The Sun Also Rises

By: Ernest Hemingway, Colm Toibin

Narrated by: William Hurt

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Originally published in 1926, The Sun Also Rises is Ernest Hemingway’s first novel and a classic example of his spare but powerful writing style.​

A poignant look at the disillusionment and angst of the post-World War I generation, the novel introduces two of Hemingway’s most unforgettable characters: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. In his first great literary masterpiece, Hemingway portrays an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions.

Who's your papa? Listen to more from Ernest Hemingway.

©1926 Charles Scribner's Sons. Copyright renewed 1954 Ernest Hemingway. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form (P)2006 Simon and Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon and Schuster Audio Division, Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

2007 Audie Award Finalist for Classics

"An absorbing, beautifully and tenderly absurd, heart-breaking narrative....It is a truly gripping story, told in lean, hard athletic prose...magnificent." (The New York Times)

“The ideal companion for troubled times: equal parts Continental escape and serious grappling with the question of what it means to be, and feel, lost.” (The Wall Street Journal)

Narrator ruins a classic

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Any other narrator.

What did you like best about this story?

It's pacing. The characters. Everything.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of William Hurt?

Anyone else capable of speech.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Sun Also Rises?

In this version? All of it. The narrator has committed an unspeakable act of violence to this text.

Any additional comments?

This is the first audiobook that I have had to stop reading because of a narrator. I'm not too picky and can stand sub-par narration. But this was a horror show. This is my favourite book. I have read it countless times. I was excited to hear the audiobook for the first time. Oh boy, was I was let down. I couldn't keep going after only fifteeen minutes. It hurt my soul to hear this book read so blandly with wild, careless inflections. It was read as if for the first time and like every other sentence surprised the speaker. There are some other reviews which detail the poor narration better than I and anyone reading this should check them out too.

I hastily got a refund only to find there are no other versions on audible and I couldn't leave a review without owning it. So I respent the credit and I will prbably keep the book. I may even listen to it again at some point but I will not enjoy it.

It is a travesty that so many others have left such good reviews. The score for this audiobook should be much lower. It is also a shame that the audiobook will probably sell so well merely because it is the only version on audible.

William hurt

Great great story but the reader comes close to ruining it. Horrible accents, would love to hear it again with someone else reading it

Good Book, Boring Read

I seriously had to listen to most of it on YouTube because Hurt is so boring. He reads too slow and can put you to sleep. I may have enjoyed the book more if someone else read it

Excellent performance

William Hurt does an outstanding job performing this book. Really brings it to life and makes each character distinct and unique.

Too slow

I guess it was just the wrong time for me to appreciate.
It was a classic so I wanted to at least try and read it.

Great book, average narration

I loved this book and, though it’s slow paced, I got a lot out of it and found it fascinating to learn more about the lost generation after World War 1. The book was great, and despite almost being a century old it remains timely and relatable in the modern day.

That being said, I didn’t love the narrator. His narration was a bit off, and his inflections were weird. I gave up on the audiobook around halfway through and read the physical copy instead. One of few books on Audible where I didn’t think the narrator did the story justice.

Disappointed

Would you listen to The Sun Also Rises again? Why?

I guess you had to be there, but I don't understand all the hoopla about Hemingway. Found the book rather boring - like Lady Brett - bored. Some say this is his best novel, but I don't see it. Not sure I liked Hurt as narrator - although he sounded bored like Jake and all the others.

Would you be willing to try another book from Ernest Hemingway? Why or why not?

Yes, hope I see the fascination.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes, slow.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No!

What is the point?!

Though I enjoyed the performance, I still don't understand what Hemingway wanted to convey in this novel other than that the main characters are a lost generation in Europe. This you can gather from the first quote in the novel and you don't need to listen to the whole thing. It really felt to me that Hemingway is showing off his knowledge of various places in Europe without any substance. But who am I to critique Hemingway :)

Loved William Hurt as narrator!

Some genius paired Hemingway and Hurt and I cant imagine another voice for these characters. The vivid life brought to Bill and Mike (and all the others!) as performed by Hurt was smashing! Even the non dialogue parts are recounted with a lilt and cadence (you have to listen to know what I mean) that seems to capture the very spirit of Hemingway. Thank you for a superb performance Mr Hurt and a fine story Mr Hemingway.

Unconventional narration with this classic

William Hurt is splendid in this reading. He really dines or on the pacing.