loved every word

I don't understand some of the other reviews ! Not only is Frederick Davidson THE best narrator on Audible he also does a perfect job in reading this book. There can be hardly anything said about the story for it is known to most of us, and may it even be from the picture made in in the 60ies, starring the unforgetable Sir Peter Ustinov. The criticism about the "ancient ttranslation" is not very well founded. Sure, there are a lot of "thou" and "thee" but this makes the story more interesting and does not affect the fluency of the book. I read this book many years ago and this "audio delicasy" brought back old memories. All in all it was extremely enjoyable listening to this great tale.

28 people found this helpful

More Sienkiewicz Please!

First, Sienkiewicz is one of my favorite authors, and it is a shame that Audible doesn’t offer more of his works. Quo Vadis would only rank in the middle of the pack, with many better books out there. Please record more!

Some reviews complain about the translation, there is not a mistake here; Sienkiewicz is writing a book about things that happened about 30 years after the death of Christ, so he tried to make the language sound contemporary to the bible. It makes sense in the story. Admittedly Frederick Davidson’s narration may make this a little worse to people who are sensitive to something that sounds "old", as he does have a very formal British accent. Personally Davidson is one of my favorite narrators on Audible, and I feel he does great work with this Nobel Prize winning novel. While on one hand this is a novel about Christians in Rome (one of the better books in this genera), it may also be interesting that the author wrote this in a partitioned Poland. Not all the jabs are just about the historic decadence of Rome.

19 people found this helpful

Great Christian Classic

If you liked Ben Hur and The Robe and have the patience to read something above the eighth grade level (that is to say, something with high level language, extensive explication of historical setting and surroundings, and slow but sure character development), you will like Quo Vadis. It will remind you a lot of The Robe in its theme and development, but it is a fine classic in its own right.

18 people found this helpful

Quo Vadis

Excelent book, great translation, fantastic reader.

8 people found this helpful

You will smell Rome burning!

Any additional comments?

Sienkiewizc makes Nero's Rome come alive with a fascinating story made compelling by accurate historical detail and reified ancient and fictional persons.

Quo Vadis intertwines multiple love stories: Nero's love of himself, Vinicius' love of Lygia, Petronius' love of elite pleasures, the Augustan's love of power and prestige, Chilon's love of money, the new sect of Christians' love of Christ, and, ultimately, Christ's love for Rome.

Sienkiewizc accomplishes several things rarely found in such novels:

1. The historical detail is integral to the story, and provides not only the setting but sets up the story's twists and turns.

2. The Christians are portrayed realistically -- neither as morons nor as unbelievable saints. Even the real "saints" (Peter and Paul) are depicted as flesh and blood humans trying to make sense of their beliefs in light of Nero's persecution.

3. The familiar historical events depicted in the story, particularly the burning of Rome in 64 AD and the subsequent persecution of Christians, are made vivid in ways that your history class never did.

The most striking feature of the novel is the portrayal of Christianity as a new and unique sect in the midst of polytheistic and skeptical Rome. In our day, Christianity is rarely distinct from the rest of culture, except for a couple of unique social convictions and some individual beliefs. Sienkiewizc portrays the still nascent Christianity in its most simple yet most compelling form, bereft of the past two millennia of doctrinal, political and moral disputes and scandals.

7 people found this helpful

Fantastic historical Christian narrative

Struggled to get used to the narrator at first, but after some time, greatly appreciated his breadth of characters. Fantastic story! Wonderfully woven with history.

3 people found this helpful

Performer ruins this product.

The speech patterns of the narrator makes it difficult to listen to this otherwise good novel. The narrator has a bad habit of "upspeak" (breaking sentences into fragments each ending with an high-rising terminal, also called "valley girl speech." Eventually one is focused on the annoying anticipated terminal instead of what is being said. Additionally, the narrator may begin with a slightly different intonation or "voice" for a different character, but then he gradually fades back to a baseline character voice. Ultimately listening to 22 hours of valley girl would probably detract from any novel.

1 person found this helpful

More Sienkiewicz, please!

Would you consider the audio edition of Quo Vadis to be better than the print version?

No, the book has so many references to historic figures, that the print version offers the opportunity to stop and review--it makes following the story easier.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Frederick Davidson?

Yes, however i felt his performance was stilted and lacked nuance. For example, Lygia was always breathless and Peter sounded like Dracula. This was the first time I listened to a recording of his and I felt it was the weakest part of the experience.

1 person found this helpful

The most incredible book ever written

It is a very slow starter, and the narrators voice is extremely painful at first, but grows soo appropriate as the story matures. Faith building, educational, miles above any intelligence we entertain ourselves with in modern times. Next to the extreme level of intellect expressed in this book is an accurate sober expression of the spiritual reality. I could experience this book and audio over and over for the rest of my life so as to not lose sight of the severity and depth of meaning In our short lifes walk on Earth with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Epic novel - recommend if you have a lot of time on your hands.

Had to read this because my mom gave my name after reading it. Great story but at times I got impatient with the plot. Superfluous details about the thoughts and emotions of characters. Gruesome violence graphically portrayed. At first I felt the reader was way too theatrical but got used to it later and seemed not as annoying. Similarly I was annoyed with the old English. The characters didn’t even speak English so why translate it that way? It just made it harder to understand. Hence, the younger generation will miss out on this because they won’t get near it. How about publishers come up with a translation that is relevant and user friendly?
I stuck with it through the end. Learned some new historical details although that’s not how I previously learned how Cesar died. Not all details are historically accurate but then this is a fictional novel.