Preview

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Sorrows of Young Werther

By: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $16.00

Buy for $16.00

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Werther, a sensitive young artist, finds himself in Wahlheim, a quiet, attractive village in Germany where he seeks solace from the turmoils of love. It is a young spring, and he hopes that arcadian solitude will prove a genial balm to his mind. But his romantic tendency rules otherwise, and he falls in love with Charlotte - Lotte - even though he knows she is affianced to another.

In a series of letters to his friend, Wilhelm, he charts the course of his love, which rises to passion and obsession and, ultimately, tragedy.

The Sorrows of Young Werther is the iconic love story which helped to usher in the Romantic age. Partially autobiographical, von Goethe, aged just 24, wrote it in just six weeks, and when it appeared in 1774 it immediately established his reputation. Told through the protagonist's eyes, it is the gradual rise of Werther's strong feelings checked by attempts at restraint and complicated by a friendship with Lotte's husband that keeps the listener on edge - especially when read with sympathy, as here, by Leighton Pugh.

Translated by R. D. Boylan; revised by Leighton Pugh.

Public Domain (P)2016 Ukemi Productions Ltd
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Sorrows of Young Werther

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    102
  • 4 Stars
    30
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    105
  • 4 Stars
    20
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    89
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A tragic story well told

This translation of WERTHER is close the the early 19th century translation but altered slightly to be more modern and readable.

The audio book narrator was perfect.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A fantastic book

A wonderful book that I found to be developmental and maturative for a young man coming of age such as myself. I found this book to be worthwhile and generally entertaining. I further highly recommend this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A MUST

Illustration is 100% better than the other choices of audio books. Definitely pick this one

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

First Goethe book

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. I found it quite long and repetitive, and was torn between finishing it and cutting it short. I did finish it, reluctantly. The obsession portrayed toward Lotta by Werther seems way overboard to me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great performance for a classical story.

The vocals in this audible are far better than the other options for this book. I would recommend people listen to this one.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A German classic and deservedly so.

A young Romantic with an all-consuming love for a woman betrothed to another man-- and the dire consequences of that relationship.
Excellent reading by Leighton Pugh.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Too classical for my taste

I did not think I’d give Goethe less than 5 stars, but while the writing has impeccable technique, the language is rich and captivating, the story itself is focused on the narrator in a way that I can’t fully appreciate the overall read. The performance is really beautiful, although a bit more dramatic than necessary at times.
So, if you’re in the mood for a classic romantic story, with masterful writing, then this is it. But be careful of Goethe’s romanticism. It can be more than a modern reader can bear.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Goethe; sensitive, vivid, emotional

The world can dull a person at times, Goethe’s work will revitalize you; evoke nostalgia and an appreciation of beauty will be evident after you listen to the last page. Enjoy Goethe.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Goethe

Good narration.

I didn't enjoy this, and it wasn't because it was depressing, but because it had no plot, and the main character was simply self absorbed and unlikeable. The writing was poetic. That was about it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Totally Depressing

Don’t listen to this book if you are prone to depression. It is unrelentingly merciless.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful