-
Cousin Bette
- Narrated by: Johanna Ward
- Length: 16 hrs and 25 mins
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Cousin Bette
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Publisher's summary
Balzac described Cousin Bette as one of his "scenes of Parisian life", and it is certainly that. It offers us a hypnotic vision of that infinitely varied city during the bright, vital, scandalous, and sexually untrammeled era of King Louis-Philippe. The courtesans, swindlers, bankers, artists, murderers, detectives, and saints populating this world pass before us invested with a verve and vividness unsurpassed in the history of the novel.
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By: Stendhal
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Vanity Fair
- By: William Makepeace Thackeray
- Narrated by: John Castle
- Length: 31 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,017
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 883
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 873
Set during the time of the Napoleonic Wars, this classic gives a satirical picture of a worldly society. The novel revolves around the exploits of the impoverished but beautiful and devious Becky Sharp who craves wealth and a position in society. Calculating and determined to succeed, she charms, deceives and manipulates everyone she meets. A novel of early 19th-century English society, it takes its title from the place designated as the centre of human corruption in John Bunyan's 17th-century allegory.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The Best Narration, One of the Greats
- By James Abraham on 05-18-13
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Swann's Way
- By: Marcel Proust
- Narrated by: Neville Jason
- Length: 21 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 682
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 603
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 598
Swann’s Way is the first of seven volumes in Remembrance of Things Past. It sets the scene with the narrator’s memories being famously provoked by the taste of that little cake, the madeleine, accompanied by a cup of lime-flowered tea. It is an unmatched portrait of fin-de-siècle France.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Not a book one reads but inhabits & floats through
- By Darwin8u on 02-24-13
By: Marcel Proust
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The Warden
- By: Anthony Trollope
- Narrated by: Nigel Hawthorne
- Length: 7 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 55
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 36
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
Set in the world of the Victorian professional and landed classes, the story centres on Mr Harding, a clergyman of great personal integrity who is nevertheless in possession of an income from a charity far in excess of the sum devoted to it.
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5 out of 5 stars
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a delight
- By Janet on 12-22-08
By: Anthony Trollope
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The Claverings
- By: Anthony Trollope
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 20 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 171
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 154
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 152
At the opening of The Claverings (1866) the beautiful Julia Brabazon jilts her lover Harry Clavering in order to make a marriage of convenience with a wealthy but dissolute earl. Harry licks his wounds, leaves London to train as a civil engineer, and falls in love with his employer's daughter, to whom he soon becomes engaged. But when Julia returns unexpectedly as a wealthy widow, the flame of Harry's old love is rekindled.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A classic love triangle in a classic novel...:)
- By Lidia Chymkowska on 12-17-18
By: Anthony Trollope
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The Mill on the Floss
- By: George Eliot
- Narrated by: Laura Paton
- Length: 20 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 354
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 322
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 322
Maggie Tulliver has two lovers: Philip Wakem, son of her father’s enemy, and Stephen Guest, already promised to her cousin. But the love she wants most in the world is that of her brother Tom. Maggie’s struggle against her passionate and sensual nature leads her to a deeper understanding and to eventual tragedy
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great compassion
- By nina lalumia on 12-26-16
By: George Eliot
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Sentimental Education
- By: Gustave Flaubert
- Narrated by: Michael Maloney
- Length: 15 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 80
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 73
Frederic Moreau is a law student returning home to Normandy from Paris when he first notices Mme Arnoux, a slender, dark woman several years older than himself. It is the beginning of an infatuation that will last a lifetime. He befriends her husband, an influential businessman, and their paths cross and re-cross over the years. Through financial upheaval, political turmoil, and countless affairs, Mme Arnoux remains the constant, unattainable love of Moreau’s life.
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4 out of 5 stars
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When Crimes of Passion Were All the Fashion
- By W Perry Hall on 03-12-17
By: Gustave Flaubert
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The American
- By: Henry James
- Narrated by: Adam Sims
- Length: 14 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 51
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 45
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 44
Self-made American millionaire Christopher Newman arrives in Paris brimming with hope and optimism, excited to experience the culture and, hopefully, find the perfect woman to become his wife. After a chance encounter with American expatriate friends, his attention is drawn to Madame de Cintré, 25-year-old widowed daughter of the late Marquis de Bellegarde. Having fallen on hard times, the centuries-old aristocratic family permits Newman's courtship to proceed; however, they later persuade the widow to break off her engagement to the nouveau-riche businessman.
