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The Brothers Karamazov

Penguin Classics

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The Brothers Karamazov

By: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, David McDuff - translator
Narrated by: Luke Thompson
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Luke Thompson, best known for his role in the hit Netflix drama Bridgerton. This definitive recording includes an introduction by David McDuff.

The murder of brutal landowner Fyodor Karamazov changes the lives of his sons irrevocably: Mitya, the sensualist, whose bitter rivalry with his father immediately places him under suspicion for parricide; Ivan, the intellectual, driven to breakdown; the spiritual Alyosha, who tries to heal the family's rifts; and the shadowy figure of their bastard half-brother, Smerdyakov. Dostoyevsky's dark masterwork evokes a world where the lines between innocence and corruption, good and evil, blur and everyone's faith in humanity is tested.

Translated with an introduction and notes by David McDuff.

©2003 David McDuff (P)2021 Penguin Audio Classics Family Life Genre Fiction Psychological Fiction Scary

Critic Reviews

"The most magnificent novel ever written." (Sigmund Freud)
All stars
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By far this is the best narration I have heard for this masterpiece. Excellent narrator for an excellent masterpiece

Sensational narration for a classic masterpiece

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Had no idea what to expect but what I got was sublime. This is such a cool yarn.

Superb

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Definitely worth the time investment, especially if you enjoy Russian literature. The narration was excellent.

A classic for a reason

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I doubt I would have tackled this behemoth had it not been for Luke Thompson’s stellar performance narrating this long and winding road of a story.
Luke made it relatable and it became a joyous part of my day listening to him bring all the characters to life with such gusto!
At one point two characters are arguing one with a Scottish accent and the other Welsh, and Luke pulled it off without a hitch, hats off to you sir! Bravo!
Any chance Luke Thompson can do some more classics like this?

Bravo to a classic!

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A gripping novel on how childhood trauma results in the murder of a neglectful father, a commentary on the rise of socialism and materialism in the 19th century and a reminder that maintaining love and small acts of kindness is what really changes the world.

Dovtoyseky’s majestic artistry complemented by Luke Thompson’s narration make this audiobook a masterful rendition. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to understand the world we are living in.

Masterful Rendition

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The author is to be admired for his profound intellect, personal life story, use of language, and Herculean effort in writing this. For me, though, having finally tackled Brothers Karamazov with great expectations for a personal watershed moment, it was disappointing. The story is one big soap opera, interspersed with lengthy discourses on the eternal questions (god, morality, etc.), and it's an anthem to Russia. Not really my cup of tea. The narrator, on the other hand, was absolutely brilliant. It was he who carried me through to the end.

Admirable but taxing in several ways

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This is my favourite translation of my favourite novel. Perfect narration by Luke, especially his performance of Dmitri Karamazov, who my favourite literary character of all time. Just brilliant overall, deserves 6 stars.

Absolutely Brilliant

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I was intimidated by the size of this book and had put off reading it as a result. This audiobook made it easy to become immersed in the story and the narrator did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. Parts of the story were unnecessarily long-winded (something I’ve found in other works by Dostoyevsky) but there are enough sub-plots to keep track of to keep you going and the character development is interesting. A solid, if a bit verbose book that I’d give a solid 8/10

A Captivating Story Brilliantly Narrated

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Luke Thompson’s performance is simply astonishing. To be able to narrate every single page of this ginormous book with such passion and bravado is to be congratulated. I don’t think I would have been able to read The Brothers Karamazov without this audiobook. It must be noted, and this is not a criticism but merely a fact that should be addressed; Thompson uses a large variety of English accents to portray the wide cast of characters. This threw me off in the beginning as you go in to this book expecting a Russian drama, a feel like you’re experiencing an English drama. However, the fact that this is a Russian story and the country itself is so embedded in the text, you can suspend disbelief. This audiobook is absolutely worth your credit.

Brilliant performance

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Loved this in-depth book. A great read. Very emotional and thought provoking. The narrator was amazing! 5 star all the way!

Fantastic book

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