, though I’ve rarely seen him play a sympathetic character. His voice alone is worth the price of the audiobook, but he brings so much more than just a great voice. He inhabits not just the main character (whose voice narrates the entire novel), but all of the characters.

Five stars hardly does justice to this wonderful audiobook.

Jeremy Irons is a master!

There are not enough words to describe how good this audiobook is. The story, in and of itself, is a masterpiece, but Jeremy Irons' rendition is absolutely perfect. He demonstrates once again that he is one of the finest actors of his generation, and his talents are on full display here. His portrayal of every character with their own accents and speech patterns never ceases to impress.

Get this audiobook, and listen to it often. You won't be disappointed.

Yes, Evelyn Waugh is a man.

A beautifully written novel, full of life in a different strata than most of us experience, it is the story of Charles Ryder, who through one thing and another, comes to understand and be part of the privileged well-to-do. In the end, it is the faith of the wealthy Marchmains that tears his own world apart.

I loved this story on many levels, but it was a little depressing. It did have its redeeming value, though, and that makes it worth the read. I’m pretty sure that if I could have read this book within a few years of its publication, I would have truly loved it. I understand why it is on so many must-read lists. My heart hurt for Charles. I wanted to help him see things as they really are, which was hard for him to do.

In case you are wondering, as I was, Evelyn Waugh is a man, and his name is pronounced with a hard E, “Eevelyn”, and almost not pronouncing the middle syllable at all.

Great book outstanding narration

Does it get any better than this for English novels? I think not. A classic.

Perfect narration

Beautifully written story. I would definitely recommend it. I read it long ago but this wonderful narrator gave it more depth and flavor than my internal reading.

wonderful love story.

I enjoyed the audio book presentation of the novel. jeremh Irons is a superb narator.

Beautiful story, beautifully read.

Brideshead has always been one of my favorite television series, but I had never read the book. This was the perfect way to experience the book. I had no idea that the series was so true to the book and having it read by Jeremy Irons caused me to reimagine all the characters and events as they were depicted in the series. The language and writing is delicious and the reading by Irons is magical.

Beautifully written

Although I found it hard to care about any of them, Jeremy Irons does a great job distinguishing characters.

If all books could be narrated by Jeremy Irons!

What a wonderful story and narration! Listened to it in one setting because I couldn't tare myself away.