Madame Bovary
Classic Collection
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Narrated by:
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Simon Vance
About this listen
A brilliant psychological portrait, Madame Bovary searingly depicts the human mind in search of transcendence. Acclaimed as a masterpiece upon its publication in 1857, it catapulted Flaubert to the ranks of the world's greatest novelists and ushered in a new age of realism in literature.
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Critic reviews
"Madame Bovary is like the railroad stations erected in its epoch: graceful, even floral, but cast of iron." (John Updike)
Related to this topic
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Les Misérables emphasizes the three major predicaments of the 19th century, each symbolized by a major character: Jean Valjean represents the degradation of man in the proletariat, Fantine represents the subjection of women through hunger, and Cosette represents the atrophy of the child by darkness.
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TOO Abridged, Read Only if You Won't Read More
- By Syd Young on 02-03-14
By: Victor Hugo
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Buddenbrooks
- The Decline of a Family
- By: Thomas Mann
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 26 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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First published in 1900, when Thomas Mann was 25, Buddenbrooks is a minutely imagined chronicle of four generations of a North German mercantile family - a work so true to life that it scandalized the author’s former neighbours in his native Lübeck.
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Where Have You Been All My Life, Thomas Mann?
- By Virginia Waldron on 03-30-17
By: Thomas Mann
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Anna of the Five Towns
- By: Arnold Bennett
- Narrated by: Peter Joyce
- Length: 9 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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Set in stifled, industrial Staffordshire in the late 19th century, against a strong evangelical background, Anna of the Five Towns tells of the courting of hard businessman Ephraim Tellright's daughter by prosperous and accomplished Henry Mynors. As her father's fortune grows, so does Anna understanding. She realises her legacy and responsibility for the possible ruination of her father's tenants, Titus Price and his son, Willie, who also loves her.
By: Arnold Bennett
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A Christmas Carol
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Benjamin May
- Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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The timeless tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his adventures on Christmas Eve continue to teach an important lesson, even to this day. Author Charles Dickens introduces us to the main character by painting him in a negative light, a selfish and miserly old man who will barely pay enough money to keep his office heated. When Scrooge returns home after work, the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, visits him and tells him that because of the wrongdoing he had done during his life, he has been condemned to walk in his ghost years shackled....
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not a great version
- By hettar7 on 12-26-22
By: Charles Dickens
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Ghosts: Edith Wharton's Gothic Tales
- By: Edith Wharton
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin, Jonathan Epstein, Corinna May, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Beneath the brilliance that was behind The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome was a dark side. A dark side which produced magnificent tales of the unseen influences in our lives, such as "Mr. Jones", "The Eyes", "Kerfol", "The Ladie's Maid's Bell", and "The Looking Glass".
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Ghastly Shadows of the Feminine Condition
- By Diane on 10-16-12
By: Edith Wharton
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Scenes of Clerical Life
- By: George Eliot
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 14 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton, through vignettes of his life, portrays a character who is hard to like and easy to ridicule. Many people do ridicule as well as slander and despise him, until his suffering shocks them into fellowship and sympathy.
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The first work...from a very old soul
- By Theodoc on 04-07-21
By: George Eliot
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The Gift
- By: Vladimir Nabokov
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 15 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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The Gift is the last of the novels Nabokov wrote in his native language and the crowning achievement of that period in his literary career. It is also his ode to Russian literature, evoking the works of Pushkin, Gogol, and others in the course of its narrative: the story of Fyodor Godunov-Cherdyntsev, an impoverished émigré poet living in Berlin, who dreams of the book he will someday write - a book very much like The Gift itself.
One of the twentieth century’s master prose stylists, Vladimir Nabokov was born in St. Petersburg in 1899.
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A complex and rich Künstlerroman
- By Darwin8u on 11-30-13
By: Vladimir Nabokov
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Jane Eyre
- By: Charlotte Brontë
- Narrated by: Thandiwe Newton
- Length: 19 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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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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Perfect!!
- By Amazon Customer on 04-21-16
By: Charlotte Brontë
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Merivel
- A Man of His Time
- By: Rose Tremain
- Narrated by: Sean Barrett
- Length: 12 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In search of answers, Merivel sets off for the French court. But Versailles leaves him in despair, until a chance encounter with a seductive Swiss botanist allows him to dream of an honorable future. But back home, his loyalty and medical skill are about to be tested to the limit, while the captive bear he has brought back from France begins to cause havoc.
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On Foolishness and Mortality
- By Ilana on 12-27-14
By: Rose Tremain
What listeners say about Madame Bovary
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- merydith
- 04-13-13
Simon Vance does it again!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Madam Bovary is a masterpiece of literature. He carefully constructs a scenario which draws the reader into a deeper understanding of the "human condition" with vibrant characters, wonderful prose, and commentary on the yearnings of the human heart.
What other book might you compare Madame Bovary to and why?
Thatcher's "Vanity Fair" discusses the same issues, yet with a satirical wit, that ultimately draws the reader in.
What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?
Simon Vance is a wonderful narrator. His voice and elocution is easy on the ears and his performance speaks to his grasp of the writer's intent.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall
- I
- 08-24-11
A masterpiece. The narrator does it justice.
Of course a book like this is a must listen especially if you have not read it.
All depends on the performance and here the narrator doesn't disappoint.
I have read this a few times and it was a pleasure to find that listening to it brought a fresh perspective. It is a good translation which does Flaubert justice.
If you don't know the story you have a great pleasure waiting for you.
Great value.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall
- K. Roth
- 01-10-16
Great Classic for the romantic at heart
Great Classic for the Romanic at heart.
I had not read this in school so finally got to it and realized it was a simple yet pleasing novel on what we would see today as a simple love, yet in the time this was a toil of near Spakespearian tragedic.
What woman would not wish for a man to love her as Emma was loved in her last.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Darwin8u
- 04-18-13
Bored French women are trouble
Lessons learned in 300 pages/11 hours: Bored French women are trouble. Men are NOT to be trusted. Doctors don't know jack. If you want your kids to have a good job, raise them to be pharmacists or pawn brokers. Don't buy crap you can't afford. Don't get into debt. If you are going to kill yourself, do it right. Hide your notes. Marry for love.
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29 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Nina Siegal
- 04-27-10
A fantastic first read
This was the first book I downloaded from Audible, because a friend of mine was also reading it. It's been years since I read Madame Bovary and I was captured all over again by its brilliance and incredible language, scene setting, character development... Simon Vance's reading voice is perfect: comforting, articulate, soothing. Just a true pleasure.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 03-08-15
a well performed classic
Flaubert's use of language is fantastic. His old fashioned idea of womanhood is a bit trite, but the rest was compelling.
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- James C.
- 08-26-09
Beautiful and superficial
This was a big disappointment, having heard how great the book is. "Greatest novel ever written." But why? I liked the delightful naturalistic observations of plants, light, subtle details. But there were two problems: Charles is so dull, and Emma is an unsympathetic, uninteresting character. She is beautiful and superficial. I never engaged with her at any level, never cared what she did, what happened to her, had no empathy or interest in her. And certainly there was little else to do after that--the towns and other characters are of no interest either.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Jack Rock
- 10-05-19
Relistening with another narrator
I trudged, and struggled, and persevered through this version with Simon Vance narrating. Although I've enjoyed Mr. Vance's narration on other titles, those with male primary characters as it happens, I just couldn't stand this book with him reading it. All the way through to two-thirds done, I thought it was the book I hated, but kept going because this book is so highly esteemed by so many people. The reason I want to read it to begin with is the fact that I found it appearing at the number one place on several online lists of the greatest books ever written. In fact the first book reader I know to whom I mentioned my list of classic books to read, said that it was his favorite book of all books he'd read. So, why do I hate it so? Perhaps I'm just a bit thick, but it was not until today that I thought to listen to samples of other narrators reading it. I got it into my head that I required a female voice for this book. In fact, I'm convinced, though I haven't put it to the test yet, that this book must have a woman's voice, though written by a man and not exclusive in female and male characters. I listened to samples of perhaps 9 of the versions available here (how splendid to have so many to choose from) and chose Davina Porter as my voice of choice. My review of that version will tell the tale of whether it is indeed Madame Bovary herself whom I detest or simply the particular voice who speaks her story. She certainly can not be blamed for that. Perhaps in the edition I've chosen she will shine as brightly as reported by others who've read her legend. I'm also entirely chuffed that my chosen version is a full two hours longer than the average play times of all the others. In printed books, movies, pieces of music, and audio books the longer the duration the more pleased as a cat with a canary am I. Now, time will tell.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- Travis Gordon
- 01-17-11
Off-Putting Narration
I am not familiar with other works by this narrator, so he may be amazing elsewhere, but his characterizations in this performance really hampered my enjoyment of the book. Everything Emma Bovary says is delivered in a breathy whisper/whine that makes any subtlety or variation that may be written into the character simply vanish. What comes through is a petulant little girl who has the same whiny tone when begging her husband for more money, telling her lover that she wants to meet up with him, or buying a hat.
I understand Emma is not meant to be a very sympathetic character, but this is a chore to listen to. And don't get me started on the number of times something or someone is referred to as "the poor..." In this translation and production, every single person and object appears to be utterly pitiable, and it gets tiresome.
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2 people found this helpful