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 Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone  By  cover art

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

By: Tennessee Williams
Narrated by: Shirley Knight
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $10.14

Buy for $10.14

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.

Editorial reviews

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone was the celebrated debut novel, albeit a thin one, of acclaimed author and playwright Tennessee Williams - a A Streetcar Named Desire and The Glass Menagerie being perhaps his most famous two works.

In this gripping overseas romance, narrated with a graceful British lilt by Shirley Knight, a wealthy aging actress, Karen Stone, is adrift in Rome after her husband dies of a fatal heart attack during the journey over. When she falls for a much younger Italian lover, the passion ignites and treachery commences in richly rewarding detail.

Publisher's summary

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone is vintage Tennessee Williams. It is the story of a 50-ish wealthy American widow who was most recently a famous stage beauty but is now drifting after the death of her husband. With poignant wit and his own particular brand of relish, Williams charts her drift into an affair with a cruel young gigolo.
©1950 The University of the South (P)2009 Audio Holdings, LLC

Critic reviews

"Splendid characterization." ( Library Journal)

What listeners say about The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    27
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    22
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    21
  • 4 Stars
    10
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

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

La Dolce Vita

I listened to this while I was in Rome. The restaurants mentioned in book still exist, but today seem to be living off their glorious former days. Tennessee at his best, gothic, over the top, truthful and honest. The narrator Shirley Knight - of the same era as Tennessee. A time capsule - so much to be explored about 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
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Classic Tennessee Williams

Having just recently watched the movie with Helen Mirren as Mrs. Stone, it dawned on me I should actually read some works by the author, rather than just watch movie renditions.

So cheated “read’ with “listen” and, as luck would have it, this was the only of his books I found on Audible.

Still going backwards, the movie was quite faithful to the book, with the exceptions not affecting the story at all.

Mr. Williams has a wonderfully insightful way of presenting all the contextual how’s, why’s and wherefores of a situation before zooming in on The. Point., often presenting deadpan humor in all seriousness.

Embedded in his technique is (here) the tale of a woman of a certain age and independent means struggling to rebuild a significant life after the pillars of significance in her now-former life had fallen.

Not an easy task in post-war Rome, trying to navigate the gold diggers of several ages and fallen - as well as contrived - social classes.

Though the story holds up well all these decades later, the raciness of it has lost its piquancy compared to what 2022 culture is casually exposed to.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!