Try free for 30 days

  • Sophie's World

  • A Novel About the History of Philosophy
  • By: Jostein Gaarder
  • Narrated by: Simon Vance
  • Length: 16 hrs and 53 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (145 ratings)

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Sophie's World cover art

Sophie's World

By: Jostein Gaarder
Narrated by: Simon Vance
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $33.99

Buy Now for $33.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

One day, 14-year-old Sophie Amundsen comes home from school to find two notes in her mailbox, with one question on each: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?"

From that irresistible beginning, Sophie becomes obsessed with questions that take her far beyond what she knows of her Norwegian village. Through those letters, she enrolls in a kind of correspondence course, covering Socrates to Sartre, with a mysterious philosopher, while receiving letters addressed to another girl. Who is Hilde? And why does her mail keep turning up? To unravel this riddle, Sophie must use the philosophy she is learning - but the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.

A pause-resisting novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Sophie's World has fired the imagination of listeners all over the world, having been translated into 45 languages and with over 20 million copies in print.

©1991 H. Aschelhoug and Co. (W. Nygaard), Oslo. Translation 1994 Paulette Moller (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers, LLC

Critic Reviews

"Gaarder pulls off the difficult feat of blending philosophy and entertainment in a way that will capture [young adults'] interest and make them eager to explore further." (School Library Journal)
"First, think a beginner's guide to philosophy....Next, imagine a fantasy novel - something like a modern-day version of Through the Looking Glass. Meld these disparate genres, and what do you get? Well, what you get is an improbable international bestseller...[A] tour de force." (Time)
"Sophie's World is sheer delight. How I wish I'd had it during my college freshman survey of philosophy!" (Madeleine L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time)

What listeners say about Sophie's World

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    108
  • 4 Stars
    27
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    100
  • 4 Stars
    17
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    104
  • 4 Stars
    15
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3

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

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

Buggy file

I got this book in hard copy to reference in further research, as this is philosophy 101 nestled in a story.

I had to refer to the book to figure out what was going on in a couple of sections because the file jumped.

In one instance it missed 3 lines and that changed the whole context because they had moved in those lines.

In another the file jumped forward a chapter and then jumped back to where it had jumped from.

Filed a bug report but yet to be resolved

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

My favourite book by far

This book should be in every home to help people to understand their world better

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

A good introduction to Philosophy.

An overall good story however I feel that the is some parts missing from the story like the narrator or the translator just skipped over some bits of the dialogue.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

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

What a beautiful book

One day I hope to give this book as a gift to my 2 year old daughter perhaps on her 15th birthday :)

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

One of my favourites

This book is one of my favourites, one I revisit every few years, and always take something new away.

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
    4 out of 5 stars

Must read for everyone!

I think everyone needs to hear the history of philosophy in this way but honestly what is up with the garden party at the end? I won’t say anymore.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Rio
  • 22-06-2022

The book and narration are amazing but there is a problems with audio

There appears to be audio missing from the file in chapter 7 at 1:00:35 which is disappointing. Calling audible support was not helpful. I’m not sure if any other audio is missing.

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

Very good narration

I liked the book as I learnt a lot about philosophy in very easy language but I didn’t like the fact that writer has a bias about religious and god.

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
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • RG
  • 22-01-2022

Some glitches, but otherwise very good

There were a few points where the narration becomes out of order and confusing. Fortunately I have a paper copy of the book and could read those parts of the book in the order intended by the author and consistent with the narration.

Aside from that, this is an easy to read, relatable history of Western philosophy in the form of an imaginative novel. I learned a lot and greatly enjoyed the 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

Fantastic!

A superbly digestible novel, although dense! What a great way to gain perspective on philosophy and the world we live in. Marvellously entertaining performance to deliver it home.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.