Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Magic Skin cover art

The Magic Skin

By: Honoré de Balzac
Narrated by: John Bolen
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Vendetta cover art
Le Pere Goriot cover art
Father Goriot cover art
Cousin Bette cover art
The Lady of the Camellias cover art
A Confession cover art
The Count of Monte Cristo cover art
The Lady with the Dog & Other Stories (AmazonClassics Edition) cover art
The Blithedale Romance cover art
Of One Blood; or The Hidden Self (AmazonClassics Edition) cover art
The Picture of Dorian Gray: AOG Edition cover art
A Woman of No Importance cover art
First Love cover art
The Ultimate Gothic Horror Collection: Novels and Stories from Edgar Allan Poe; Bram Stoker, Henry James, Mary Shelley, Oscar Wilde; and More cover art
The Professor cover art
The House of the Seven Gables cover art

Summary

"The possession of power, no matter how enormous, does not bring the knowledge how to use it." Raphael, a failed writer, deep in debt, and unrequited in love, is about to take a suicidal plunge into the Seine River. Just in time, he discovers the "Magic Skin" in an antiquity shop. Its supernatural powers grant every wish but it extracts a terrible toll! This parable depicts the malaise of 19th century France.
©2002 Tantor Media Incorporated

What listeners say about The Magic Skin

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 2 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

The Magic Skin

This is, I think, the worst read audiobook I have ever listened to. It is so badly read that it is not possible to follow or understand the story. Pauses in all the wrong places, pseudo-French accents (as if one needed this) for the dialogue, and the said (un)French accents make it almost impossible to hear, much less comprehend, what is going on. Had I known in advance, I should never have bought it. Pity, as I understand it's a great novel!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

The Chagrin is in the listening??.

Balzac is a loved Parisian companion of many a jaunt to a g?te. Give the guy a break, you need the absolute of the French countryside to enjoy this one fully. Not to everyone?s taste, but then you pass many caravans on Le Franciliene and though bound for campsites we?re all still on holiday, aren?t we?

What a poor production of ?La Peau de chagrin.? One of the true French greats really grates here ? having to turn my speakers right up to get any sort of reasonable delivery. ?In-audible?, I think is more appropriate.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

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

Terrible audio. Headache inducing

All direct speech is read in a faux French accent and is completely unintelligible. The pronunciation of French words and places is incorrect.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful