Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Sun Also Rises  By  cover art

The Sun Also Rises

By: Ernest Hemingway, Colm Toibin
Narrated by: William Hurt
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.74

Buy for $18.74

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Originally published in 1926, The Sun Also Rises is Ernest Hemingway’s first novel and a classic example of his spare but powerful writing style.​

A poignant look at the disillusionment and angst of the post-World War I generation, the novel introduces two of Hemingway’s most unforgettable characters: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a motley group of expatriates. In his first great literary masterpiece, Hemingway portrays an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions.

Who's your papa? Listen to more from Ernest Hemingway.
©1926 Charles Scribner's Sons. Copyright renewed 1954 Ernest Hemingway. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form (P)2006 Simon and Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved. AUDIOWORKS is an imprint of Simon and Schuster Audio Division, Simon and Schuster, Inc.

Critic reviews

2007 Audie Award Finalist for Classics

"An absorbing, beautifully and tenderly absurd, heart-breaking narrative....It is a truly gripping story, told in lean, hard athletic prose...magnificent." (The New York Times)

“The ideal companion for troubled times: equal parts Continental escape and serious grappling with the question of what it means to be, and feel, lost.” (The Wall Street Journal)

Featured Article: 50+ Undying Quotes About Life from Acclaimed Authors


Though it's hard to argue with Merriam-Webster, we all know that life means something more than the standard dictionary definition—or, at least, we want it to. If you're searching for insights into the meaning of life, or words of inspiration to make your life more meaningful, there's no better source than authors of great works of literature. From Shakespeare to Alice Walker, from Jane Austen to Saul Bellow, iconic authors have a lot to say about life.

What listeners say about The Sun Also Rises

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,160
  • 4 Stars
    1,524
  • 3 Stars
    778
  • 2 Stars
    288
  • 1 Stars
    186
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3,143
  • 4 Stars
    985
  • 3 Stars
    481
  • 2 Stars
    229
  • 1 Stars
    212
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,740
  • 4 Stars
    1,215
  • 3 Stars
    665
  • 2 Stars
    257
  • 1 Stars
    166

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good Book, Boring Read

I seriously had to listen to most of it on YouTube because Hurt is so boring. He reads too slow and can put you to sleep. I may have enjoyed the book more if someone else read it

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent performance

William Hurt does an outstanding job performing this book. Really brings it to life and makes each character distinct and unique.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Too slow

I guess it was just the wrong time for me to appreciate.
It was a classic so I wanted to at least try and read it.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, average narration

I loved this book and, though it’s slow paced, I got a lot out of it and found it fascinating to learn more about the lost generation after World War 1. The book was great, and despite almost being a century old it remains timely and relatable in the modern day.

That being said, I didn’t love the narrator. His narration was a bit off, and his inflections were weird. I gave up on the audiobook around halfway through and read the physical copy instead. One of few books on Audible where I didn’t think the narrator did the story justice.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

Would you listen to The Sun Also Rises again? Why?

I guess you had to be there, but I don't understand all the hoopla about Hemingway. Found the book rather boring - like Lady Brett - bored. Some say this is his best novel, but I don't see it. Not sure I liked Hurt as narrator - although he sounded bored like Jake and all the others.

Would you be willing to try another book from Ernest Hemingway? Why or why not?

Yes, hope I see the fascination.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes, slow.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

What is the point?!

Though I enjoyed the performance, I still don't understand what Hemingway wanted to convey in this novel other than that the main characters are a lost generation in Europe. This you can gather from the first quote in the novel and you don't need to listen to the whole thing. It really felt to me that Hemingway is showing off his knowledge of various places in Europe without any substance. But who am I to critique Hemingway :)

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved William Hurt as narrator!

Some genius paired Hemingway and Hurt and I cant imagine another voice for these characters. The vivid life brought to Bill and Mike (and all the others!) as performed by Hurt was smashing! Even the non dialogue parts are recounted with a lilt and cadence (you have to listen to know what I mean) that seems to capture the very spirit of Hemingway. Thank you for a superb performance Mr Hurt and a fine story Mr Hemingway.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unconventional narration with this classic

William Hurt is splendid in this reading. He really dines or on the pacing.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent! !

Wonderful narrating, voice designation, and timing! I recommend to any Hemingway fan or bullfighting aficionado!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This was good

I feel like William Hurt was perfect a perfect characterization for Jake Barnes. would recomend.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!