Madame Bovary: A Signature Performance by Leelee Sobieski

By: Gustave Flaubert

Narrated by: Leelee Sobieski

Length: 12 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

One hundred and fifty years ago, Gustave Flaubert set the bar for scandal, adultery, and financial catastrophe with Madame Bovary. Now, Audible Signature Classics presents two-time Golden Globe Award nominee Leelee Sobieski (Joan of Arc) in a singular new performance that highlights the ambiguity behind a brilliantly crafted character: was Emma Bovary depraved or just a victim of circumstance?

This is the story of a beautiful woman who marries a devoted, provincial doctor, but believes she was meant for something more—a life of luxury, leisure, and, above all, true and passionate love. She throws herself headlong into a reckless series of doomed affairs, with tragic consequences, and plunges her family into financial ruin.

Sobieski’s Emma is sultry but vulnerable, offering a sympathetic rendering of the feckless madame and her plight in this cautionary tale of love, passion, and desperation. Will you condemn the madame?

Listen to more one-of-a-kind performances from actors Elijah Wood, Kenneth Branagh, David Hyde Pierce, and more, only from Audible Signature Classics.

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Public Domain (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Signature Performance? Bewilderingly bad!

The narration was so bad that I returned this rendition of Madame Bovary (which I’ve read at least twice before in print so was excited to hear aloud) & found an alternate version w/a narrator whose reading reflects genuine sympathetic understanding of the novel, it’s particular characters & sensibilities. Ms Sobieski declaims/projects each sentence in a uniformly loud, affectless voice—like bad performance art. I dislike writing negative reviews but am always grateful to other reviewers for fair-minded assessments of books I’m considering, esp given a classic work with lots of versions & so many wonderful narrators to chose from. I’m a diehard Audible-phile & treasure a few of the Signature Performance titles—esp Huck Finn—but this pairing of reader & book is an egregious mismatch. Truly bewildering. After 3 hours & no improvement, I found it simply, sadly unbearable...

great book; tortured delivery

A fabulous book that is narrated poorly. Sobieski sounds like a student who, while clearly excited by the language and action, spits out the tale in a clumsy, uneven fashion. A disappointing experience.

Very tough to get through!

Although I have always had a rule that I never give up on a book before I finish it, this one was tough. The narrator was abominable! She tries so hard to have good diction that she sounds like an automaton. Then, when she does use emphasis, it is usually inappropriate. The narrator ruined the story.

Terrible Narration

The narrator butchers the French words so badly it's unlistenable. She says Tostes as "toast" in that American twang. TOWST. Shudder.

Madame Bovary

Very hard to follow and agree with the previous review - kept listening hoping it would get better, and it did not. Stopped after book 1. Darn - wasted credit.

binion

slow story poorly read. a Waste of money. It was torture to listen to! I was so disappointed

Narrator sounds like an angry robot

I am 1/4 of the way through this audiobook. The narrator is just awful. Literally, she sounds like an angry robot and tends to push out and put too much emphasis with the last word of every sentence. This "actress" is an awful narrator. I am shocked that no one coached her how to read. I cannot bear to listen to this book any longer. This book is intolerable to listen to. I know this review sounds over dramatic...... but the narrator has ruined this classic piece of literature. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!

Terrible narration

I was looking forward to finally listening to this book since it is a classic and I like Leelee Sobieski as an actress. I could not get past her strange pauses/breaks in reading and the lack of emotion from the characters. At times, listening was almost unbearable...especially when she did the male voices while they were arguing or having discussions. Her reading got a little better towards the end but it was a disappointment as a whole.

Most boring book ever

I thought this book might get better after I got into it, but it only remained boring. Finally I could stand it no longer and stopped listening after 17 chapters!

Madame Bovary

Wonderful book, but the narration was mediocre at best. I've never said anything negative about a narrator before, but have to in this case. Because of the boring narration, it was difficult making it to the end. Like I said, though, the book itself is wonderful.