The Monk cover art

The Monk

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The Monk

By: Matthew Lewis
Narrated by: Nigel Carrington
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About this listen

The Monk is a violent tale of ambition, murder, and incest. The great struggle between maintaining monastic vows and fulfilling personal ambitions leads the monk Ambrosio, into temptation and the breaking of his vows, then to sexual obsession and rape, and finally to murder in order to conceal his guilt.

Written when Matthew Lewis was only 19, The Monk was criticised when first published in 1796 for its lewdness and impiety, but this criticism only added to its popularity.

©2013 W F Howes Ltd (P)2013 W F Howes Ltd Classics Gothic Horror Scary Crime Murder

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Critic reviews

"A black engine of sex and the supernatural that changed the genre - and the novel itself - forever." (Stephen King)
All stars
Most relevant
probably the best narration of any book ive listened to. I love the language in this book, you can tell it is an old story and for me it adds to the enjoyment of the story

amazing

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Wonderful, unforgettable book!!! One of the best I have ever read!!! It's a masterpiece!!!! I couldn't help reading it!! Now that I have finished it, I'm very sorry...

The Monk

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Would you listen to The Monk again? Why?

I think that The Monk is a very complex tale, one of which new themes, ideas and connotations can be found. So, I would delve into this tale again.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked the way in which the plot conformed to the classic conventions of gothic horror, but with a few new twists.

What about Nigel Carrington’s performance did you like?

Carrington did an excellent job at narrating this story, his performance was engaging and his characterisations extremely varied and realistic.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This book is a real page turner!

A True Gothic Horror CLassic

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I enjoyed this tale of wayward monks, cruel nuns and tragic consequences. The book was well read and story engrossing.

excellent and convoluted tale of gothic horror.

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Have tried several times to listen to this but just can’t get through the first few chapters definitely not a book for me.

Very difficult to rate this

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