The Portrait
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
The Portrait
Buy for $23.22
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Peter Capaldi
-
By:
-
Iain Pears
About this listen
A dark and disturbing tale set at the turn of the 20th century, by the bestselling author of An Instance of the Fingerpost.
The windswept isle of Houat, off the coast of Brittany, is no picturesque artists' colony. At the turn of the twentieth century, life is harsh and rustic. So why did Henry MacAlpine forsake London – where he had been fêted by critics and gallery owners, his works exhibited alongside the likes of Cezanne and Van Gogh – to make his home in this remote outpost?
The truth begins to emerge when, four years into his exile, MacAlpine receives his first visitor. Influential art critic William Nasmyth has come to the island to sit for a portrait. Over the course of the sitting, the power balance between the two men shifts dramatically as the critic whose pen could anoint or destroy careers becomes a passive subject. And as the painter struggles to capture Nasmyth's true character on canvas, a story unfolds – one of betrayal, hypocrisy, forbidden love, suicide and ultimately murder.
©2007 Iain Pears (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London, UKListeners also enjoyed...
-
Arcadia
- A Novel
- By: Iain Pears
- Narrated by: John Lee, Jayne Entwistle
- Length: 20 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 658
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 586
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 586
In 1960s Oxford, Professor Henry Lytten is attempting to write a fantasy novel that forgoes the magic of his predecessors, J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. He finds an unlikely confidante in his quick-witted, inquisitive young neighbor Rosie.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Delightful genre fiction mash-up
- By Maine Colonial 🌲 on 03-22-16
By: Iain Pears
-
Stone's Fall
- A Novel
- By: Iain Pears
- Narrated by: Roy Dotrice, John Lee, Simon Vance
- Length: 24 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 614
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 428
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 427
In his most dazzling novel since the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller An Instance of the Fingerpost, Iain Pears tells the story of John Stone, financier and arms dealer, a man so wealthy that in the years before World War One he was able to manipulate markets, industries, and indeed entire countries and continents.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Not a Thriller
- By Snoodely on 11-07-09
By: Iain Pears
-
Love & Saffron
- A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Love
- By: Kim Fay
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr, Cassandra Campbell, Mark Bramhall, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 134
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 116
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 115
When twenty-seven-year-old Joan Bergstrom sends a fan letter—as well as a gift of saffron—to fifty-nine-year-old Imogen Fortier, a life-changing friendship begins. Joan lives in Los Angeles and is just starting out as a writer for the newspaper food pages. Imogen lives on Camano Island outside Seattle, writing a monthly column for a Pacific Northwest magazine, and while she can hunt elk and dig for clams, she’s never tasted fresh garlic--exotic fare in the Northwest of the sixties.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful read
- By Amazon Customer on 12-08-24
By: Kim Fay
-
The Grand Affair
- John Singer Sargent in His World
- By: Paul Fisher
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 17 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 8
A great American artist, John Singer Sargent is an abiding enigma. He scandalized viewers with the frankness and sensuality of his work, while dressing like a businessman and crafting a highly respectable persona. In The Grand Affair, scholar Paul Fisher explores the enigmas of fin de siecle sexuality and art, fashioning a biography that grants the man and his paintings new and intense life.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Not what I expected.
- By Anonymous User on 04-19-23
By: Paul Fisher
-
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories
- A Miss Marple Collection
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 653
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 591
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 589
Miss Marple: The Complete Story Collection gathers together in one magnificent volume all of Agatha Christie’s short stories featuring her beloved intrepid investigator, Miss Marple. It’s an unparalleled compendium of murder, mayhem, mystery, and detection that represents some of the finest short form fiction in the crime fiction field, and is an essential omnibus for Christie fans.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Classic Miss Marple - uneven narration
- By Lyric G. Eads on 11-09-22
By: Agatha Christie
-
The Case of the Canterfell Codicil
- The Anty Boisjoly Mysteries, Book 1
- By: PJ Fitzsimmons
- Narrated by: Tim Bruce
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 377
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 319
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 317
There’s a literary niche for all tastes including those who think that either Agatha Christie wasn’t funny enough or that PG Wodehouse didn’t feature anywhere near as many baffling murders as he could have. The Case of the Canterfell Codicil is a classic, cozy, locked-room mystery written in the style of an homage to PG Wodehouse.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Relaxing old fashioned mystery
- By Laurie S on 11-01-22
By: PJ Fitzsimmons
-
Arcadia
- A Novel
- By: Iain Pears
- Narrated by: John Lee, Jayne Entwistle
- Length: 20 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 658
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 586
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 586
In 1960s Oxford, Professor Henry Lytten is attempting to write a fantasy novel that forgoes the magic of his predecessors, J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. He finds an unlikely confidante in his quick-witted, inquisitive young neighbor Rosie.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Delightful genre fiction mash-up
- By Maine Colonial 🌲 on 03-22-16
By: Iain Pears
-
Stone's Fall
- A Novel
- By: Iain Pears
- Narrated by: Roy Dotrice, John Lee, Simon Vance
- Length: 24 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 614
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 428
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 427
In his most dazzling novel since the groundbreaking New York Times bestseller An Instance of the Fingerpost, Iain Pears tells the story of John Stone, financier and arms dealer, a man so wealthy that in the years before World War One he was able to manipulate markets, industries, and indeed entire countries and continents.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Not a Thriller
- By Snoodely on 11-07-09
By: Iain Pears
-
Love & Saffron
- A Novel of Friendship, Food, and Love
- By: Kim Fay
- Narrated by: Kimberly Farr, Cassandra Campbell, Mark Bramhall, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 134
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 116
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 115
When twenty-seven-year-old Joan Bergstrom sends a fan letter—as well as a gift of saffron—to fifty-nine-year-old Imogen Fortier, a life-changing friendship begins. Joan lives in Los Angeles and is just starting out as a writer for the newspaper food pages. Imogen lives on Camano Island outside Seattle, writing a monthly column for a Pacific Northwest magazine, and while she can hunt elk and dig for clams, she’s never tasted fresh garlic--exotic fare in the Northwest of the sixties.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beautiful read
- By Amazon Customer on 12-08-24
By: Kim Fay
-
The Grand Affair
- John Singer Sargent in His World
- By: Paul Fisher
- Narrated by: David de Vries
- Length: 17 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 11
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 8
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 8
A great American artist, John Singer Sargent is an abiding enigma. He scandalized viewers with the frankness and sensuality of his work, while dressing like a businessman and crafting a highly respectable persona. In The Grand Affair, scholar Paul Fisher explores the enigmas of fin de siecle sexuality and art, fashioning a biography that grants the man and his paintings new and intense life.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Not what I expected.
- By Anonymous User on 04-19-23
By: Paul Fisher
-
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories
- A Miss Marple Collection
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 653
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 591
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 589
Miss Marple: The Complete Story Collection gathers together in one magnificent volume all of Agatha Christie’s short stories featuring her beloved intrepid investigator, Miss Marple. It’s an unparalleled compendium of murder, mayhem, mystery, and detection that represents some of the finest short form fiction in the crime fiction field, and is an essential omnibus for Christie fans.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Classic Miss Marple - uneven narration
- By Lyric G. Eads on 11-09-22
By: Agatha Christie
-
The Case of the Canterfell Codicil
- The Anty Boisjoly Mysteries, Book 1
- By: PJ Fitzsimmons
- Narrated by: Tim Bruce
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 377
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 319
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 317
There’s a literary niche for all tastes including those who think that either Agatha Christie wasn’t funny enough or that PG Wodehouse didn’t feature anywhere near as many baffling murders as he could have. The Case of the Canterfell Codicil is a classic, cozy, locked-room mystery written in the style of an homage to PG Wodehouse.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Relaxing old fashioned mystery
- By Laurie S on 11-01-22
By: PJ Fitzsimmons
-
The Word Is Murder
- A Novel
- By: Anthony Horowitz
- Narrated by: Rory Kinnear
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,646
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,047
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,016
The New York Times best-selling author of Magpie Murders and Moriarty brilliantly reinvents the classic crime novel once again with this clever and inventive mystery starring a fictional version of the author himself as the Watson to a modern-day Holmes, investigating a case involving buried secrets, murder, and a trail of bloody clues.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Something New
- By Alice on 06-26-18
By: Anthony Horowitz
-
Small Things Like These
- By: Claire Keegan
- Narrated by: Aidan Kelly
- Length: 1 hr and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,015
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,838
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,836
It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man, faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery that forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Charming and Inspiring
- By David P on 09-05-22
By: Claire Keegan
-
The End of the Affair
- By: Graham Greene
- Narrated by: Colin Firth
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 11,456
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10,410
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10,362
Graham Greene’s evocative analysis of the love of self, the love of another, and the love of God is an English classic that has been translated for the stage, the screen, and even the opera house. Academy Award-winning actor Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, A Single Man) turns in an authentic and stirring performance for this distinguished audio release.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Colin Firth Kills It
- By Em on 05-09-12
By: Graham Greene
-
Surprised by Joy
- The Shape of My Early Life
- By: C. S. Lewis
- Narrated by: Ralph Cosham
- Length: 6 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,531
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,951
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,940
In this book, C.S. Lewis tells of his search for joy, a spiritual journey that led him from the Christianity of his early youth into atheism and then back to Christianity.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Not what I expected
- By connie on 12-21-09
By: C. S. Lewis
-
Vipers' Tangle
- By: Francois Mauriac
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Howard
- Length: 5 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 232
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 204
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 204
In this remarkable novel, Mauriac brings his extraordinary talent for probing the inmost core of the human character to what is arguably the most exciting theme in the world: the battle for the human soul. In all of literature there can be few more appalling studies of a soul devoured by pride and avarice, corroded by hatred.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
those nasty rich men
- By h and l on 02-09-10
By: Francois Mauriac
-
Conversations with Van Gogh
- By: Vincent Van Gogh, Simon Parke
- Narrated by: Andy Havill
- Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 57
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 50
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 49
Vincent van Gogh is best known for two things – his sunflowers and his ear-cutting. But there are many other ways of knowing this remarkable son of a Dutch pastor, who left his chill homeland for the sunshine of Arles in the South of France; and left us over a thousand frank letters of struggle and joy, to help us glimpse his inner world. Vincent came late to painting after spending time in London trying to be a Christian missionary.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An Imaginary Premise...
- By Douglas on 05-26-13
By: Vincent Van Gogh, and others
-
The Moon And Sixpence
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Robert Hardy
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 158
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 122
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 123
Charles Strickland, a conventional stockbroker, abandons his wife and children for Paris and Tahiti, to live his life as a painter. While his betrayal of family, duty and honour gives him the freedom to achieve greatness, his decision leads to an obsession which carries severe implications.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Roman a clef-abominable french artist Paul Gauguin
- By W Perry Hall on 01-22-14
-
Fifth Business
- The Deptford Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Robertson Davies
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 801
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 700
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 693
This first novel in The Deptford Trilogy introduces Ramsay, a man who returns from World War I decorated with the Victoria Cross but who is destined to be caught in a no man's land where memory, history, and myth collide. As we hear Ramsey tell his story, we begin to realize that, from childhood, he has influenced those around him in a perhaps mystical, perhaps pernicious way.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Been waiting for this
- By Vinity on 12-10-11
By: Robertson Davies
-
Of Human Bondage
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 28 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 418
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 375
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 371
Of Human Bondage is one of the greatest novels of modern times, and it is certainly Maugham's greatest achievement. It was published in 1914, when Maugham was at the height of his creative powers. The story concerns Philip Carey, afflicted at birth with a club foot, and his passionate search for truth in a cruel world. We follow his growth to manhood, his educational progress, his first loves, and the wrenching tragedies and disappointments that life has in store for him. In some of the finest prose of the 20th century, Maugham has presented us with the timeless story of one man's search for the meaning of life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Greatly Unsettling
- By Michael on 10-04-14
-
The Razor's Edge
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,041
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 919
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 910
The Great War changed everything and everyone, and Larry Darrell is no exception. Though his physical wounds from the war heal, his spirit is changed almost beyond recognition. He leaves his betrothed, the beautiful and devoted Isabel; studies philosophy and religion in Paris; lives as a monk, and witnesses the exotic hardships of Spanish life. All of life that he can find - from an Indian Ashrama to labor in a coal mine - becomes Larry's spiritual experiment as he spurns the comfort and privilege of the Roaring 20s.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
An Classic of Love and the Desire for Meaning
- By Eric on 01-06-17
-
The Devil's Own Work: Valancourt 20th Century Classics
- By: Alan Judd
- Narrated by: Matt Godfrey
- Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 41
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 37
After Edward, a rising young author, pens a savage review of the new novel by the world-famous O.M. Tyrell, he is surprised to receive an invitation to visit the old man at his villa in the south of France. The night of their meeting, Tyrell dies, and soon after, Edward's career mysteriously starts to soar as he earns fame, fortune and critical acclaim. But despite his achievements, Edward seems haunted, even tormented.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Short but great
- By Bambalamba on 02-24-20
By: Alan Judd
-
Thus Bad Begins
- A Novel
- By: Javier Marias, Margaret Jull Costa
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 50
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 41
Madrid, 1980. Juan de Vere, nearly finished with his university degree, takes a job as personal assistant to Eduardo Muriel, an eccentric, once-successful film director. Urbane, discreet, irreproachable, Muriel is an irresistible idol to the young man. But Muriel's voluptuous wife, Beatriz, inhabits their home like an unwanted ghost, and on the periphery of their lives is Dr. Jorge Van Vechten, a family friend implicated in unsavory rumors that Muriel now asks Juan to investigate.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating plot, superb performance, psychological depth
- By Doctor George on 12-05-16
By: Javier Marias, and others
Critic reviews
"It's obvious the artist plans to murder his sitter ¿ the suspense, artfully sustained, lies in finding out why." ( Sunday Telegraph)
Related to this topic
-
Fifth Business
- The Deptford Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Robertson Davies
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 801
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 700
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 693
This first novel in The Deptford Trilogy introduces Ramsay, a man who returns from World War I decorated with the Victoria Cross but who is destined to be caught in a no man's land where memory, history, and myth collide. As we hear Ramsey tell his story, we begin to realize that, from childhood, he has influenced those around him in a perhaps mystical, perhaps pernicious way.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Been waiting for this
- By Vinity on 12-10-11
By: Robertson Davies
-
Of Human Bondage
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 28 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 418
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 375
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 371
Of Human Bondage is one of the greatest novels of modern times, and it is certainly Maugham's greatest achievement. It was published in 1914, when Maugham was at the height of his creative powers. The story concerns Philip Carey, afflicted at birth with a club foot, and his passionate search for truth in a cruel world. We follow his growth to manhood, his educational progress, his first loves, and the wrenching tragedies and disappointments that life has in store for him. In some of the finest prose of the 20th century, Maugham has presented us with the timeless story of one man's search for the meaning of life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Greatly Unsettling
- By Michael on 10-04-14
-
The Razor's Edge
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,041
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 919
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 910
The Great War changed everything and everyone, and Larry Darrell is no exception. Though his physical wounds from the war heal, his spirit is changed almost beyond recognition. He leaves his betrothed, the beautiful and devoted Isabel; studies philosophy and religion in Paris; lives as a monk, and witnesses the exotic hardships of Spanish life. All of life that he can find - from an Indian Ashrama to labor in a coal mine - becomes Larry's spiritual experiment as he spurns the comfort and privilege of the Roaring 20s.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
An Classic of Love and the Desire for Meaning
- By Eric on 01-06-17
-
Thus Bad Begins
- A Novel
- By: Javier Marias, Margaret Jull Costa
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 50
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 41
Madrid, 1980. Juan de Vere, nearly finished with his university degree, takes a job as personal assistant to Eduardo Muriel, an eccentric, once-successful film director. Urbane, discreet, irreproachable, Muriel is an irresistible idol to the young man. But Muriel's voluptuous wife, Beatriz, inhabits their home like an unwanted ghost, and on the periphery of their lives is Dr. Jorge Van Vechten, a family friend implicated in unsavory rumors that Muriel now asks Juan to investigate.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating plot, superb performance, psychological depth
- By Doctor George on 12-05-16
By: Javier Marias, and others
-
The Golden Notebook
- By: Doris Lessing
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 27 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 526
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 436
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 433
Author Anna Wulf attempts to overcome writer’s block by writing a comprehensive "golden notebook" that draws together the preoccupations of her life, each of which is examined in a different notebook. Anna’s struggle to unify the various strands of her life – emotional, political, and professional – amasses into a fascinating encyclopaedia of female experience in the ‘50s.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Transcendent narration of a masterpiece.
- By @vmarinelli on 07-03-12
By: Doris Lessing
-
The End of the Affair
- By: Graham Greene
- Narrated by: Colin Firth
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 11,456
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10,410
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10,362
Graham Greene’s evocative analysis of the love of self, the love of another, and the love of God is an English classic that has been translated for the stage, the screen, and even the opera house. Academy Award-winning actor Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, A Single Man) turns in an authentic and stirring performance for this distinguished audio release.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Colin Firth Kills It
- By Em on 05-09-12
By: Graham Greene
-
Fifth Business
- The Deptford Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Robertson Davies
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 801
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 700
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 693
This first novel in The Deptford Trilogy introduces Ramsay, a man who returns from World War I decorated with the Victoria Cross but who is destined to be caught in a no man's land where memory, history, and myth collide. As we hear Ramsey tell his story, we begin to realize that, from childhood, he has influenced those around him in a perhaps mystical, perhaps pernicious way.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Been waiting for this
- By Vinity on 12-10-11
By: Robertson Davies
-
Of Human Bondage
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 28 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 418
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 375
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 371
Of Human Bondage is one of the greatest novels of modern times, and it is certainly Maugham's greatest achievement. It was published in 1914, when Maugham was at the height of his creative powers. The story concerns Philip Carey, afflicted at birth with a club foot, and his passionate search for truth in a cruel world. We follow his growth to manhood, his educational progress, his first loves, and the wrenching tragedies and disappointments that life has in store for him. In some of the finest prose of the 20th century, Maugham has presented us with the timeless story of one man's search for the meaning of life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Greatly Unsettling
- By Michael on 10-04-14
-
The Razor's Edge
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,041
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 919
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 910
The Great War changed everything and everyone, and Larry Darrell is no exception. Though his physical wounds from the war heal, his spirit is changed almost beyond recognition. He leaves his betrothed, the beautiful and devoted Isabel; studies philosophy and religion in Paris; lives as a monk, and witnesses the exotic hardships of Spanish life. All of life that he can find - from an Indian Ashrama to labor in a coal mine - becomes Larry's spiritual experiment as he spurns the comfort and privilege of the Roaring 20s.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
An Classic of Love and the Desire for Meaning
- By Eric on 01-06-17
-
Thus Bad Begins
- A Novel
- By: Javier Marias, Margaret Jull Costa
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 16 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 50
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 41
Madrid, 1980. Juan de Vere, nearly finished with his university degree, takes a job as personal assistant to Eduardo Muriel, an eccentric, once-successful film director. Urbane, discreet, irreproachable, Muriel is an irresistible idol to the young man. But Muriel's voluptuous wife, Beatriz, inhabits their home like an unwanted ghost, and on the periphery of their lives is Dr. Jorge Van Vechten, a family friend implicated in unsavory rumors that Muriel now asks Juan to investigate.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fascinating plot, superb performance, psychological depth
- By Doctor George on 12-05-16
By: Javier Marias, and others
-
The Golden Notebook
- By: Doris Lessing
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 27 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 526
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 436
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 433
Author Anna Wulf attempts to overcome writer’s block by writing a comprehensive "golden notebook" that draws together the preoccupations of her life, each of which is examined in a different notebook. Anna’s struggle to unify the various strands of her life – emotional, political, and professional – amasses into a fascinating encyclopaedia of female experience in the ‘50s.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Transcendent narration of a masterpiece.
- By @vmarinelli on 07-03-12
By: Doris Lessing
-
The End of the Affair
- By: Graham Greene
- Narrated by: Colin Firth
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 11,456
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 10,410
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 10,362
Graham Greene’s evocative analysis of the love of self, the love of another, and the love of God is an English classic that has been translated for the stage, the screen, and even the opera house. Academy Award-winning actor Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, A Single Man) turns in an authentic and stirring performance for this distinguished audio release.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Colin Firth Kills It
- By Em on 05-09-12
By: Graham Greene
-
Demian
- The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth
- By: Hermann Hesse
- Narrated by: Jeff Woodman
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,101
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 928
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 924
Here is the dramatic story of young, docile Emil Sinclair's descent - led by precocious schoolmate Max Demian - into a secret and dangerous world of petty crime and revolt against convention and eventual awakening to selfhood.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Demian
- By Debra on 12-08-08
By: Hermann Hesse
-
The Fall
- By: Albert Camus
- Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini
- Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 457
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 400
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 399
Elegantly styled, Camus' profoundly disturbing novel of a Parisian lawyer's confessions is a searing study of modern amorality.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wow Wow Wow
- By Lauren C on 07-14-21
By: Albert Camus
-
A Christmas Journey
- By: Anne Perry
- Narrated by: Terrence Hardiman
- Length: 3 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 924
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 845
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 839
It's Christmas and the well-born guests who have gathered at Applecross for a delicious weekend of relaxation are warmed by roaring fires, mistletoe, and gorgeously wrapped gifts. It's scarcely the setting for misfortune, and no one - not even that clever young aristocrat and budding sleuth Vespasia Cumming-Gould - anticipates the tragedy that is to darken this light-hearted holiday house party. But soon one young woman lies dead, a suicide, and Vespasia must uncover the heartbreaking truth behind the tragedy.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Never tire of Anne Perry
- By Joan on 12-22-17
By: Anne Perry
-
The Sunday Philosophy Club
- An Isabel Dalhousie Mystery
- By: Alexander McCall Smith
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 931
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 607
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 601
New York Times best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith, winner of the first-ever Saga Award for Wit, has entertained millions with his beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mysteries. Now this phenomenally popular author introduces a fresh series, brimming with the charm and humor his stable of dedicated fans can't get enough of.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Advice For Prospective Listeners
- By DCinMI on 02-18-13
-
The Enchanted April
- By: Elizabeth von Arnim
- Narrated by: Nadia May
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 818
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 603
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 602
This is a journey of both escape and discovery for four exquisitely different women, a month of bliss and privacy for four weary souls. Their refuge on the Italian Riviera provides the perfect backdrop for a story about the search for spiritual harmony within and without.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent book, excellent narrator
- By Amazon Customer on 02-26-05
-
Demian
- By: Hermann Hesse
- Narrated by: Jason McCoy
- Length: 5 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 92
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 83
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 82
Demian: The Story of Emil Sinclair's Youth is a Bildungsroman by Hermann Hesse, first published in 1919; a prologue was added in 1960. Demian was first published under the pseudonym "Emil Sinclair", the name of the narrator of the story, but Hesse was later revealed to be the author.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A pre-Great War, gnostic, Jungian bildungsroman.
- By Darwin8u on 07-13-12
By: Hermann Hesse
-
Outline
- The Outline Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Rachel Cusk
- Narrated by: Kate Lock
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 56
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 52
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 52
A man and a woman are seated next to each other on a plane. They get to talking - about their destination, their careers, their families. Grievances are aired, family tragedies discussed, marriages and divorces analyzed. An intimacy is established as two strangers contrast their own fictions about their lives. Outline is a novel in 10 conversations. Spare and stark, it follows a novelist teaching a course in creative writing during one oppressively hot summer in Athens.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Difficult and Better in Print
- By Nick O. on 07-18-23
By: Rachel Cusk
-
The House of Mirth
- By: Edith Wharton
- Narrated by: Eleanor Bron
- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,651
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,441
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,434
Beautiful, sophisticated and endlessly ambitious Lily Bart endeavours to climb the social ladder of New York's elite by securing a good match and living beyond her means. Now nearing 30 years of age and having rejected several proposals, forever in the hope of finding someone better, her future prospects are threatened. A damning commentary of 20th-century social order, Edith Wharton's tale established her as one of the greatest British novelists of the 1900s.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Like Henry James but more accessible
- By Merlin on 08-19-12
By: Edith Wharton
-
Kokoro
- By: Natsume Soseki
- Narrated by: Matt Shea
- Length: 7 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 488
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 425
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 425
The subject of Kokoro, which can be translated as 'the heart of things' or as 'feeling,' is the delicate matter of the contrast between the meanings the various parties of a relationship attach to it. In the course of this exploration, Soseki brilliantly describes different levels of friendship, family relationships, and the devices by which men attempt to escape from their fundamental loneliness. The novel sustains throughout its length something approaching poetry, and it is rich in understanding and insight.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The Heart Of Things, Relationships & Feelings
- By Sara on 04-27-15
By: Natsume Soseki
-
Past Imperfect
- By: Julian Fellowes
- Narrated by: Richard Morant
- Length: 16 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,181
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,032
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,024
Damian Baxter is hugely wealthy and dying. He lives alone in a big house in Surrey, England, looked after by a chauffeur, butler, cook and housemaid. He has but one concern--his fortune in excess of 500 million and who should inherit it on his death.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Read Snobs instead
- By cristina on 02-14-13
By: Julian Fellowes
-
Fraud
- By: Anita Brookner
- Narrated by: Anna Massey
- Length: 7 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 75
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 59
When Anna Durrant is reported missing her friends seem unconcerned at her disappearance. After all, her life has been one of concealment. For years Anna submitted to the protective dependence of her mother, and even after Amy Durrant’s death she simply conformed to the expectations of others. Increasingly, Anna feels herself trapped by these expectations.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Top Shelf Brookner
- By David P on 09-15-15
By: Anita Brookner
-
The Good Soldier
- By: Ford Madox Ford
- Narrated by: Frank Muller
- Length: 6 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 198
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 150
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 149
On the face of it Captain Edward Ashburnham's life was unimpeachable. But behind the mask where passion seethes, the captain's "good" life was rotting away.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Treachery in the Troops
- By Mel on 01-08-15
By: Ford Madox Ford
What listeners say about The Portrait
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Patricia Quinn
- 09-30-17
Compelling read.
Loved this dark thrilling book many years ago and have re-read it a number of times. Thoroughly enjoyed the narration by Peter Capaldi. So perfect a personification of Henry MacAlpine
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful