Lord of the Flies

By: William Golding

Narrated by: William Golding

Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Get ready for an adventure tale in its purest form, a thrilling and elegantly told account of a group of British schoolboys marooned on a tropical island. Alone in a world of uncharted possibilities, devoid of adult supervision or rules, the boys begin to forge their own society, their own rules, their own rituals. With this seemingly romantic premise, and through the seemingly innocent acts of children, Golding exposes the duality of human nature itself: the dark, eternal divide between order and chaos, intellect and instinct, structure and savagery.

©1954 William Golding (P)2002 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Lord of the Flies gives the reader a lucid and chillingly objective mirror to our modern society. William Golding's narration is as impartial as his work, yet his grumbly, grandfatherly voice, complete with mid-sentence sniffs and swallows, is intimate." (AudioFile)

"Lord of the Flies is one of my favorite books. I still read it every couple of years." (Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy)

"I finished the last half of Lord of the Flies in a single afternoon, my eyes wide, my heart pounding, not thinking, just inhaling.... My rule of thumb as a writer and reader - largely formed by Lord of the Flies - is feel it first, think about it later." (Stephen King)

"This brilliant work is a frightening parody on man's return [in a few weeks] to that state of darkness from which it took him thousands of years to emerge. Fully to succeed, a fantasy must approach very close to reality. Lord of the Flies does. It must also be superbly written. It is." (The New York Times Book Review)

excellent

loved every minute. enjoyed the original authors tale with the personal forward. this was excellent

Good Idea that didn't turn out well

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

A good idea to have Mr. Golding read his book, but in the end authors are not necessarily voice actors. I felt that Mr. Golding did not bring the passion and horror that is needed to really bring this story to life. Very shocking plot movements, read by an (very obviously) old man in monotone English voice made for an almost comical juxtaposition, one that took away from the story.

Although the 5 minutes or so commentary by the author were interesting, I recommend having this read by someone else.

Excellent!

Not always the most engaging reading, but still worth it. I particularly enjoyed the comments by Golding at the end of the audio book.

Shocking

The narration is amazing. I'm so happy to have listened to this. I love it.

Review

I enjoyed this book because it made me think about society and it's flaws. Golding's commentary before and after the book gave great insights as well.
This book is not for everyone. If you want a book that's going to make you question things and think a little deeper this is definitely one you should try. But if you just want a fun "fluff," kind of story then I wouldn't suggest this book. There are moments where it gets rather dark. However I loved it. And those of you who enjoy to think a little deeper will love it too.
I gave it the rating for the simple fact that it kept me involved the whole time and kept my mind working. I really loved it.

So glad I chose this book

Wow, what an amazing story. I had heard good things about this book and I’m so glad I got around to listening to it being told.

The author did a good job at reading it aloud but he did have some long sighs that were a bit distracting throughout the listen.

Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story.

good classic

good opportunity to hear the original author naira rate his own book. This is a classic story of how a civilization can break down

Listen with your kids!

I just finished listening to this with my kids in the car. We would listen when we went on long car rides. My kids are ages 8 and 11. They both enjoyed it though it took some explaining from me at times. I love that it was narrated by the author and that he both explains the story at the beginning, and sums it up at the end.

Good story, glad I read (listened to) it

Would you consider the audio edition of Lord of the Flies to be better than the print version?

Maybe, the narrator was a little difficult to understand at times.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Poor Piggy. He was a good kid, despite his frequent annoyances he had great intentions and he was the the only one able to think like an adult at times.

What three words best describe William Golding’s performance?

Accented, unenthusiastic (nature of his accent maybe?), okay

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Nope, it was a good story but nothing crazy. A few nuts things happen, but it was written at a time when those "nuts" things would have been insane. Now it's just pretty neat.

Personal Review

I liked the overall story, it’s a good classic and is very helpful for book reports, although I think someone other than the author should read for the audio, it becomes a bit monotone after awhile.