Listened for the narrator

What can I say? Miserable Russian murderers aren't really my idea of a good time. So I know this is a classic, but it's not something I would have listened to if anyone other than Michael Sheen was narrating it. Sheen is typically fabulous as a narrator, but it's a tough story to enjoy on most other levels, though as a portrait of an era, it's interesting.

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Good, but abridged

It's a pity it's an abridged version. The passages cut make the story confusing and difficult to understand if you haven't read the novel beforehand.

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A bit too abridged

Couldnt face full Dostoyevsky treatment t again with all the angst and internal monologues so decided to try the abridged version. Maybe FD honest be abridged as it loses too much. My fault. Performance is good and story is quite abridged. Noted for war and peace

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I never knew I could like Dostoyevsky, now I do

Blows every other audio book reading I've ever listened to out of the water.

Spectacular reading by Michael Sheen. Actually gave life to a novel that on paper seems so long and dry that I never would have picked it up by myself. It's more like a one-man audio play, really and Mr. Sheen excels at giving each character their unique voice and a level of added depth and nuance that would not have been possible otherwise, something that goes far beyond regular voice acting, even. Seriously, please make this man read an audio book of everything. I don't care what. He could make the phone book sound riveting.

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1 person found this helpful

I hate abridgements but listen to this

I don't normally buy abridged books but heard part of this elsewhere and wanted to listen to the whole of Michael Sheen's performance. It's a tour de force. I've never heard better or more varied characterisation. He also brings off the generally fevered atmosphere of Dostoevsky brilliantly. Somebody sign him up to do a complete book or twelve.

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12 people found this helpful

good but confusing

really well performed but the abridged nature of this version makes the story very confusing.

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An audiofilm

The performance was fantastic. The script was very good. But the story was a bit underwhelming. Not sure if it's because it's abridged or just the author's style.

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