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The Idiot
- Narrated by: Constantine Gregory
- Length: 24 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 01-01-17
- Language: English
- Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: £39.39
Summary
Prince Lyov Nikolayevitch Myshkin is one of the great characters in Russian literature. Is he a saint or just naïve? Is he an idealist or, as many in General Epanchin's society feel, an "idiot"? Certainly his return to St. Petersburg after years in a Swiss clinic has a dramatic effect on the beautiful Aglaia, youngest of the Epanchin daughters, and on the charismatic but willful Nastasya Filippovna. As he paints a vivid picture of Russian society, Dostoyevsky shows how principles conflict with emotions - with tragic results.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
What members say
Average customer ratings
Overall
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars30
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4 Stars24
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3 Stars9
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2 Stars9
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1 Stars1
Performance
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4.5 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars42
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4 Stars18
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3 Stars8
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2 Stars1
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1 Stars1
Story
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4 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars27
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4 Stars19
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3 Stars13
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2 Stars5
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1 Stars6
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- MR J.
- 17-02-17
Good but not his best
Having heard this, "Crime and Punishment" and "The Brothers Karamazov" I'd say this was the least satisfying in terms of philo/theo logical content and less enjoyable in terms of depth of characters involved.
Constantine Gregory (the narrator) is, as always, great, although the quality of this particular recording was poor - reverby and glitchy.
70 of 76 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 18-04-18
easier to listen to than I expected<br /><br />
narration was excellent and made the Russian names easier to deal with than I expected in my first Russian literature audiobook. Got a little tedious in the middle but mostly enjoyable and was definitely worth sticking with to the end. I see the same narrator has read some more Dostoyevsky audiobooks so after a break I'll be back for more.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 28-05-18
excellent performance!
The performance of this great book is excellent, I definitely recommend it. Looking forward to listening to other books of the same performer
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 15-08-18
Bit hard to follow
The performance is good but the Russian names sometimes make the characters in the story hard to follow.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Janet Matthews
- 04-05-18
long winded saga with tragic pitiful dull end
long winded saga with tragic pitiful dull end.
A dual instead of dull murder would have helped
0 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Reademandweep
- 03-02-18
Narrator Gregory is up to the task.
Dostoyevsky’s words matter. There are no car chases or sex scenes. His stories are a psychological and philosophical examination of life, which can be ruined by a reader who doesn’t “get it”. I purchased 2 versions
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- debbie ortiz
- 03-10-17
The Idiot
This was translated very well. The narrator was superb. The characters are very interesting. And it is my 2nd favorite Dostoyevsky.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Theo
- 02-05-18
Moments of surprise.
Reading Dostoyevsky is like hiking up a vast mountain. Much of the path appears to be like the past couple of steps - and like the next couple of steps. Every now and then, you come upon a lookout point in a moment of amazement and awe - and then return to hiking. Throughout the story, there are masterful moments of descriptions, dialogues or monologues that have such remarkable significance that they are likely to stay with the readers for the rest of their lives. And then, as is also often the case with Dostoyevsky - there is the summit - completely unexpected, surprising and in some instances shocking to the bone yet no less amazing. Dostoyevsky is a hike up a mountain - not a hike in the park. Not easy to read but with no ordinary reward.
As for Constantine Gregory - BRAVO! I doubt if there is a single other narrator that could quite master Dostoyevsky as he as come to do quite comfortably. The ever so slight changes in intonation to distinguish the (many and sometimes confusing) characters, and his grasp of the cultural and linguistic peculiarities is masterful.
The Idiot is not the most rewarding of the great Dostoyevsky works - but is in every way extremely satisfying and ultimately rewarding. I always feel like I have been rewarded with some form of insight or prize after having completed a Dostoyevsky book - and the Idiot is no different.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- A. Urbanek
- 13-09-18
excellent reading. this is also a very good value.
this is one of my favorite books. the Easter was clear, engaging, really perfect. excellent book to read for Disability studies in literature.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tobias Mihura
- 28-06-18
incredible
very appropriate reader with an impressive
varied skillset of impersonations. his fluidity in reading is excellent too.
the novel is top notch too
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Client d'Amazon
- 02-05-18
deep book
I will be thinking about this one for a while. not a simple book by no means
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David
- 15-10-17
Perplexing, but thought provoking
I can't say that I loved every minute of it, but after a few months I still think of some of the chapters. it is definitely an interesting novel.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful