The Brothers Karamazov

Penguin Classics

De: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, David McDuff - translator

Narrado por: Luke Thompson

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Luke Thompson, best known for his role in the hit Netflix drama Bridgerton. This definitive recording includes an introduction by David McDuff.

The murder of brutal landowner Fyodor Karamazov changes the lives of his sons irrevocably: Mitya, the sensualist, whose bitter rivalry with his father immediately places him under suspicion for parricide; Ivan, the intellectual, driven to breakdown; the spiritual Alyosha, who tries to heal the family's rifts; and the shadowy figure of their bastard half-brother, Smerdyakov. Dostoyevsky's dark masterwork evokes a world where the lines between innocence and corruption, good and evil, blur and everyone's faith in humanity is tested.

Translated with an introduction and notes by David McDuff.

©2003 David McDuff (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"The most magnificent novel ever written." (Sigmund Freud)

Masterful reading! Truly impressive.

I have loved Dostoyevsky since I was young, yet had never read the Brothers Karamazov, which I had heard was one of his masterpieces, combining all the themes of his earlier works.

I was instantly struck by how much the reader added to this long and winding tale. He uses different voices and accents (English regional analogs to Russian linguistic geographies) throughout, and he manages to make each sound unique, and embellishes enough non-verbal vocalizations that add immense character to a classic novel that is teeming with characters.

I think it takes a lot of confidence and gusto to imbue so much personality into these famous fictional characters, and Mr. Thompson seems to treat it like a Royal Shakespearean Thespian, but not in a bombastic or overdone way. I am a huge fan of audio books, and Luke Thompson’s performances in this one is truly a tour de force. I would say he does nearly as much heavy lifting as the translator, who also does an amazing job. Of course, I have only heard one translation, but a spot comparison seemed to indicate that this McDuff version is better than the older more commonly found one.

Anyway, kudos to all who were involved in producing this work. Rendering one of the all time world’s best writer’s masterpiece unto sound is no small task, and you all rose to the very high occasion. I salute you!

Here’s to hoping that you tackle many more classics in the future.

Ian F.

Best audiobook of Brothers Karamazov there is

I absolutely loved Luke Thompson’s elegant narration of the novel, which brought the story to life for me. Thank you!

A Must Read

The audio performance by Luke Thompson was marvelous.
I don’t think I could have enjoyed it more.

Now I Understand

As a young dyslexic reader I wld always stumble w Russian words, so to my HUGE delight I am now discovering great treasures by the brilliant Audible talents. So grateful. It’s life changing to finally share in the wisdom of this world literature!

profane or sacred world

A deep discussion of the profane and the sacred, touching on modern nihilism that seems to run people and nations into self/ destructive behaviors. The characters are complex in ways that surprise contemporary readers. It takes a bit time to get used to the complexity of the story and the names and nicknames. We 21th century people are not used to the slow pacing and lenght of 19th century drama.

Excellent story. Excellent narration.

Highly recommend this beautiful story read in such a powerful way by the narrator. 11/10.

Clever and precise grammer captivating from the start.

the author's brain to a sapiophile is intoxicating. After a world of considerable books to read by this author, I still can't get enough.

Excellent Narrator

Great novel. I was so impressed with the narrator who was able express the essence of each character so well. Was enjoyable to listen to this classic novel.

Narrator was outstanding

Nothing. Narrator hit all the right notes. Delineated all the characters perfectly. I loved it.

Just 'WOW'; Fantastic translation and narration!

This was a novel that took me years to get through. But once I found the right translation and audio book, I was able to not only plow through this novel with quick assertion, but I enjoyed it to a level I didn't think would be possible.
Much thanks to All Involved! Just WOW!