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5 out of 5 stars
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excellent reading
- By Andorboth on 12-03-22
By: Henry James
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The Age of Innocence
- By: Edith Wharton
- Narrated by: David Horovitch
- Length: 12 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,284
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,021
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,015
Countess Ellen Olenska, separated from her European husband, returns to old New York society. She bears with her an independence and an awareness of life which stirs the educated sensitivity of the charming Newland Archer, engaged to be married to her cousin, May Welland. Though he accepts the society's standards and rules he is acutely aware of their limitations. He knows May will assure him a conventional future but Ellen, scandalously separated from her husband, forces Archer to question his values and beliefs.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Narrated to Perfection
- By Ilana on 09-18-12
By: Edith Wharton
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Nicholas Nickleby
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 31 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,063
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,687
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,684
The most gorgeously theatrical of all Dickens's novels, Nicholas Nickleby follows the delightful adventures of a hearty young hero in 19th-century England. Nicholas, a gentleman's son fallen upon hard times, must set out to make his way in the world. His journey is accompanied by some of the most swaggering scoundrels and unforgettable eccentrics in Dickens's pantheon.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing
- By Terie on 07-12-07
By: Charles Dickens
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The Red and the Black
- By: Stendhal
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 20 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 354
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 268
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Story4 out of 5 stars 264
So what would Al Gore choose if he had a book club? Gore named Stendhal's The Red and the Black, a 19th century classic chock full of adultery, betrayal, and moral vacuity, as his favorite book on a recent broadcast of Oprah. It's a bit shocking of a choice, given his wife and running mate's position on clean, wholesome literature. Listen and decide for yourself the merit of this presidential pick.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Almost perfect
- By Erez on 05-29-08
By: Stendhal
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My Lady Ludlow
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Susannah York
- Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 63
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 58
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58
Lady Ludlow's appalling snobbery, prejudice and bred-in-the-bone conviction as to the superiority of the English aristocracy and their feudal way of life are deliciously tested, and found wanting, in this gently radical tale of the collapse of a social system. Elizabeth Gaskell's My Lady Ludlow is a brilliant picture of the shift in power in a rural northern village, from the velvety feudal Ludlows to the glitter of the new money rattling through the system courtesy of the brazen baker from Birmingham.
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5 out of 5 stars
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A treat
- By Tad Davis on 03-04-20
-
Where Angels Fear to Tread
- Penguin English Library
- By: E. M. Forster
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 62
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 56
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 56
E. M. Forster's first novel is a witty comedy of manners that is tinged with tragedy. It tells the story of Lilia Herriton, who proves to be an embarrassment to her late husband's family as, in the small Tuscan town of Monteriano, she begins a relationship with a much younger Italian man - classless, uncouth, and highly unsuitable. A subtle attack on Edwardian values and a humanely sympathetic portrayal of the clash of two cultures, Where Angels Fear to Tread is also a profound exploration of character and virtue.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Stephen Fry + E.M. Forster = Audio Kismet
- By Megasaurus on 08-20-12
By: E. M. Forster
-
Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas
- A Novel
- By: Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, Jull Costa Margaret - translator, Robin Patterson - translator
- Narrated by: Ramon De Ocampo
- Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 48
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 44
Machado de Assis’ classic novel, the precursor of Latin American fiction, is finally rendered as a stunningly relevant work for 21st-century audiences. In eloquent, contemporary prose, Costa and Patterson breathe new life into the dynamic character of Brás Cubas and reveal the vivid, tempestuous Rio de Janeiro of his time. The recently deceased Cubas narrates his life story, admitting glibly: “I am not so much a writer who has died, as a dead man who has decided to write.”
