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The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde  By  cover art

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

By: Robert Louis Stevenson
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
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Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

Robert Louis Stevenson presents the suspenseful, eerie and captivating story of a ruthless scientist who sets out to liberate his inner demon from the firm clutches of his conscience.

Upon bearing witness to the extent of Mr Hyde's violent nature, Jekyll is horrified by his callous disregard for the welfare of others and greatly ashamed by the unstoppable nature of his ambition.

Eager to redeem himself, Jekyll sets out to capture and stop the bloodthirsty Mr Hyde, by any means necessary. However, in keeping with true gothic tradition, Dr Jekyll must now face a race against time as damning evidence is uncovered, and the investigating detectives and interested parties are brought right to his door.

Hailed by the Detective Club as 'one of the most amazing crime stories ever written', Stevenson's Jekyll and Hyde was met with immediate critical approval, ensuring its success and popularity for years to come.

A highly accomplished Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson is also credited with stories of Treasure Island, A Child's Garden of Verses and Kidnapped. Arguably, however, none have contributed to English literature quite like the unique tale of Dr Jekyll and his monster, Mr Hyde.

Narrator Biography

Best known for his roles in The Hobbit, Hannibal, Captain America, Robin Hood, Spooks and North and South, Richard Armitage has established himself as one of the greatest British actors of our time.

With 11 audiobooks under his belt, including Charles Dickens' David Copperfield, David Hewson's Romeo and Juliet: A Novel and Georgette Heyer's Venetia, Richard's storytelling abilities have not gone unnoticed. In 2014, he was merited with having narrated the Audiobook of the Year, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel.

Providing another equally captivating performance in this new and highly anticipated adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Richard Armitage gradually builds and maintains the perfect atmosphere needed for this suspenseful classic horror story.

Public Domain (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

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What listeners say about The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

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Changed my understanding of processing literature

I teach composition for a living, but I've never had a more thorough training on understanding the depth of literature than in listening to Richard Armitage bring this story to life. I've listened to many excellent books on Audible, but none have captured me in the way this book did. Armitage is able to bring out the themes of this book through his storytelling in a way that my own so-called "deep reading" would have missed.

If anybody wants to understand what literature can be -- should be, settle down with this reading of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. You won't be disappointed.

AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY

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76 people found this helpful

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R. Armitage reads The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

My fourteen year old son and I immensely enjoyed Richard Armitage ‘s narration of Stevenson’s story. We had just finished reading it when my husband found it on Audible being performed by him. Knowing his superb acting ability and his natural richness of voice, he was the perfect man to read this gripping story. His character voices were true and chilling. We look forward to his reading of Hamlet! Well done!

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27 people found this helpful

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Armitage Is What Makes This Creepy--

I've always found The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to be too painfully short to make it an "ultra" listen (at just over 3 hours? the way it ends? I mean, seriously!). But Richard Armitage's narration of this Stevenson classic is what elevates it to quite worthwhile!
He does wheedling, confusion, fear, and greed in a most excellent manner! Skittish servants, savvy lawyers, a man who has lost his grip on being able to hop along double egos--all here.
What starts as a desire to foist his less than reputable wants onto an entirely different personality has Henry Jekyll confounded, fearful, and utterly out of control. There MUST be some way to maneuver things:
Ah, but does he even want to?
This classic, as performed by the venerable Armitage, is worth the paltry listening time it takes. It's creepy and fantastical.
Still don't know how I feel about the ending, but the narration makes it ominous in the extreme.

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Brilliant

If you’ve never read Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde before, don’t expect it to be anything like the film versions. The protagonist of the novel - in the sense of the person who drives the action forward - is not Jekyll but his lawyer Gabriel Utterson. Utterson begins piecing together bits of the story, but thinks it’s a case of blackmail: he thinks Hyde is a figure from Jekyll’s wild past. Only at the end (in the next to last chapter) do we, as readers, learn that Jekyll and Hyde are the same person. What we see for most of the book is a detective story that plunges into horror at the end.

About Richard Armitage’s narration: he gets the voice of Hyde right. In the last chapter - Dr Jekyll’s Statement of the Case - he alternates brilliantly between the voices of Jekyll and Hyde as the successive transformations are described.

