The Idiot [Blackstone]

By: Fyodor Dostoevsky

Narrated by: Robert Whitfield

Length: 22 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

Despite the harsh circumstances besetting his own life - abject poverty, incessant gambling, and the death of his firstborn child - Dostoevsky produced a second masterpiece, The Idiot, just two years after completing Crime and Punishment. In it, a saintly man, Prince Myshkin, is thrust into the heart of a society more concerned with wealth, power, and sexual conquest than the ideals of Christianity. Myshkin soon finds himself at the center of a violent love triangle in which a notorious woman and a beautiful young girl become rivals for his affections. Extortion, scandal, and murder follow, testing the wreckage left by human misery to find "man in man."

©2000 Blackstone Audiobooks. Originally published in 1880 in Russia.

Critic reviews

"Nothing is outside Dostoevsky's province....Out of Shakespeare there is no more exciting reading." (Virginia Woolf)

Never Easy, But...

Dostoevsky is never easy, but always rewards the patience and diligence it takes to deal with a long book and cope with those Russian names. Generally, I find audiobooks resolve most of these difficulties, however this recording has proven otherwise. I find the narrator's style to be stiff and hurried - its as if he knows the story and is just busily getting a long job done.

Insightful-

Where does The Idiot [Blackstone] rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Would rank in the top ten-

What other book might you compare The Idiot [Blackstone] to and why?

It is a one of a kind book .....

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

He does a good job of separating the many characters

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

A bit of both, a really deep book-requires some focus or you quickly loose continuity-

Any additional comments?

Well worth the effort - much insight to be gleaned-

not as good as other works by Dostoevsky

I did enjoy the read. However, it was not as enjoyable as other works by Dostoevsky. Some may disagree. Enjoy.

Wonderful

To me, The Idiot stands out in Russian literature. I can appreciate other great Russian novels like Anna Karenina for their structure, their symbolism, their genius, but this book has all that and something more, which I would call _life_. I loved everything about the story and the characters, and would highly recommend it to anyone.

It is almost needless to say that Robert Whitfield delivers yet another impeccable performance in this audiobook.

old but gold (and also long)

it was a rollercoaster of emotions and i loved it. names were a bit hard to remember but the voices were all different

An outstanding presentation of a truly great novel

I've read The Idiot twice before, the last time about three years ago. The thing with Russian literature (note: I'm a huge fan of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Bulgakov), is that it's super easy getting confused with various plot lines, character arcs, and the lack of clarity (at least for me) with where the overall narrative is going. The Idiot is in my "top 5" list of favorite novels, so I was curious whether listening to it versus reading it might bring the narrative a little more to life for me.

Well, not really. Though I don't blame this version for it. The narrator did an outstanding job with the various characters and with the overall storytelling. He has a nice voice that just kinda sucks you in.

The story is wonderful though - I'm not going into the plot, because the novel is less about the particulars of the story than it is about the ideas conveyed. Can a truly good man (or woman) exist in the world without becoming corrupted? Are we cursed to a life of sorrow and suffering because of our past sins? Are we evil people who do good things or the other way around? Etc, etc. Some of the ruminations about the existence of God, the Catholic Church, and the
Nature of evil are incredibly deep and profound, and as ever applicable to our day and age as the were in Dostoevsky's time.

This book demands engagement, in order to fully appreciate it. I would recommend listening to the audiobook while following along with the written text in order to grasp the full weight of this masterpiece.

Brilliant narration of an epic book

This is indeed one of the best books, simply ever. The narration was incredibly well done; I highly recommend it and it's worth every minute of the 23 hours.

Soap Opera

Would you consider the audio edition of The Idiot [Blackstone] to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Idiot [Blackstone]?

The money in the fire

Have you listened to any of Robert Whitfield’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I didn't want to think that the guy was an idiot, but I think he ended up being just that.

Any additional comments?

I like Crime and Punishment better.

Excellent

This is another triumph for Robert Whitfield, the master narrator of the classic novel. Readers who assign a low rating to such a great work of literature and such a masterful reading should probably stick to popular, lighter modern works. There are lots of great pieces in that catergory.

Overall excellent, although a long haul

This novel is always interesting, but often difficult to follow and I think many people will be tempted to give up in a few spots. I would concur with the other reviewers that the narrator did a good job with a challenging cast of characters to distinguish. I would also suggest that this is not the easiest introduction to Dostoyevsky -- Crime and Punishment or even Notes from the Underground would be better.