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Middlemarch
- Narrated by: Maureen O'Brien
- Length: 32 hrs and 23 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
Non-member price: $46.83
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Publisher's Summary
Exclusively from Audible
George Eliot's most ambitious novel is a masterly evocation of diverse lives and changing fortunes in a provincial community.
Peopling its landscape are Dorothea Brooke, a young idealist whose search for intellectual fulfillment leads her into a disastrous marriage to the pedantic scholar Casaubon; the charming but tactless Dr Lydgate, whose marriage to the spendthrift beauty Rosamund and pioneering medical methods threaten to undermine his career; and the religious hypocrite Bulstrode, hiding scandalous crimes from his past.
As their stories interweave, George Eliot creates a richly nuanced and moving drama, hailed by Virginia Woolf as 'one of the few English novels written for adult people'. Middlemarch explores nearly all matters of concern to modern life, portraying an entire community and every class within it. Full of irony and suspense and even richer in character it shows how individual lives are shaped by and shape the community. Within Middlemarch, we find Eliot's ability to expand the audience's compassion and imagination.
George Eliot was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. Her novels, largely set in provincial England, are well known for their realism and psychological insight. When Middlemarch was released Eliot was considered England's finest living novelist with many critics still regarding this novel as the finest in English.
A BAFTA winning adaptation of Middlemarch aired as a television series in 1994.
Narrator Biography
Maureen is an English actress and author best known for playing the role of Vicki in Doctor Who where she starred alongside the original Doctor, William Hartnell. She then went on to appear in The Legend of King Arthur, Casualty, The Duchess of Duke Street, Taggart, Cracker, A Touch of Frost, Heartbeat and Jonathan Creek. In 1985 she made a rare film appearance in the comedy She'll Be Wearing Pink Pyjamas opposite Julie Walters.
Maureen has also appeared in a number of stage productions, for example, The Relapse (Old Vic), The Merchant of Venice (Old Vic), The Archbishop's Ceiling (Bristol Old Vic) and Othello (Bristol Old Vic).
What listeners say about Middlemarch
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Andrea
- 30-01-2015
A classic well worth revisiting - again and again!
Although this is an extremely lengthy listen, the narration is excellent and brings the characters into vivid life. The story can take perseverance in the first quarter but is well rewarded when things come together and the reader has an indepth background and understanding of the complex relationships and emotions. So clever, such wonderful language and so insightful with observations of human behaviour and social interactions that still resonate and provoke thought in contemporary times. And who would not seek and adore a friend like Dorothea?!
2 people found this helpful
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- Ros
- 07-05-2020
Exquisite
Totally wonderful in every way. If there are any other audio books read by Maureen O’Brien I will be listening ardently.
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- M. Leavell
- 23-01-2016
Disappointed: this is not a never-ending story
It's hard to imagine a better reading of Middlemarch. If shopping, read no further.
My third time with Middlemarch and my first with audible. O"Brien's reading made a great book even better. Her vocal characterizations (of which I am, in general, not very fond) were quite good, but even when not "in character" her reading was brilliant.
11 people found this helpful
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- Thamrin Quay
- 15-10-2015
Beautifully, movingly narrated
I read the book as I listened to this narration and I cannot exaggerate how my experience has been enriched to hear every single character given a unique voice, one that was perfectly suited to the personality of the character. This is a masterful rendition of a great treasure of English literature. The artistry of the narration, the sheer number of voices, accents, patterns of speech and idiosyncrasies that the narrator has captured is, in itself, a true work of art. It's as if Ms. O'Brian went to live in Middlemarch to become acquainted with every character very well and then recreated them for us.
11 people found this helpful
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- Naomi
- 17-06-2014
One of the greatest novels in the English language
What did you love best about Middlemarch?
Dorothea Brooke is both an original character and as familiar as my own heart. She is a well-educated, upper-class young woman who wants to build a life that is meaningful on her own terms and not by the conventions of society, but she is held back by society's limited view of a woman's role in the world. What else did I love -- the many other complex characters who came alive and who worked out their lives in their own ways -- with or without success.
What other book might you compare Middlemarch to and why?
In bringing a whole society to life and creating characters as vibrant as real people -- Barchester Towers by Trollope, Vanity Fair by Thackeray, any number of novels by Dickens (Great Expectations, Little Dorrit,Our Mutual Friend,Bleak House).
