Lilith

By: George MacDonald

Narrated by: Rebecca K. Reynolds

Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

It is the story of Mr. Vane, an orphan and heir to a large house - a house in which he has a vision that leads him through a large old mirror into another world. In chronicling the five trips Mr. Vane makes to this other world, MacDonald hauntingly explores the ultimate mystery of evil.

Public Domain (P)2019 Oasis Audio

slow reader but excellent book esp. near the end

Really enjoyed listening to this story of redemption and last things, was not at all what I was expecting and now I am unlikely to ever forget a number of the scenes. The book is allegory and philosophy and theology much heavier than I anticipated, with a tiny amount of adventure to carry the plot forward. I will be listening to more of MacDonald's books.

Narrated as if a children's book...

...which it is not. Such annoying ticks of narration: the half-chuckle (unconnected to meaning), the pause as if searching for the right word (??), the kindergarten voicing.... I stopped and bought the other narration available on Audible. (Gotta see if I can return it for credit.)

I enjoyed it

My only wish is that a male narrated it instead. I want to be more in tune with myself and nature.

Great story. Strange narration.

I take no pleasure in being critical, and I would normally not say anything, but I've listened to dozens of books on audible and I've never encountered a narration so distracting that it significantly impacted my ability to engage with the book itself.

My main complaint is with the pace and cadence on the reading. It feels strangely mechanical, with pauses, elongations of words, and erratic changes of speed that are totally unnatural to any convention of normal English conversation.

The story itself is wonderful, but be forewarned.

Great!

I wish the narrator had read with more emphasis and emotion throughout. Most of the time it was read in the same meter regardless of whether the character was yelling or speaking. Overall it was still narrated well and the voices for different characters were enough different! It was a very interesting story! I have really enjoyed George McDonald!

INACCESSIBLE BOOK BECOMES ACCESSIBLE AND ENJOYABLE

I love MacDonald. I have always loved his Princess and the Goblin book and its' sequels. Growing up we had an old collection of his Christmas stories. But unlike his Phantastes and At the Back of the North Wind, I could never penetrate Lilith beyond the first twenty or thirty pages. I don't know why but I know I am not alone. Now I can truly say I have completed Lilith and I love it. Finally there is an audiobook with a narrator who gets it. Rebecca K. Reynolds is perhaps the most masterful storyteller I have ever heard narrate an audio book. Despite the protagonist being a male (Mr. Vane), Reynolds expertly portrays his male voice without strain. Her interpretation of Lona, Lilith's daughter, is noticeably sad. And her characterizations of the Little Ones, Her child voices are adorable. I would love to hear her narrate Peter Pan.

Lilith is full of imagery and metaphor. If you, like me, picked this book up and set it down more than once because you didn't have it in you to struggle through, then I encourage you to listen to this version. The narrator clearly knows her material. As you conclude the book, you too will be able to say, "I get it!" Such a lovely 11-1/2 hours.

A wonder and a piece of art

This story is both beautiful and difficult. It requires that the listener release to a different place of existence in order to fully be changed by its content. Only on the second reading was I able to really enjoy it. The invitation stands for anyone to do the same.

Well Read Classic

I had previously despaired over the other version on audible due to the reader, but thankfully this version more than makes up for it! Rebecca does it justice. It has long been my favorite book and it is a delight to have it in an audio form. If you don’t know anything about the book, it is a bizarre fantasy adventure that delves into life and death and redemption. It is chalk full of so much wisdom you might want to have a pen and paper handy. You will never read another book like it. And again, thank God for Rebecca! Brilliant narration.

Mr. Raven sounds too unmusical for my musical ears

I found myself not listening to the parts spoken by Mr. Raven. The reader is expressive, though even speaking normally her voice is scratchy, becoming intolerable when depicting Mr. Raven. I can't listen to this.

An unpredictable allegory of humanity

Anyone who enjoyed C. S. Lewis’ space trilogy will connect with the themes in Lilith. There are the nuggets of several ideas Lewis used in the Chronicles of Narnia as well. “Further up and further in” used in The Last Battle and “living gems” found in The Silver Chair are some examples.