The perfect long audiobook

This classic novel takes a long time to unfold and requires great reading stamina but Juliet Stevenson creates an immersive experience with her perfectly nuanced reading and nearly 40 hours of imaginative delight have been delivered. It is impossible to praise the reading highly enough. The romantic entanglements and class consciousness are wittily observed. Nothing goes unnoticed by Eliot's sharp satirical eye. The haughty provincial dowagers and snobs are skewered hilariously. George Eliot explores areas of esoteric Hebrew scholarship which are exotic and strange to the modern reader but the subtlety and depth of her characters and her penetrating insights into human behaviour make it an extraordinary book. The prose and poetry of the writing is perfectly cadenced and arresting sentences keep occurring, sometimes needing to be heard twice. I don't think reading the book would have given the emotional rewards of listening to this extraordinary narration.
I was especially struck by the reunion of Deronda , in Genoa, with the mother who abandoned him as a child. She is an astonishingly vivid character who must have shocked Victorian readers. She counterbalances the Zionism of Ezra and Klessmer the musician represents the urbane non religious Jew whose status is defined more by art than race.
This book articulates the yearnings of european Jews as a stateless people and it is remarkable that it was written by a non Jewish British woman.
I preferred the romantic tale to the religious visionary aspects but the novel is a monumental achievement. Strangely, to me, Daniel Deronda is not the most vividly drawn character in the book.

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Juliet, O Juliet thou art a Great Witch!

Elliott has always been a great but difficult novelist for this 'unlearned' listener & were it not for the immeasurable talent of the immortal Juliet, Daniel Deronda would have been relegated to deep storage.
How is it possible for a mere mortal to create & maintain such a varied range of ages, genders classes (accents)? Surely, here be Sorcery! And not of the mediocre kind. Voice training is all very well but the prodigious kinesthetic & cerebral memory required of the vocal musculature & it's neurological sophistication as exhibited here depicts great mastery.

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Surprising and Challenging

Would you listen to Daniel Deronda again? Why?

I would , but perhaps many years in the future. There is a lot to take in and ponder, so would be good to revisit it one day

What was one of the most memorable moments of Daniel Deronda?

When Daniel finds out the truth about his birth parents and travels to Genoa to meet his birth mother for the first time before she dies.

Which character – as performed by Juliet Stevenson – was your favourite?

Hans was a great character and it must have been a challenge for Juliet to portray his many facets of personality. I can really empathise with him and it's probably true to say that,even today, most of us know or have known a 'Hans'. He is poignant in his attempts to try and cover up his pain and tender feelings with false levity. He is charming and erudite, a free thinker, a fish out of water, perplexing and unpredictable. A childlike sweetness,but very clever and deep nature. Misunderstood and much loved by his mother and sisters. I really liked him.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh yes, but too much to take in. It merits a slow listen.

Any additional comments?

What an amazing subject matter for George Elliot to decide to write about. The history of the Jewish people and the prejudice that they encountered at the time of her writing, was both fascinating and shocking. I now most definitely need to research why this was a subject she wished to tackle. I am certainly glad that she did!

7 people found this helpful

Superb performance

One of the best readings of an audiobook I have encountered: Juliet Stevenson is a consummate performer and brings the characters to life superbly. It is a long and, at times, rambling tale of character and motivation with a little typical Victorian co-incidence to oil the wheels. The plot is spread a little thinly over the novel as a whole but there was enough of interest to keep going. Whilst on the one hand building an apparently reverential picture of scholarly Judaism, Eliot manages at the same time to validate many of the prejudices of the times,
which was fascinating in itself. I probably wouldn’t have kept reading it if I’d had the book in my hand but Ms Stevenson brought it to life so well it was more like watching a dramatisation.

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Superb

Not sure I would have read this book but to hear Stevenson reading it aloud has bee mesmeric. Plum full of metaphor and simile she annunciation every word perfectly adding modern resonance.

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An excellent audio book.

An unforgettable novel brilliantly read by Juliet Stevenson. These characters will stay with me forever . Although very long so many issues are covered one's interest is held throughout. The language is beautiful, enhanced by the way in which it is read. A moving and uplifting book.

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Julie Stevenson narrates beautifully

loved the story though found it a bit laboured in parts...the narration was wonderful with fantastic characteriasation by Juliet Stevenson

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Juliet Stevenson is fabulous as usual

If you could sum up Daniel Deronda in three words, what would they be?

philisophical, interesting, engaging

What other book might you compare Daniel Deronda to, and why?

Not quite as good a story as Middlemarch but more philosophical.

What does Juliet Stevenson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Juliet Stevenson is just an unbeatable narrator. She will spoil you and you won't want to listen to anyone else.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Gwendolen's unlikable character was strangely enjoyable and amusing, her speech was fantastically portrayed by JS.

7 people found this helpful

Excellent

Brilliantly narrated to bring it to life. The quality of writing is exceptional and so perceptive.

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Gripping and Beautifully Read

I've just discovrred George Eliot and Juliette Stevenson is the best way to hear more.

3 people found this helpful