The Monk

By: Matthew Lewis

Narrated by: Nicholas Boulton, Georgina Sutton

Length: 14 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

A masterpiece of gothic fiction, The Monk is a cautionary tale of madness, horror, lust, and despair. Father Ambrosio, the most pious and venerated monk in all of Madrid, is held as a paragon of virtue. But after 30 years of study and prayer, evil thoughts begin to permeate his mind.

As two plots cleverly converge, torture, murder, incest, rape, poison, and magic prevail, sustained by an elegance in the writing of the 19-year-old Matthew Lewis.

The book was banned upon its initial publication in 1796, but later caught the attention of Lord Byron and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, with Coleridge naming it "the offspring of no common genius".

Download the accompanying reference guide.

Public Domain (P)2017 Naxos AudioBooks

Fasten your seatbelt for one helluva ride

How complex and exciting this late 18th-century novel is. Over the years, I've honed my analytical skills by consuming a steady diet of police procedurals, thrillers, and murder mysteries. Usually, I figure out a story's arc right away. Not so with The Monk. As I listened, I thought repeatedly, Boy, I didn't see that coming. But the book offers more.than gothic thrills. It explores themes of piety and superstition and the supposed virtues of monastic life.

Scandalous

The Monk is gothic literature from the 1700’s but it is readable and parts were laugh out load funny. With a dark overtone we learn about the adored monk, Ambrosio, and his noble air. He was found as an infant and was raised in the monastery, and now at 30 years old, he has never left the abbey walls and vows to never leave, never give into temptation, never break his chastity.
Written by a 20 year old member of parliament, this book was banned and destroyed by the critics for its profanity and obscenity, which surged it popularity because everyone wanted to see if it was as lurid as reported.
A ghost called the Bleeding Nun, corruption of the pious, scandals, temptation, Spanish Inquisition, deals with Lucifer himself...this book has it all...murder, torture, lust, abuse of power, arrogance, and sexual desire from the most noble of men. Twists you will never see coming. I definitely understand why it was banned, I can’t imagine the church liked this at all.
There was quite a bit of unnecessary filler but it wasn’t over the top. I listened to the audiobook and it was amazing. There are several poems and songs and are actually sung with a guitar accompaniment.
This was recommended by someone in my classic horror book club after she saw it in Danse Macabre by Stephen King.

Excellent and Brutal Gothic Horror

I was enthralled by this book, and the fact that it was written centuries ago was not an obstacle for getting into it. There are many excellent horror moments for the fan of gothic fiction, as well as plenty of humor that still works for modern audiences. I would highly recommend The Monk to anyone interested in the gothic genre who is looking for something substantial with a dark tone.

Gripping, and jaw dropping

The less said about The Monk the better. All I want to and will say is, the book is gripping and exciting cover to cover and has been such an engaging listen that I'm tempted to start it over immediately.

Exquisitely Sinister

The Monk is the ideal gothic novel with all the shamefully enthralling details.
To mention a few profane parts there's a bloody nun ghost with a grisly history;
a femme fatale hidden under holy robes to corrupt an virtuous Abbot blinded by his vanity.
I disliked the rape and murder of one of the woefully innocent characters.
However, the rest was enthralling and I sampled several of the other narrators and
wasn't disappointed with my choice with Nicholas Boulton. He really held my interest
considering The Monk was written in the 1700's.
Interestingly, Georgina Sutton actually sang the songs that were in the story and
read one or two parts for the female characters, although, mostly read by Boulton.
Definitely, worth the money or credit.

Crazy Fun

Love 18th century novels and this one is off the chain!! Ghosts, demons, satanic rituals, ancient crumbling castles, crypts with decaying corpses - this is not a Jane Austen! If you want to round out your perspective on the late 18th century, this is a good choice. It's clear that it was written by a 19 year old boy, but in a good way. I have read all the gothic novels of the period and this is my favorite.
The story moves along very nicely without all the excess verbiage of some others. Very well read by the narrator. Great job portraying Satan - perfect voice for it!!

Very good audiobook,

The story is a bit confusing and I needed to read the summary of the chapters while listening… the music parts are amazing.

Great story, great production

I loved this book for many years. Decided to pick it up on audiobook. Wow. What a production. Very nice and highly recommended.

Not bad

The narration was good, but I didn't care for the seldom added additional voices. would still highly recommend.

Awesome story and well read

Great story with adventure, passion, horror, love and hypocrisy, with a flare of the supernatural.