For Whom the Bell Tolls

By: Ernest Hemingway

Narrated by: Campbell Scott

Publisher's summary

In 1937, Ernest Hemingway traveled to Spain to cover the civil war there for the North American Newspaper Alliance. Three years later he completed the greatest novel to emerge from "the good fight", For Whom the Bell Tolls.

The story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigades attached to an antifascist guerilla unit in the mountains of Spain, it tells of loyalty and courage, love and defeat, and the tragic death of an ideal. In his portrayal of Jordan's love for the beautiful Maria and his superb account of El Sordo's last stand, in his brilliant travesty of La Pasionaria and his unwillingness to believe in blind faith, Hemingway surpasses his achievement in The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms to create a work at once rare and beautiful, strong and brutal, compassionate, moving, and wise.

"If the function of a writer is to reveal reality," Maxwell Perkins wrote Hemingway after reading the manuscript, "no one ever so completely performed it." Greater in power, broader in scope, and more intensely emotional than any of the author's previous works, it stands as one of the best war novels of all time.

©1952 Ernest Hemingway (P)2006 Simon & Schuster Inc. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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Critic reviews

"This is the best book Ernest Hemingway has written, the fullest, the deepest, the truest. It will, I think, be one of the major novels in American literature." (The New York Times Book Review)

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5 out of 5 stars

By David Khoshabo on 01-21-19

I've read this so many times and still love it!

everyone has heard this book is a masterpiece, yet some still find it clunky or weird, etc. What these folks may not know is that Hemingway is channeling Spanish language, Spanish speaking costums and Spaniards as a people into a wonderfully coherent whole. Absolutely masterful!! it helps to know Spanird obscenities to get the real flavor. Aslo, the story and many of the characters were real players if not autobiographical. Top all this with one of the most potent villians in all literature and then put the cherry of a love story on top.

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5 out of 5 stars

By RONAN T on 04-14-09

A Classic by a Master

a timeless story enjoyable for every generation

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5 out of 5 stars

By Robert R. on 04-30-17

Narrator could cure insomnia.

Narrator sounds like he broke into someone's house and is hiding in the bedroom closet, whispering "For Whom The Bell Tolls" into a tape recorder.

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5 out of 5 stars

By Jim on 11-20-18

Great book and performance.

Beautiful book—but you probably know that. Campbell Scott brings all the characters to life, especially the women. Listening was pure delight.

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5 out of 5 stars

By Katie on 07-16-13

Couldn't be more pleased.

Would you listen to For Whom the Bell Tolls again? Why?

Yes. The story was captivating and would love to listen to it again to explore the characters a bit earlier in the story.

What did you like best about this story?

The relationships formed between the characters is layered and deep. The love story is nice, but the challenges that Roberto has faced and needs to face throughout the story drew me in and hooked me very soon within the story.

What does Campbell Scott bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Campbell did an EXCELLENT job of making me feel very connected to this story. The variations of the characters voices is brilliant, making this one of the most enjoyable audio books I've ever listened to. Bravo Campbell Scott!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Of course, I laughed and cried... multiple times.

Any additional comments?

I had a few problems with 'dropouts' during the audio (more than 20 - could be because of the download ? but never have had a problem with any other download) which was frustrating at times.

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5 out of 5 stars

By Michael Simon on 08-21-17

Perfect Performance for One of the All Time Best Novels

Cambell Scott's performance in this audiobook was true to the spirit of the story. His vocal alterations for the different characters brought the characters alive, while also being subtle enough to not distract from Hemingway's beautiful prose. This book is incredible and Audible did a great job picking a voice actor that suited the author's voice and the tone of the story. All was captured and captured well.

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4 out of 5 stars

By Marshman on 03-11-16

Depressing

Meh, well written, interesting, and likely a very accurate depiction of life during guerrilla conflicts, but also a little tedious and dream of at times.

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5 out of 5 stars

By John on 09-16-17

For thee!

Hemingway takes us all through a journey to the very end on a ship of beautiful prose. The end is the end of us all.

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5 out of 5 stars

By hugh h on 09-13-15

Wonderful!

This story has it all, bravery for a cause , love set against all the odds, and heartbreaking account of the Spanish civil war. You'd have to be heartless not to be moved by this famous book.

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5 out of 5 stars

By Joseph on 06-29-16

Never a fan of Hemingway until now

All I can say is Wow! Don't know why I couldn't get into Hemingway as a younger man. Now I get it. Beautiful story wonderfully performed.

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