Quo Vadis cover art

Quo Vadis

A Narrative of the Time of Nero

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About this listen

 Written over a century ago and translated into over 50 languages, this masterpiece of historical fiction is one of the best-selling novels in history and the inspiration for the MGM motion picture of 1951. An epic of love and courage in Nero's time, it illustrates the conflict of moral ideas within the Roman Empire at the dawn of Christianity.

Marcus, a Roman officer in Nero's army, risks his career, his family, and even his life when he falls in love with a Christian woman named Callina. In order to win Callina's love, Marcus must come to understand the true meaning of her religion, even as Rome sinks under the excesses of Nero and Christians are thrown to the lions. Quo Vadis brims with passion and life as it explores one of the turning points in history.

Public Domain (P)1999 Blackstone Audio, Inc. Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction
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Most relevant

Where does Quo Vadis rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

at the top third,, I am sure I will listen to it again some time

Who was your favorite character and why?

Petronus, the aloofnobleman

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

His performance has been criticised. In my opinion his performance suits the main character Petronus very well. It may take some time to get used to his style, but actually after a while I became very appreciative of the performance

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

If I say it would spoil the stotry, right?

allow yourself to get into it...

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Any additional comments?

Quo Vadis is a splendid story of epic scope, ambition and achievement, surely the tipping point and crowning glory in Henryk Sienkiewicz’ Nobel Prize for Literature… but Audible’s offering is fatally lumbered by the insufferable narrator! Frederick Davidson’s delivery is so camp and inappropriate it becomes offensive and disrespectful. Like other very perceptive listeners have commented, “his performance was stilted and lacked nuance. For example, Lygia was always breathless and Peter sounded like Dracula” “…the narrator speaks with an uber-upper class British accent that, combined with the archaic language, turns the characters into snobs and drama queens.” I couldn’t agree more. Davidson’s delivery has aged very ungracefully – it probably sounded OK forty, fifty years ago, but to us today it is too pompous, forced and arrogant. This is a crime because Quo Vadis is one of the greatest epic novels ever written– please, Audible or someone, bury this version forever and get a modern actor with more brains, better range, sensitivity and respect to record this magnificent text!

An epic story lumbered by an insufferable narrator

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after two hours I could not stand his voice any more and quit the book

terrible narrator!

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The author took a tone of books about history and re-wrote them in this book. Add a bit of spices with religion and a love story - and done...

There were moments that I dozed off trying to skip all the overly-explained details.. which if you don't know exactly what they mean, you'll never figure out what is written.

Everything develops slow and in a very non-exciting way...

disappointed... very disappointed..

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If thou hadst any desire to listen to a translation of this work in the English of thy forefathers then perchance this tortuous time is got thee...

Outdated Language

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