Far from the Madding Crowd

De: Thomas Hardy

Narrado por: Nathaniel Parker

Exclusively from Audible

Hardy's first major literary success, here brought to life by narrator Nathaniel Parker, is the story of the independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene, who inherits her uncle's farm, the largest estate in the area. She surprises the villagers of Weatherbury by deciding to run it herself rather than hire a manager. Attracted to this bold young woman are three very different suitors all vying for her affections. They include the lonely gentleman-farmer Boldwood, the young and handsome but inconsiderate Sergeant Troy and the faithful shepherd Gabriel Oak. Serving to unsettle and complicate her life, the three contrasting men show the many facets of love. But Bathsheba's indecision and inability to commit leads to some disastrous consequences.

The first of Hardy's works set in Wessex (south-west England), Far from the Madding Crowd presents evocative descriptions of rural life and landscapes.

Thomas Hardy was an English writer and poet in the Romantic era who was greatly influenced by Charles Dickens and William Wordsworth.

Narrator Biography

Screen and stage actor Nathaniel Parker, trained with LAMDA before becoming a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company. On stage, he has co-starred alongside actors such as Dustin Hoffman and Dame Helen Mirren. In 2014 he played King Henry VIII in Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies for the Royal Shakespeare Company. This earned him an Olivier Award for the London production and a Tony Award nomination when the show moved on to Broadway.

On screen, Nathaniel Parker is widely known for starring in period dramas but is best known for playing Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley (2001-2007). Most recently he has appeared in the TV series Of Kings and Prophets (2016), and The Outcast (2015). Over the years he has lent his voice to a large number of classic and contemporary audiobooks including John Wyndham’s The Midwich Cuckoos in 2016.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Fantastic

A better book than expected based on reviews. The narrator does a good job with the exception of the female voices.

Rewarding read

Took me back to my college English classes reading the classics. I enjoyed it and was a little bored by turns. The story was really rather startling in some respects and kept me going through the slower parts. And really, it's hard to see how Oak put up with all Bathsheba's nonsense through the years but he was devoted. I'm glad I read it but I do hesitate to commit to reading any more Thomas Hardy in future. It was more work than I'd like to admit.

Excellent reading!

Excellent reading! Story so wonderful would put any current romance writer to shame. The language is so flowery and descriptive you can feel the breeze on your face. Great listen.

Wonderful Narration of this Classic

No need to review such a classic book; I just wanted to commend the excellent narration.

A Very Enjoyable Classic

A great story. Gabriel Oak is one of my favorite characters. Mr. Hardy had a great way of describing places and people. I also enjoyed the tidbits of scripture references that helped to bring home many of the lessons of this story.

A new book - from long ago!

This was such a fun ‘listen’ that I enjoyed throughly, though I did have to wait a few chapters to be able to ‘hang’ with the old-time language. A really good story read be a very good narrator.

The best narration I have ever heard

A timeless classic worth revisiting. It is made enjoyable and entertaining by the fabulous performance of the reader. He does countless voices, spot on accents and true to form noises. Well done, sir!

The enduring love and friendship

This story shows how Love is different fir the many people in this story. For some it is infatuation, others irs obssession and for others it is endurance!

narration and the story twists

narrator was excellent with intonations of emotion and personalities, class-related accents, and interpretation of persons’ singing voices!

Nathaniel Parker is PERFECT as narrator

Would you listen to Far From The Madding Crowd again? Why?

yes. The writing of Hardy is worth second third and fourth looks. Beautiful descriptions and keen observations of the human condition, with just the right balance of humor and pathos.

What did you like best about this story?

Nathaniel Parker's narration; Thomas Hardy's exquisite descriptions, observations and character development.

Which character – as performed by Nathaniel Parker – was your favorite?

Gabriel Oak

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes, hard to put down, but it is a long book, and it needed to "breathe" as the story went on.

Any additional comments?

It will be hard to top anything that Nathaniel Parker narrates. He did an excellent job. Only wish there were more books available narrated by him!