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Incredible story from an incredible author
- By Anonymous User on 01-01-21
By: Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, and others
![El conde de Montecristo [The Count of Monte Cristo] Audiobook By Alejandro Dumas cover art](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Lwcuxfb-L._SL320_.jpg)
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El conde de Montecristo [The Count of Monte Cristo]
- By: Alejandro Dumas
- Narrated by: Joan M Martinez
- Length: 46 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 379
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 342
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 341
Ésta es sin duda, la novela de aventuras más famosa de la historia de la literatura. El joven Edmundo Dantés llega al puerto de Marsella, feliz por poder ver a Mercedes, de la que está enamorado. Pero otros pretendientes de Mercedes, van a hacerle la vida imposible, consiguiendo que el mismo día de la boda sea detenido, acusado de traición al rey y enviado directamente a la terrible prisión del castillo de If.
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5 out of 5 stars
-
Qué bonita historia y que gran narración.
- By Luis Enrique Cuevas Hernández on 02-14-21
By: Alejandro Dumas
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1 out of 5 stars
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poor reading
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What listeners say about Cousin Bette
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Alla
- 09-10-12
Doing justice to Balzac
Johanna Ward reads this book beautifully! She clearly has excellent control of both French and English and it shows! Thanks!
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Nena
- 09-03-22
a bit sad
I wanted to read this book because I loved the movie. I am sorely disappointed.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Igor
- 05-22-19
I can see why Karl Marx loved Balzac now...
"I have learned more than from all the professed historians, economists, and statisticians of the period together," said Karl Marx of his reading of Balzac. And it's not hard to see why! Cousin Bette, at any rate, is an excellent work and I'm glad I finally made my way to reading one of Balzac's novels. But good lord--these novels are not for the squeamish! The depiction of the degeneracy of the bourgeoisie in this novel is astonishing for its cynicism. Having just gone through a period of reading to P.G. Wodehouse and Angela Thirkell I have definitely gone from the light geniuses to a dark one! Still, the novel is brilliant and you would not regret reading such a minutely-drawn chronicle of Paris in the 1830s and 40s.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carl A. Gallozzi
- 07-01-21
Vendetta, 'Cross and Double Cross'; very relevant
First Balzac novel I've read. Thought it was WONDERFUL!
A tale of vindictiveness and revenge - played within and without family dynamics.
Balzac has a very fine (interesting) narrative tone - and his commentary on society is usually 'spot on' - after considering when it was published ~1846.
Story of a 'Poor Cousin' - who was always subservient to the larger family - they befriend her - she 'befriends' them; while plotting their downplay. Cross-Double Cross-Triple Cross.
Balzac's social commentary just as relevant now as when it was written.
Balzac's social commentary is "on a par" with that of Edith Wharton (Custom of the Country, House of Mirth and Age of Innocence)....
Highly recommended.
Carl Gallozzi
Cgallozzi@comcast.net
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dallas1
- 11-15-23
A true masterpiece!!
I have found a new favorite author! My first Balzac work. Absolutely loved it! What a titan of thought! And Kate Reading is superb, as always.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Lucia Carol
- 06-25-21
Classical Realism
A pretty good novel. Balzac draws a picture of the Paris of the 1800's with much accuracy and detail. Characters you love and others you hate.
You really got to put the 1800's chip on, because women's treatment, attitude, etc , does exasperate quite a bit.
And the reader, great!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- BigDaddy
- 12-18-21
wow, were women ever this stupid?
I can't imagine any woman letting this happen for to their family. it is a great story for showing stupidity.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Janey
- 12-19-11
Great story!
Would you listen to Cousin Bette again? Why?
I did listen twice because I could not keep the characters apart and the reader didn't change her voice enough to help me remember individual characters. After I got past that it was easier to listen to.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Actually, none of them since none were able to see their own problems let alone do anything about them.
Did the narration match the pace of the story?
In the beginning it was difficult to keep the characters apart.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No, not possible.
Any additional comments?
I was a lot like a modern day soap opera.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- leo
- 06-18-21
Great story and fine performance, bravo!
The storyline is very witty, and insightful to human nature, respectfully performed by a great artist.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 01-11-15
Thoroughly enjoyable
Great story that feels immediate, even though the world has changed. People always want more sex, security and power. Universal.
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3 people found this helpful