Middlemarch

By: George Eliot

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

Length: 35 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

Dorothea Brooke is an ardent idealist who represses her vivacity and intelligence for the cold, theological pedant Casaubon. One man understands her true nature: the artist Will Ladislaw. But how can love triumph against her sense of duty and Casaubon’s mean spirit? Meanwhile, in the little world of Middlemarch, the broader world is mirrored: the world of politics, social change, and reforms, as well as betrayal, greed, blackmail, ambition, and disappointment.

Dorothea Brooke is an outstanding heroine; Middlemarch is filled with characters that are vivid and true, comic and moving. It is one of the greatest novels in the English language.

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Public Domain (P)2011 Naxos AudioBooks

Juliet Stevenson is amazing

Where does Middlemarch rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favorites. I've listened twice and expect I will again.

Any additional comments?

Narration perfection. I had to remind myself that all the distinct character portrayals were by the same narrator.

Incredible

The book itself is stunning. If you are worried it's too long, don't be. If anything I wish it went for another 34 hours. I was completely carried away with each chapter.

Juliet Stevenson gives a narration performance for the ages. A true work of art to match the book she is reading. So much thought and life is added to every character. It's hard not to feel the voice of George Eliot speaking directly through her. I've listened to several books she has read, all are excellent. But this one is a standout.

Don't make the mistake of missing out on this. It's on everyone's top ten lists for a reason. It's a book that must be read and is so easy to love.

Juliet Stevenson brings the entire novel to life

Any additional comments?

It is certainly very difficult to bring every character in this highly-populated novel to life when you do the narration but Juliet Stevenson has done a wonderful and terrific job of narrative mastery by handling the drama and the nuances of the novel so well that listening to this novel has become something of an addiction for me.

Mimicking the voices of members of the other sex could prove to be rather awkward for fiction narrators but Juliet Stevenson has so captured the exact essence of the dialogue that her own voice disappears and the various characters simply speak for themselves.

Narrating such a multi-layered Victorian novel is indeed a daunting task even for professional performers but Juliet Stevenson has done the novel absolute credit in her masterly rendition.

My all-time favorite book.

This was my favorite book when I read it 20 years ago. I loved re-discovering it with this awesome narrator

A classic

There are many passages in this work which eclipse most works in the English language. Eliot had a remarkable gift of observation, and displays it in full throughout the text. Unfortunately, it slowly becomes to much. Every scene is charged by particular psychological descriptions, to the point of tedium. Eliot, we get it, everyone is complex to the point of being unclassifiable, but for the love of God, let us have some plot! The narrator was top shelf and did a remarkable job. She even read each chapter’s epigraphs! This is the white whale of Victorian lit, and I am glad of the experience, though I doubt I will be caught back again in Eliot’s verbose webs.

Stevenson is brilliant

Stevenson is the best reader of British lit I know of. She’s a genius: articulate, passionate in her emotions (without melodrama), and wonderful at dialect. Gold standard, right here. Another great production by the ever exacting Naxos.

Still relevant 150+ years later

Great listen! This book has been a Waterloo since college. I just could not enjoy reading it. Juliet Stevenson turns a chore to joy with her skilled narration. The subjects covered in this book: female autonomy, medical practitioners over-prescribing for personal enrichment, hypocritical and low politics, social media (of the time) and the value of education are all still problems plaguing us today. I’m grateful for this recording so I could finally enjoy this master work.

So many interesting characters.

Amazing vocabulary, and writing to communicate so many personalities and emotions. My only difficulty was keeping track of so many characters.

Amazing narration of an amazing story

I would listen to Juliet Stevenson read the phone book. Her narration makes this story come alive in so many ways.

Crowning achievement in humbling humanity

This book has been my favorite ever since I first read it as a teenager, and I have detested every adaptation of it which I have come across until now. Juliet Stephenson’s reading does justice to the best book in the English language.