The Return of the Native

I love Thomas Hardy, and can't recommend his books highly enough, but this reading stands out because Rickman's enunciation is so perfect and his expression so dramatic. It perfectly suits the story in a way that is almost musical. The beginning of the book is like a painting in words and is so beautiful to hear. (but I think I could enjoy Alan Rickman reading the telephone book). It's wonderful to listen a book with so much poetry read so carefully. This is the story of Eustacia Vye, the most beautifully named character in all of fiction. I highly recommend it.

Alan Rickman's voice... his deep and powerful voice did make me buy this one and I discovered local life in late 19th century and an unknown workman : the reddleman which must have scared many children in thosed days in isolated places.
Great read, tragic moments and a good ending.I recommend it.

One of the most satisfying audio productions I've listened to--a case where the audio version was more enjoyable to me than the text because of the pefect pairing of 2 artists. Rickman's voice added a rich shading and emphasis to Hardy's already beautiful lyricism; it was almost hypnotic. I remember long passages (especially describing Egdon Heath) that challenged my attention when I first read this book, but with Rickman's reading, it all went by like beautiful scenery. One to sit down and experience leisurely.

In this book Hardy proves he is one the really great writers that the English language has. Hardy's literary style is clearly 19th century, but it is really readable today. I thought that his style would be a little too heavy for an audiobook, but I found that the opposite is true - just like Dickens', his style lends itself well to the audiobook format.

Thomas Hardy's beautiful prose and Alan Rickman's rich voice makes this an absolutely fabulous experience. One of the best narrations I have ever heard. Highly highly recommended!!!!

While this isn't my favorite Hardy novel (and I do love Hardy), what could be better than having the voice of Alan Rickman in your ears for more than 15 hours? The man has the sexiest voice on the planet, AND he's a great narrator for this rather melancholy story.

The story was similar to something from Jane Austin (but more tragic) with Alan Rickman reading.

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Except for having my children read aloud to me, this was my first experience listening to a novel, and who better to lose my audiobook virginity to than Alan Rickman! Though I could be happy listening to his gorgeous voice reading a phone book, what I actually heard was worlds better. Mr. Rickman is, after all, an extremely talented actor, who narrates Hardy's story and performs the characters' voices with every nuance of feeling, expression and-- where appropriate-- in the dialect of the story's locale. It is a tender, atmospheric tale whose sympathetic characters are very much a product of the place in which they live. Mr. Rickman's performance makes this a very moving and memorable listening experience.

Fro the writing, and the incredible narration by Alan Rickman.

Diggory Venn, of course, because he takes things to heart in an honest way, works things out in his mind, and persists in his beliefs and his love.

He can drip with irony, and this is a book where such ironic depth brings out the author's intent.

A fire that kindles hotly burns out quickly.

Egdon Heath is a full character in The Return of the Native, which is a dark and brooding book. From page one, Hardy draws us in: "A Saturday afternoon in November was approaching the time of twilight, and the vast tract of unenclosed wild known as Edgon Heath embrowned itself moment by moment. Overhead the hollow stretch of whitish cloud shutting out the sky was as a tent which had the whole heath for its floor.The heaven being spread with this pallid screen and the earth with the darkest vegetation, their meeting-line at the horizon was clearly marked. In such contrast the heath wore the appearance of an installment of night which had taken up its place before its astronomical hour was come: darkness had to a great extent arrived hereon, while day stood distinct in the sky….The somber stretch of rounds and hollows seemed to rise and meet the evening gloom in pure sympathy, the heath exhaling darkness as rapidly as the heavens precipitated it. And so the obscurity in the air and the obscurity in the land closed together in a black fraternization towards which each advanced half-way."Just wait till you hear Alan Rickman read that.

Listening to Alan Rickman read a classic text is a fabulous experience. Recommended. I look forward to revisiting this audiobook.