• The Well of Loneliness

  • By: Radclyffe Hall
  • Narrated by: Cecilia Fage
  • Length: 16 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (205 ratings)

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The Well of Loneliness  By  cover art

The Well of Loneliness

By: Radclyffe Hall
Narrated by: Cecilia Fage
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Editorial reviews

Stephen Gordon has led quite a life — and yet also has hardly any life at all. Born into the very best a loving but rather average family can provide, she is fraught with a sense of her innate differences from the other girls. This classic late Victorian novel charts the developmental course of a “sexual invert”, from her childish crush on the housemaid, to her dangerous infatuation with the neighbor’s wife, to her efforts at settling down into whatever small happiness society would begrudgingly permit. Narrating the deeply delicate sensibilities of Stephen��s painful coming of age is Audible newcomer Cecilia Fage, a London actress and back-up vocalist who lends all her many talents to this very weighty and pioneering piece of literature.

Stephen’s own background permits Fage the use of her lovely and strong natural voice for the majority of the text, but when the main character ventures into literary Paris after being booted from the family’s countryside home by an unforgiving mother, Fage’s command of the French language and accent is entirely persuasive. There are also Irish ladies and lower-class British servants with quite convincing dialogue. Fage’s only weakness is the Southern belle next door, a loathsome and self-pitying creature who tortures the helplessly devoted Stephen — but missteps in voice work here are much more forgivable than the evil deeds of the character they represent.

As Radclyffe Hall’s most important work, and indeed one of the most important early calls for homosexual equality in general, The Well of Loneliness is here preserved successfully thanks to the formidable talents of Cecilia Fage. Whether you are looking to delve into this controversial book for the first time, or rediscover why so many people consider this heart-wrenching book a touchstone, the audiobook really loses nothing in the translation from page to Fage. — Megan Volpert

Publisher's summary

Stephen Gordon (named by a father desperate for a son) is not like other girls: she hunts, she fences, she reads books, wears trousers, and longs to cut her hair. As she grows up amidst the stifling grandeur of Morton Hall, the locals begin to draw away from her, aware of some indefinable thing that sets her apart. And when Stephen Gordon reaches maturity, she falls passionately in love - with another woman.
©1928 Radclyffe Hall (P)2009 Audible Ltd
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

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What listeners say about The Well of Loneliness

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

The Endlessly Dreary Well of Loneliness Deserved

This is a book where the message matters more to the author then the tale. Minor characters are interesting and the heroine is a bore. The reader's breathy feminine pronunciation of Stephan's (Gertrude's) impossibly naive, overly dramatic text doesn't ring true. All other personages and accents are very well done and lively. It is a cold story without humour and sufficient depth of characterization. Lust, ignorance and anger melodramatically travel with the wealthy self absorbed world famous Stephan of London and end in the arms of self sacrifice on the dismal streets of Gay Paris. As a message, the unfair historically cruel treatment of homosexuals and the absolute necessity for change, it is an important one, and vital for humane understanding of people and nature. I would have been grateful to have found and read this novel at an early age, I think.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

Great book. Didn't love the narrator, but I didn't notice too much after a bit because I was so into the story. Hall's writing is beautifully rich. Well worth a listen!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful read

I tried to read this more than 40 years ago but I was an incredibly naive teen; I hid the book under my mattress instead. Now, it has a huge impact on me. Written in the late 1920s, the language is very delicate in referring to homosexuality but the psychological impact is so painful. The descriptions are rich and compelling.

I have a friend who has always been a homophobe. This book is something I can recommend because of the beautiful language and no in-your-face sexual descriptions.

The narrator uses British English so there may be an initial disconnect. For example, she pronounces "ate" as "et."

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7 people found this helpful

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

Educational, but I just can't relate

What did you like best about The Well of Loneliness? What did you like least?

The descriptions were vivid and emotions are strong in the characters. They were flawed and well written.

However, I simply could not relate to Stephen. I was born sickly and developed determination as part of a coping mechanism and detest people who are physically strong but appeared weak willed.

So the part I like least is Stephen, but everything else was great. Which, seeing as s/he is the main character, made my position a little odd.

What do you think your next listen will be?

If there's a sequel I don't want to know about it.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

Descriptions. The author's voice was a little too fast, but it was manageable with the audible software.

Did The Well of Loneliness inspire you to do anything?

Uh, no. It actually depresses me. Success and money does not make a person happy.

Any additional comments?

I don't have anything against Stephen in terms of sexual preferences or social standing. I just wish she would grow some self esteem. Self-sacrificial tendencies are so not attractive.

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5 people found this helpful

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

The Well of Loneliness is a personal favorite a

An excellent read and must have of any queer literature fan. by far my favorite

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3 people found this helpful

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

Radclyffe Hall is highly underrated

I fell in love w Stephan and Morton and Paris through Radclyffe Hall whose writing brought everything alive.

I lived in this book; could see the plush landscapes, the fine and not so fine homes, the people and their hearts.

This is a fine novel of what it was like in the early 1900s to be different and be in love. The writing is amazing in its fluidity and ability to paint a picture using the reader's mind as a canvas.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting!

Worth the read, though a bit slow at times, hence the age of the book! I have to say I hadn't really thought about gay/lesbian history much, but I do now!!!

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2 people found this helpful

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

the queer experience

this entails the similarities of modern day queerness with a time when it was less unified and understood. the same fears are present today. it is amazing to see how much we have changed, but also how little.

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

you missed this one when you were reading Virginia Woolf

this book was published and then banned the same year as Orlando. it may not have the power of Woolf, but the timelines of this book to our era is coming back around.

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

Beautiful narration

I can feel how important this book is for many "inverts" at the time. I wish it had a happier ending but those weren't invented for lesbians back then. It still felt very heartfelt.
The narration was so gentle and thoughtful, I loved it.

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