Middlemarch

By: George Eliot

Narrated by: Gabriel Woolf

Middlemarch is considered one of the masterpieces of English fiction. Published in 1874, it is the seventh and penultimate novel by George Eliot. It pursues a number of underlying themes, including the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism and self-interest, religion and hypocrisy, political reform, and education.

Set in the fictitious Midlands town of Middlemarch during the period 1830 - 32 and subtitled "A Study of Provincial Life", the novel creates a concept of life and society confronting the scepticism that was taking over the age.

English novelist George Eliot (1819-1880), real name Mary Ann (Marian) Evans was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. Her novels, largely set in provincial England, are well known for their realism and psychological perspicacity.

Please note: This is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.

©2009 RNIB (P)2009 RNIB

Critic reviews

"You will learn more about life, your own and other people's, from Middlemarch, Madame Bovary or Moby-Dick than you are likely to from yards and yards of memoir."( The Times)

I Loved It!

I agree that the production values are a little unprofessional, but I love Gabriel Woolf. He is a brilliant actor, and he brings the characters to life. Yes, once in awhile you hear a car horn honking, or occasionally the faint sound of an airplane flying overhead, neither of which belong in a book set in the 19th Century. And Woolf does occasionally stumble over a word here and there. But it just makes me smile when those things happen. It's rather like having someone read you a bedtime story, albeit someone incredibly talented and erudite.

And Middlemarch itself is brilliant. The characters are so fully drawn, the subtle nuances of their emotions and actions are so skillfully rendered -- little wonder this novel ranks at or near the top of every list of "bests."

great book great voice

best narrator of this - one of my favorite books - that i have listened to narration is hard men or women voicing characters of the opposite sex will often go too high or too low their renditions are often cringeworthy with a long work like this it can become torture as the many hours go by this british actor, woolf, does it right his was the only one i could bear to listen to though years ago before i found him i had to put up with another narrator of middlemarch, who i admire as a female actor who has appeared in period pieces but not when she voices men on audiobooks there are men too who make the women sound stereotypical, or comically absurd: by seeming to try too hard they end up sounding ridiculous i will look for gabriel woolf again (great name) his different accents, too, regional or class distinctions were done subtly and tastefully as well superb

Shower of stars

I am a huge fan of Gabriel Woolf...and Middlemarch is a work of genius...what a mind she had! This is an Audible gem.

Beautiful story beautifully read

In recent years I have watched the BBC movie filmed in the mid 1990s. I liked it very much and decided to read the book. Then I saw how many chapters made up this book. That was intimidating. However I decided to try this Audible version to listen in my car on the work commute. For me, it was interesting to listen to the narration and compare with the actors’ collective creation of this work as film. This reading was well done and kept my attention. There are so many astute observations in this book about human nature. I think George Elliot must have seen right through people around her. I would say like Dickens she created such interesting, three dimensional characters. Men and women in their flaws and finer moments live here.

Dreamy

I loved this narrator. I adored the book. The production values aren't the greatest, but I thought the reading was rich and nuanced. I would listen to Gabriel Woolf anytime.