What about Maureen O'Brien’s performance did you like?
She gave each character their own voice, without making anyone a caricature.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Too long! and too complex. It needed to be savored and enjoyed.
11 people found this helpful
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- Andrew
- 31-10-2013
A Town that Thinks Too Much
Middlemarch is an amazing book that portrays a list of characters that seem to get themselves into trouble by thinking too much instead of going with their instincts. Social hierarchy seems to be the factor in the back of every person's mind that decides which romantic or financial turns they will take, at the onset nearly ruining their lives.
Dorothea happens to be my favorite character due to her independence. I was very frustrated with her time and time again, however, whenever she and Will Ladislaw got together and never acted on the love that each knew was present. It seemed that every time both of them got together I was silently screaming to them both to profess their love and lead happy lives, not ones of servitude to others. When they finally did, I knew that all would turn out well for them.
The supposed superiority of men over women was a predominant issue that came back over and over again to nearly every character. Whether it was the disgust of a woman deciding for herself who she should marry, or a wife trying to help her husband financially, each woman was put in her place and their actions were restricted, threatened by the fear of a poor lifestyle. Strangely enough, it was the wives that survived their restrictive husbands, and went on to live happily in the end.
George Eliot (a.k.a. Mary Ann Evans) put together a wonderful conglomeration of social, political, spiritual, and ethical hardships as well as the solutions to such difficulties, and she did so with excellent eloquence. Maureen O'Brien, the narrator, brought forth a terrific performance, with each character clearly understood, even in the most emotional scenes. Very well done!
7 people found this helpful
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- Julie W. Capell
- 28-08-2013
Read for its humor & glimmers of female rebellion
I enjoyed the parts of this novel more than the whole of it. Taken altogether, this seemed like a story that could have been told in half the pages while still getting across the main points the author was making. The book principally documents the lives of several individuals, each of whom when young believes he or she is destined to do Great Things. Over the course of several hundred pages, the author shows how her protagonists, either through their own poor judgment or because of their place in the social web (dictated by the mores of Victorian society) end up living pretty unremarkable lives.
It is a testament to Eliot’s excellence as a writer that she manages to make these everyday lives interesting. She does this via a delightful cast of supporting characters and witty asides that skewer human nature generally. I found myself smiling frequently and underlining many wonderful passages throughout the book.
But what makes this book worth reading over a century after it was written is the way it shows the first glimmers of rebellion against the way women were brought up, particularly women of middle and upper-middle class status. None of the women in the book are allowed to fully utilize their abilities, particularly their minds, and are for the most part submissive to their fathers, brothers, and husbands. But this submission does not come easily, and each manages to slip out from under the oppression of her situation in her own way.
[I listened to this as an audio book performed by Maureen O'Brien. She did a very good job of giving the characters different voices, but I agree she made several of the women sound extremely childish, which was a bit annoying. Still, she was able to get a good deal of humor into the reading which I appreciated.]
18 people found this helpful
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- Michele Tauber
- 19-02-2017
Fabulous Sweeping Story
Middlemarch is perhaps the best of the George Eliot books. The stories of the families in this little city are so well told and intertwined in the writing you never feel as though one story doesn't get enough time. Eliot is a masterful storyteller and relies on history, mythology, the current events of the times and even other excerpts from literature to aid her writing. She mixes a good deal of the drama with comedy, pathos, tragedy and a remarkably acceptable ending. I really enjoyed this audio book.
The reader is excellent and is able to differentiate the many characters so well that you always know who each one is when she's reading. It was a very impressive interpretation.
5 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 14-03-2015
A Masterpiece
Took a long time to get through but a long time of pleasure.
A very good performance as well. A plus
4 people found this helpful
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- E. Pearson
- 23-02-2015
A Truly Enjoyable Classic
The best thing about this book is the character development. I felt a compelling attraction and affinity to every somewhat important character. While some were easier to admire, or dislike, or simply laugh at, I felt that I possessed the same traits during some periods of my life. Eliot is possibly the most honest writer I've ever read. She makes no one fit any pre-established mold; each develops as we readers travel along. I thought several times: "Our worlds and surroundings have changed so immensely; our habits of daily life bear no resemblance," and yet, all that is insignificant. People and events are entirely recognizable in my modern world, as well as in Eliot's.
4 people found this helpful
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- Edyta Niemyjska
- 11-06-2014
Great book
What about Maureen O'Brien’s performance did you like?