That’s all you need to know. Get it.

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Would be better if it weren't famous

A good deal of this story is a who-dun-it, but since Jekyll and Hyde is the most famous metaphor for an individual's duality, there's obviously no suspense or excitement in the reveal that they're the same person.

What remains though is the duality itself. The importance of this can hardly be overstated and it's what made this story so famous in the first place.

Armitage's narration is second to none. I look forward to hearing more of him in the future.

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No Hyde-ing It Richard Armitage Does It Again

Chapter 10..Chapter 10. Chapter 10. Mesmerizing his Jekyll into Hyde. Extraordinary performance. A must listen.

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9 people found this helpful

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  • VG
  • 01-03-18

Richard Armitage Is Fantastic

Would you try another book from Robert Louis Stevenson and/or Richard Armitage?

Richard Armitage is an absolutely AMAZING narrator. RLS is not my favorite author but the narration alone makes this worth listening.

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

Richard Armitage is one of the best narrators I've encountered. I will definitely be looking for more books narrated by him.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

The story is okay but if you're a fan of great narration you should give this a listen.

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8 people found this helpful

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A Strange Case Indeed

Even if you've never read Jekyll and Hyde before, our culture's absorbed the general story and the twists and chills it provides. So much so, that it's a little frustrating that Stevenson waited about 2/3's of the way through his slim little story to show that Jekyll and Hyde are actually one and the same.

The structure of the story itself is interesting -- Jekyll and Hyde are seen through other's perspectives for more than half the story, and even then we only hear what Jekyll has to say about Hyde. Do we take his testimony as truth? The evil Hyde embarks on is mostly unknown -- a blank canvas for the reader and listener to paint with whatever they see fit. It would be interesting to hear Hyde's thoughts and reflections on the case -- was he as conflicted on some level as Jekyll? Was he more sympathetic than his counterpart allows us to believe? Maybe that lack of balance and the possibilities it holds is one of the enduring powers of the story.

There is no balancing Richard Armitage's performance, however. His narration is the most delightful kind of wickedness and a pure win. I have a hard time imagining revisiting this one with a different reader -- Armitage is that great.

I've read and listened to this story multiple times now and despite my conflicted feelings about the structure, it's certainly a strange case indeed -- one that can get under your skin and keep you asking questions long after the story has ended.

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WOW!!

As those who came upon Mr. Hyde were quite incapable of describing him, I, too, hardly have words to describe how wonderfully Richard Armitage has brought this tale to life!

“The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde” has long been a favorite of mine. Read first when I was barely a teenager, I was both intrigued and frightened by the idea of the good and evil within us all being divided between two selves: one possessed of good qualities, and one inherently evil. The thought of two halves of the same person, each taking their turn at the helm of one being that bent to their figure and form was fantastical, but also quite terrifying. The good side, tall, erect, and seemly (the good face of the good doctor), and the evil side, squat, soul-deformed, and bent over with the weight of sin (the evil face of the dark and formless night of which it was born). And, what if then one became stronger than the other?

The thought and questions do not end there because the tale is haunting. It is thought-provoking.  The “what-if” proposed pulls us in to our own natures where good and evil war within us all the time.  Each of us has had a malicious thought. Our evil side draws it out of us as if from the depths of a pit, and thrusts it into the light of our consciousness. Our good sides vanquish it…eventually. Only a minuscule few would ever act upon such thoughts. Then, the “what-if”: What if one could do such deeds as the day would quake to look upon (paraphrase from Hamlet) and then retreat blameless and undetectable under the cover of a good and trusted face? And what if that side were then able to slip the confines of that which controlled it, as it wished? Which side would our natures choose should the same happen to us? I’d like to think the good side would win…but who really knows what lurks in the darkness of even the best of us?

As always, Richard Armitage delivers a powerhouse performance! His seamless transition in speech between Jeckyll and Hyde is unnerving and effectively chilling. I loved every word of it! Bravo! I really cannot wait to listen again!

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Richard Armitage could read me the phone book and I’d be enthralled.

This book is a classic for a reason. But I have a serious voice crush on Richard Armitage, so that’s the main reason I bought this audiobook. His narration was brilliant and truly made this a wonderful listen.

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