Resurrection

De: Leo Tolstoy

Narrado por: Neville Jason

When Prince Dmitri Nekhludov is called for jury duty on a murder case, he little knows how the experience will change his life. Faced with the accused, a prostitute, he recognizes Katusha, the young girl he seduced and abandoned many years before, and realizes his responsibility for the life of degradation she has been forced to lead. His determination to make amends leads him into the darkest reaches of the Tsarist prison system, and to the beginning of his spiritual regeneration.

Based on a true story, Tolstoy’s final novel is a deeply moving and compassionate tale of human frailty and reformation.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2012 Naxos AudioBooks

A must-read with impeccable narration

First, a note about the Kindle edition for immersion--there is none that I could find, but I must admit that I checked only the cheaper ones. So, I chose the free green one and tried to follow along. (My miserable experience is described in my Kindle review.). Text is especially necessary for Russian novels with 4-word character names and words with 4 consecutive consonants. I take notes only of characters' names and relations to other characters the first time I encounter them. I need to see the print for this and must say that I couldn't follow many foreign novels without this practice. Surely a serious reading keeps track of the characters, so I hope we find more immersion editions, at least of Russian and French novels in future.

My experience with the lousy Kindle edition makes me wonder how much of any historic novel is authentic in this century's renditions of it, but I have no other reason to doubt this audio edition. I do wish narrators would include footnotes, though, and repeat French phrases in English as an aside. The characters here speak French often, entire paragraphs of it. I understand most of it, but not all unless I can see it in print. We can't even consult a French dictionary without the spelling. It's a difficult language for me to get by sound alone, even though I studied it for 3 years and can read it well. (Just imagine a non-English speaker hearing "ah dunno." What to look for in the dictionary?)

As always, Tolstoy's characters are complex, and I appreciate that they engage in philosophical debates and story-telling a little less than Dostoevsky's. However, denouement consists mostly of reading from the biblical Matthew and attempts to design from it laws we would not want to live by in this century--we'd have all criminals running free! (Was Tolstoy, like Shelley, the "ineffectual angle"?) A few chapters remind us of Tolstoy's actual experiments with peasant farming cooperatives, but these chapters are not very detailed.

I respect the author's unambiguous assertion that armed service + alcohol = crime. Likewise, his treatment of rape (isn't it?) without really mentioning it, and his always surprising responses of other females toward the victims. Think of what he would make of violence today when he would factor in heroin "among the peasantry," automatic weapons, and perversion of two of the world's most prominent religions. (I exempt Hinduism.) And, I turn to Updike for the update.

One of the most extraordinary books I’ve ever read

Resurrection is one of the most extraordinary books I’ve read. Tolstoy’s indictment of the justice system is so clear. His description of the vast inequities in society through the vehicle of the protagonist, who is experiencing an awakening through the book, and one that Tolstoy himself experienced, is stunning. The injustices he describes mirror those that also exist today. And as with all great Russian novelists, the plot and its characters do not fail to enthrall. The narration is beautiful. An unforgettable work.

Obscure book but great story and message

Tolstoy provides a wonderful close to his life with this book. Such difficult issues to address but he nails the source of the problem. Well worth the listen—thought provoking story.

No Anna karenina

Wonderful moral character development of the main character in typical Tolstoy fashion. This man, however travels from one false ideology to another. It is a long drawn out plodding journey to an existence that for the character may serve - if he can find any means of making a living for himself. One feels as though a monastic life would be the characters ideal. Fine for some, however to apply that to all of humanity in general is a bit of a stretch. While I cannot completely agree with where the character ends up and the conclusions he draws, one has to love the searching, striving, growth so well illustrated and explored by Tolstoy. This novel will give you a good taste of Tolstoy without the long digressions of Anna Karenina or War and Peace.

excellent! insightful! relevant today!

like a combo of grapes of wrath and the idiot plus a lot more. this novel covers so much about society and is still relevant today. if one studied just this novel and nothing else they would have a sophisticated understanding of the way the world largely operates.