Maureen O'Brien is a great reader. Each character spoke in a slightly different way. The changes were detectable but not annoying.
Any additional comments?
Although when I started I did not like the characters very much, throughout the book I got used to them and once the book was finished I missed the characters and the spirit of the novel.
8 people found this helpful
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- Charles Schneider
- 01-02-2015
Among the magnificent.
Middlemarch shines as an example of storytelling not often seen among today's best sellers. Character development with few modern equals.
3 people found this helpful
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- Auguste Dupin
- 12-05-2016
Beautiful reading
What made the experience of listening to Middlemarch the most enjoyable?
Middlemarch is a complex book with many characters and Maureen O'Brien does the impossible by giving each character a distinct and appropriate voice. I listened to it twice.
What did you like best about this story?
I love Victorian novels, but I had never before read Middlemarch which turns out to be the best of them all. Four stories about four (or five) marriages are intertwined around the background of political reform in early 18th century England. The characters are all people that grow more complex with each reading, so that we feel we could know what they would do when out of our sight.
What about Maureen O'Brien’s performance did you like?
She understands the characters very well, and narrates as if the story was coming from her heart and not being read.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Five weddings and a funeral.
19 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 21-09-2015
Hard to get started but rewarding when you do.
I loved it. This is a long book, give it time and you'll be rewarded. 200 years on things are fundamentally the same!
13 people found this helpful
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- Timedout
- 31-07-2015
loved it - social history
George Elliott paints an historic picture of the intricacies of social duty and conscience and you realise that for all our modern advances we haven't come that far socially.
13 people found this helpful
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- Anne
- 20-09-2017
Delightful listening
What a delightful well written book. It does start slowly, but is well worth sticking with. You can't beat an old classic, and it was brought to life brilliantly by Maureen O'Brian. I would recommend it to anyone
8 people found this helpful
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- M V Curr
- 06-08-2016
good
Compelling story and characters, a wonderful novel. The narrator was annoying at times, some accents or tones of speech given to characters were irritating - esp poor Celia who was made to sound like a petulant five year old throughout. nonetheless, its such a great book one can't resist being. held captive..
7 people found this helpful
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- Bob
- 28-08-2016
An Exquisite Novel Beautifully Read
Intricate, funny, passionate multi-layered narrative that illuminates human hypocrisy, frailty but also potential for goodness.
11 people found this helpful
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- David Bisset
- 17-09-2017
A superb rendition
Maureen O'Brien reads with outstanding clarity and nuances. She deals most convincingly with a wide range of male and female characters who utilised a while gamut of verbal characteristics. She also coped well with dialectical variations. Listening to her rendition was illuminating and pleasurable.
7 people found this helpful
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- J. G.
- 13-02-2019
"One of the best novels in English literature"
This is an excellent rendition by Maureen O'Brien of Middlemarch.
A long novel it may be, but worth reading completely to the end and indeed many times over for its uncanny psychological depth and moral realism.
George Eliot adeptly interweaves the life-stories of several characters with unique personalities and histories. No wonder it has been described by other writers in our time as "the best novel in English literature".
2 people found this helpful
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- Scribella
- 11-09-2020
Outstanding narration
The narration of such a huge book, with such a varied cast of characters, was always going to be a challenge - and Maureen O'Brien rises to it magnificently. Her reading and characterisations increased my enjoyment of 'Middlemarch' and made it an absolute pleasure to listen to. As for the book itself... well, it's a classic for a reason - a deceptively ambitious work that uses the apparently modest canvas of a provincial town to paint an impressively sweeping and deep masterpiece about human nature. I particularly enjoyed George Eliot's satirical observations - when she sharpens her pen, she's almost as lacerating as Jane Austen. However, Eliot is far more verbose than Austen and more reminiscent of Dickens, in her tendency to ramble and moralise. This aspect of the work, I enjoyed less... but overall, I found it to be an engrossing, entertaining and satisfying novel - with utterly brilliant audiobook narration.
1 person found this helpful
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- Janet
- 17-04-2021
Fabulous performance of wonderful novel
I’ve read this wonderful novel many times yet the performance brought out aspects of it that have previously passed by me. The narrator creates the characters vividly and brings a sensitive nuanced understanding to its passages of observation and commentary. I shall certainly listen to it again and highly recommend it. It is long but every word is worth hearing.
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