Thérèse Raquin

By: Emile Zola

Narrated by: Kate Winslet

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Once upon a time, a teenaged Kate Winslet (The Reader, Titanic, Revolutionary Road) received a gift that would leave a lasting impression: a copy of Emile Zola’s classic Thérèse Raquin. Six Academy Award nominations and one Best Actress award later, she steps behind the microphone to perform this haunting classic of passion and disaster.

Thérèse Raquin is the story of a young woman forced into an unhappy marriage to her dull, sickly cousin and smothered by her overbearing aunt. When her husband’s childhood friend enters her life, it leads to a torrid affair that sets her spirit free for the first time, but with shattering consequences. Steeped in the atmosphere of 19th-century France and with a darkly rich foreboding, it is a story that brings out the best of its narrator’s incomparable talents.

“It is challenging, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun as well”, said Ms. Winslet of the recording experience. "As a listener, being able to tune out and be taken into another world, an atmosphere, an environment that is being created entirely for you by somebody else’s voice is really a wonderful, magical thing.”

Explore more titles performed by some of the most celebrated actors in the business in Audible’s Star-Powered Listens collection.

Public Domain (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Kate Winslet reads as though she is relishing every morsel of the drama…She clearly loves the book, and her pleasure in the text is infectious…she grabs listeners and doesn’t let go.” (AudioFile)

The melancholic, the sanguine and the phlegmatic.

What made the experience of listening to Thérèse Raquin the most enjoyable?

I thought the writing of Zola will be old and boring, but his writing is superb and i as a listener was captivated.

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the skilled descriptive writing of Zola.

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

Kate acts out the different characters with great skill.

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

It made me laugh. The characters are larger than life (maybe) and sometimes seem to be caricatures.

Kate Winslet is incredible with the narration

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

Definitely one of my top listens due to Kate Winslet's narration. Enjoyed the book overall.

What did you like best about this story?

The glimpse into another period in time and how that shapes the outcome.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Lovers torment

Heavy

Zola did a wonderful job depicting the hopeless situation of the lovers. So well, in fact, that the book felt oppressive and never ending.
Winslet was superb.

outstanding

Would you listen to Thérèse Raquin again? Why?

yes....performance was excellent, a classic

What other book might you compare Thérèse Raquin to and why?

body heat

What about Kate Winslet’s performance did you like?

her expression, ability to change characters

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

no...never have time for that

Real experience od spectators emotions and

Real experience of spectators emotions and really excellent narration by wonderful Kate Winslet.
Really good.

Too Much of aGood Thing

Zola's novel is gritty, dramatic, and highly interesting in its portrayal of the deprivations experienced by its out-of-luck characters and the emotional turmoil their situations produce. But Zola seems especially interested in exposing us to every twist and turn in the guilt and cruelty that ultimately destroys nearly every vestige of their humanity. I could have done with 20% less of this novel. However, Kate Winslett's brilliant reading made up for a lot.

Titanic performance

Kate Winslet is at her best when relating the bourgeois Thursday night gatherings at the Raquins. The voices are perfect. I'm not compelled to care for anyone except Madame Raquin and sometimes Thérèse but it is a portrait of vice and Justice.

Very slow

The story itself is very slow. The only reason I kept listening was Kate Winslet. Her performance actually gave some life to a very dull and slow story.

Great performance from Kate Winslet, story not so.

Kate's performance is definitely not disappointing, but the book itself is not that interesting. All those mental struggle over one thing, and the end. Not my type of book.

Crime doesn't pay

If you could sum up Th??r??se Raquin in three words, what would they be?

obsessive
dark
raw emotions

Who was your favorite character and why?

The old woman who had to watch the deteration of the husband and wife shhe knew had murdered her son without being able to express anything directly to them.

What about Kate Winslet???s performance did you like?

her voice is captivating, she does a good job of distinguishing different characters

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

I can not imagine this as a film since it is so psychologically focused

Any additional comments?

It got off to a really slow start, if it had not been for Kate Winslett's wonderful reading I would have quit. The author did a great job of describing the scenes, the characters, and their thoughts.