Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained Audiobook By John Milton cover art

Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained

Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of titles.
Yours as long as you’re a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for $8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained

By: John Milton
Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.40

Buy for $24.40

Paradise Lost, along with its companion piece, Paradise Regained, remain the most successful attempts at Greco-Roman style epic poetry in the English language. Remarkably enough, they were written near the end of John Milton's amazing life, a bold testimonial to his mental powers in old age. And, since he had gone completely blind in 1652, 15 years prior to Paradise Lost, he dictated it and all his other works to his daughter.

The main work represented in this recording, Paradise Lost, is divided into roughly three sections. In the first section, covering books one through four, we are shown how Satan manages to regroup his followers after their defeat in Heaven, how they decide to renew the struggle with God, how Satan escapes from Hell and makes his way to earth to do mischief, and how God discovers Satan's new plot and decides to allow it to unfold.

The next section, books five through eight, take place on earth as we are introduced to Adam and Eve, their discourses with God's angels, and a retelling of the battle between God and Satan as rendered by the angel Raphael.

In the last section, books nine through 12, Eve is seduced by a disguised Satan and eats the forbidden fruit. Adam, distressed at the event, yet unwilling to be parted from Eve, decides to eat the fruit and share her fate. God sends His Son to earth to render punishment, but only after the Son pleads successfully on their behalf for mercy. He descends and tells Adam that they can no longer remain in Eden, but then takes him to a place and shows him a vision of mankind's future.

Paradise Regained follows the Gospel of Luke in presenting the story of Satan's temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. In striking contrast to Adam and Eve, Satan is utterly foiled in his attempt to corrupt the Son of God.

Public Domain (P)2008 Audio Connoisseur
Epic Poetry Themes & Styles
Literary Masterpiece • Epic Poetry • Dramatic Reading • Superb Performance • Beautiful Storytelling • Rich Voice

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant

Would you listen to Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained again? Why?

Yes. Not this version though.

What aspect of Charlton Griffin’s performance would you have changed?

The 'short' biography is over an hour long. A total waste of time meant to pad the running time of the recording.

Poorly planned

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The narrator's English accent is thick, gruff and entirely distracting from the prose. It sounds like it is narrated by a person who is old and wholly disgusted with the story.

Gruff English Accent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you consider the audio edition of Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained to be better than the print version?

No, this sort of thing is meant to be read. However, this is an excellent reading of the text.

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

Charlton Griffin is the BOSS. In the field of voice acting he is on par with Morgan Freeman and the like.

Classic Literature with a Distinctive Voice

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

This work really challenged my mind as Milton masterfully dictated his interpretation of the events prior to the fall of man. While based upon the portraits of Milton, I would not expect his voice to be equivalent to that of this narrator, the rendering was beautiful and helped transport to realms beyond this world. Ultimately Milton helped to foster a deep longing for a better country not befell by sin as our world is. All who listen to this work will take something away and better understand their own desires.

A work to inspire Christian adoration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

best part is chapter 8 (book 7) when Raph compared knowledge and folly to eating and farting.

great narrative power

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews