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  • Fahrenheit 451

  • By: Ray Bradbury
  • Narrated by: Tim Robbins
  • Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,123 ratings)

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Fahrenheit 451

By: Ray Bradbury
Narrated by: Tim Robbins
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Editorial reviews

Editors Select, October 2014 - I credit Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 as one of the books that sparked my love of reading, and now that I'm an avid listener, I'm excited to be able to experience the story anew with Academy Award-winner Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) narrating. Robbins' tone expertly mirrors the story's narrative – shifting effortlessly from somber and contemplative to suspenseful and terrifying. Each character, from the rebellious protagonist Guy Montag, to the enigmatic Clarisse McClellan, to the gruff Captain Beatty is distinct and realistic, making this frightening future seem all the more possible. Whether you enjoyed the book in a high school English class or never quite got around to it, every book lover should experience this poignant version of a dystopian classic. 

—Sam, Audible Editor

Publisher's Summary

Ray Bradbury's internationally acclaimed novel Fahrenheit 451 is a masterwork of twentieth-century literature set in a bleak, dystopian future, narrated here by Academy Award-winning actor Tim Robbins.

Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television "family." But then he meets an eccentric young neighbor, Clarisse, who introduces him to a past where people didn’t live in fear and to a present where one sees the world through the ideas in books instead of the mindless chatter of television. When Mildred attempts suicide and Clarisse suddenly disappears, Montag begins to question everything he has ever known. He starts hiding books in his home, and when his pilfering is discovered, the fireman has to run for his life.

©1951 Ray Bradbury (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Bradbury's iconic novel about the dangers of complacency and the value of curiosity gains a solid new voice with this audio performance. Tim Robbins puts his acting prowess to use here, creating superb dialogue and striding confidently through powerful speeches that celebrate books and warn against the lure of technology. Protagonist Montag burns with all the earnestness of a man eager for change; Faber's aged scholar simmers with cautious hope; Mildred's vacuous presence echoes emptily. Robbins provides the theatrical with the expected confidence, but he also makes good use of quiet in this production. He makes Bradbury's words even more powerful by remembering to pause at opportune moments to let them sink in." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Fahrenheit 451

Average Customer Ratings
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    4 out of 5 stars

great story poorly presented

This is a great story that everyone should read (especially these days in a multimedia world which almost directly reflects the world described by Ray Bradbury). I like Tim Robbins as an actor but I am disappointed with this presentation. It is over dramatic at times with gasping and shouting and his voice choices are not as good as they could be. His female voices sound like Monty Python's Mrs Knickerbater at times.

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9 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Very good

It took me a little while to get into it but I’m so glad I did. Tim Robbins was very,very good as Montag. The only thing I didn’t like was the production credits being shouted over the beautiful music that swelled as the book finished. If your going to shout every production credit DON’T bother with the music!!!!! Totally ruined the ending. Tim Robbins should do more books. 😉

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buy this

incredible, very relevant to today
one of the best narrations I've heard as well l

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4 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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terrible performance

I love Tim Robbins but his voice for the wife sounds like a character from family guy. His general narrating is fine but the character voices really distract from book. I had to stop half way through.

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3 people found this helpful

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Breathtaking

This book is a stark reminder of a reality we may face in the future

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3 people found this helpful

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A wonderful satire. Or a glimpse of the future...

This is a great book. Satirical but not comedic. It is a dark tale of personal redemption and a societal correction after society has taken some very wrong turns. Robbins is great as a narrator.

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acting?

I get it mate, you're an Oscar nominee and all that.
this is the most over-acted audiobook I have ever listened too. Too many needless heavy accents, too many whispers that made it hard to hear, often followed by shouting, too fast and too slow in too many sections. Audiobooks require a sort of subtlety that still allows the reader to imagine for themselves but also doesnt make me turn up the audio or turn down the audio or fasten/slow it. I felt like an audio technician getting through this.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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a Dystopia to add to the list

just getting through the dystopian reading list hoping to avoid a real one
And testing out the review system

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Need more stars

There aren't enough stars to rate the performance of this audio book. Tim Robbins is brilliant. I was on the edge of my seat.

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Tim Robbins is a fantastic dramatic reader

So good. an emotional performance of brilliant subject matter. It's 67 years old and will remain just as relevant today as it was then as it will be a thousand years from now.

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