The Well-Beloved
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The Well-Beloved
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Narrated by:
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Simon Evers
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By:
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Thomas Hardy
About this listen
The Well-Beloved is a beautifully crafted novel by Thomas Hardy, exploring the complexities of love and desire. Set in the scenic Isle of Slingers, it tells the story of a sculptor, Jocelyn Pierston, and his obsessive search for his perfect muse, who he calls his "well-beloved". As he searches for this elusive figure, he faces a series of trials and tribulations, each leading him closer to his ultimate desire.
This poignant and lyrical tale is a must-read for any lover of classic literature.
©public domain (P)2023 ErikaListeners also enjoyed...
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Hardy's third novel, A Pair of Blue Eyes, follows the story of Elfride Swancourt. The daughter of the rector of Endelstow, a sparse, sea-swept parish in Cornwall, Elfride is caught between two suitors of very different backgrounds: Stephen Smith, a young architect restoring the old parish church; and the respectable, older man of London society, Henry Knight. The blue-eyed and high-spirited protagonist must untangle the conflicting messages of her heart and her mind.
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 40
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4 out of 5 stars
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Sexually innocent Jude Fawley is trapped into marriage by seductive Arabella Donn, but their union is an unhappy one and Arabella leaves him. Jude's welcome freedom allows him to pursue his obsession with his pretty cousin Sue Bridehead, a brilliant, charismatic free-thinker who would be his ideal soul-mate if not for her aversion to physical love. When Jude and Sue decide to lead their lives outside marriage they bring down on themselves all the force of a repressive society.
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 34
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 31
In the remote wildness of Egdon Heath, the crossed love affairs and marriages of a small group of people are played out against the background of nature’s beauty and indifference to mankind. Through a series of vivid incidents and encounters, The Return of the Native moves in a relentless drive towards tragedy, as the plans and dreams of the lovers miscarry, defeated by chance, or destiny or self-deception. In their unhappy stories, Hardy gives us a powerful dramatization of his bleak philosophy, his belief in man’s helplessness before the malevolence of the universe.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Thomas Hardy
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This audiobook is about the rise and fall of Michael Henchard. While out-of-work he gets drunk at a fair and impulsively sells his wife and baby for five guineas to a sailor. Eighteen years later he is reunited with his wife and daughter, who discover that he has gained wealth and respect and is now the most prominent man in Casterbridge. Though he attempts to make amends he is no less impulsive and once again loses everything due to bad luck and his violent, selfish and vengeful nature.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Tangled Webs
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A Pair of Blue Eyes
- By: Thomas Hardy
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- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 77
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 70
Hardy's third novel, A Pair of Blue Eyes, follows the story of Elfride Swancourt. The daughter of the rector of Endelstow, a sparse, sea-swept parish in Cornwall, Elfride is caught between two suitors of very different backgrounds: Stephen Smith, a young architect restoring the old parish church; and the respectable, older man of London society, Henry Knight. The blue-eyed and high-spirited protagonist must untangle the conflicting messages of her heart and her mind.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Depressing story & unbelievable central character
- By Molly R. on 08-14-17
By: Thomas Hardy
-
The Hand of Ethelberta
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Fenella Woolgar
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5
Opportunistic, shrewd and beautiful, Ethelberta resolves to disguise her humble beginnings and elevate her position in society. Crafting her career as a society poet and staging her family as her servants, she proves admirably adept at sustaining her own web of deceit as she reinvents herself and navigates the attentions of four different suitors. The wealthiest is not the one she loves... what will she do? This is a light-hearted urban tale, offering a different side of Thomas Hardy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
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By: Thomas Hardy
-
Wessex Tales
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Neville Jason
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
Wessex Tales, a collection of short stories including "The Three Strangers", "The Withered Arm", and "The Distracted Preacher", deals with a number of timeless themes seen so often in Hardy’s work: marriage, class, revenge, and disappointed love. Many of the tales have a supernatural tinge, and all are set around Hardy’s much loved homeland.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A Sampler
- By Tad Davis on 06-08-14
By: Thomas Hardy
-
Jude the Obscure
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Neville Jason
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 132
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 114
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 114
Sexually innocent Jude Fawley is trapped into marriage by seductive Arabella Donn, but their union is an unhappy one and Arabella leaves him. Jude's welcome freedom allows him to pursue his obsession with his pretty cousin Sue Bridehead, a brilliant, charismatic free-thinker who would be his ideal soul-mate if not for her aversion to physical love. When Jude and Sue decide to lead their lives outside marriage they bring down on themselves all the force of a repressive society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Left reeling
- By Tad Davis on 03-03-14
By: Thomas Hardy
-
The Return of the Native
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Nicholas Rowe
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 31
In the remote wildness of Egdon Heath, the crossed love affairs and marriages of a small group of people are played out against the background of nature’s beauty and indifference to mankind. Through a series of vivid incidents and encounters, The Return of the Native moves in a relentless drive towards tragedy, as the plans and dreams of the lovers miscarry, defeated by chance, or destiny or self-deception. In their unhappy stories, Hardy gives us a powerful dramatization of his bleak philosophy, his belief in man’s helplessness before the malevolence of the universe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thomas Hardy
- By Jeff Lacy on 05-06-17
By: Thomas Hardy
-
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- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 332
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 297
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 295
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-
5 out of 5 stars
-
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Tess of the d'Urbervilles
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5 out of 5 stars
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Davina Porter Does It Again!
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By: Thomas Hardy
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Far From the Madding Crowd
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- Unabridged
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,434
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,434
In a remote corner of early Victorian England, where traditional practices remain untouched by time, Bathsheba Everdene stands out as a beacon of female independence and self-reliance. However, when confronted with three suitors, among them the dashing Sergeant Troy, she shows a reckless capriciousness that threatens the stability of the whole community. Published in 1874, and an immediate best seller, Far From the Madding Crowd established Thomas Hardy as one of Britain's foremost novelists.
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A Masterpiece of Culture and Eloquence
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The Woodlanders
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- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 327
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 267
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 264
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Thomas Hardy lesser known work
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By: Thomas Hardy
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Desperate Remedies
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- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 68
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 59
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 60
Cytherea has taken a position as lady's maid to the eccentric Miss Aldclyffe. On discovering that the man she loves is already engaged to his cousin, Cytherea comes under the influence of Miss Aldclyffe's fascinating, manipulative steward Manston. Desperate Remedies contains sensational ingredients of blackmail, murder and romance, but with its insight into psychology and sexuality it already bears the unmistakable imprint of Hardy’s future genius.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Romance with substance
- By Joanna Sakievich on 12-28-24
By: Thomas Hardy
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The Two Towers (Dramatized)
- By: J. R. R. Tolkien
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- Original Recording
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 327
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 239
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 235
The Fellowship is broken; the quest to destroy the Ring seems already shrouded in disaster. But as the evil lord Sauron readies his armies for war, Frodo and Sam continue their lonely journey toward Mordor, guided only by Gollum, a deceitful and tortured creature, helplessly in thrall to the Ring's dark power.
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5 out of 5 stars
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By: J. R. R. Tolkien
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Cranford
- By: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
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- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 134
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 108
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Story4 out of 5 stars 110
This classic novel has been thrice adapted for the screen by the BBC. Mary Smith relates the story of her time with middle-aged spinster sisters Miss Matty and Miss Deborah. Witty, poignant, and often ironic, Cranford is the tale of what these two women will do to remain respectable, proper, and kind with only moderate means.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A Lovely Relaxing Listen
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Jane Eyre
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- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 21,076
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 19,295
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Story5 out of 5 stars 19,216
Following Jane from her childhood as an orphan in Northern England through her experience as a governess at Thornfield Hall, Charlotte Brontë's Gothic classic is an early exploration of women's independence in the mid-19th century and the pervasive societal challenges women had to endure. At Thornfield, Jane meets the complex and mysterious Mr. Rochester, with whom she shares a complicated relationship that ultimately forces her to reconcile the conflicting passions of romantic love and religious piety.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Perfect!!
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By: Charlotte Brontë
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Middlemarch
- By: George Eliot
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 35 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,200
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4,704
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 4,667
Dorothea Brooke is an ardent idealist who represses her vivacity and intelligence for the cold, theological pedant Casaubon. One man understands her true nature: the artist Will Ladislaw. But how can love triumph against her sense of duty and Casaubon’s mean spirit? Meanwhile, in the little world of Middlemarch, the broader world is mirrored: the world of politics, social change, and reforms, as well as betrayal, greed, blackmail, ambition, and disappointment.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Best Audible book ever
- By Molly-o on 12-25-11
By: George Eliot
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North and South
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7,520
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 6,703
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,707
Written at the request of Charles Dickens, North and South is a book about rebellion that poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Gaskell expertly blends individual feeling with social concern and her heroine, Margaret Hale, is one of the most original creations of Victorian literature. When Margaret Hale's father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience she is forced to leave her comfortable home in the tranquil countryside of Hampshire....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Delightful
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The Woman in White
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- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 2,351
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,999
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,012
One of the greatest mystery thrillers ever written, Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White was a phenomenal best seller in the 1860s, achieving even greater success than works by Charles Dickens. Full of surprise, intrigue, and suspense, this vastly entertaining novel continues to enthrall audiences today.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Gripping novel, excellent production
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By: Wilkie Collins
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David Copperfield
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- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 46
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 43
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Story5 out of 5 stars 42
David Copperfield is the charming tale of a young boy's journey from an impoverished childhood in Victorian England to a renowned novelist. The story of David Copperfield brings to life some of the most beloved and notorious Dickens characters, including the wicked stepfather, Edward Murdstone; David's friend, Tommy Traddles; Agnes; and the bookkeeper Uriah Heep.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A wonderful Dickens classic, brought to Life!
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By: Charles Dickens
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Swann's Way
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- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 73
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 58
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Story4 out of 5 stars 59
Swann's Way is the first novel of Marcel Proust's seven-volume magnum opus In Search of Lost Time. After elaborate reminiscences about his childhood with relatives in rural Combray and in urban Paris, Proust's narrator recalls a story regarding Charles Swann, a major figure in his Combray childhood....
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1 out of 5 stars
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Not the newer, far better translation
- By Samuel Murray on 05-02-11
By: Marcel Proust