Jude The Obscure cover art

Jude The Obscure

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Thousands of incredible audiobooks and podcasts to take wherever you go.
Immerse yourself in a world of storytelling with the Plus Catalogue - unlimited listening to thousands of select audiobooks, podcasts and Audible Originals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Jude The Obscure

By: Thomas Hardy
Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Exclusively from Audible

Eager to escape the confines of his lower-class upbringing, Jude Fawley dreams of pursuing higher education, graduating from university and becoming a scholar. Slowly, we witness the resistance Jude is met with and, in keeping with Hardy's other works, the consequences of having dared to defy a society with long-held traditions.

Thomas Hardy's last novel, Jude the Obscure, offers scathing commentary and insight into 19th century England. Widely considered Hardy's boldest and most avant-garde work, it was first published in serialised form, sending weekly shockwaves of outrage to its Victorian audiences. Despite being an able and driven young man, Jude's potential is squandered and his aspirations quashed when he relents and becomes a stonemason. Grounded by an unhappy marriage and a lack of opportunity, Jude's only escape comes in the form of his beloved cousin, Sue Bridehead. An unconventional yet extraordinary heroine, Sue becomes Jude's only chance at happiness, but in a society so unwilling to accept change, their love becomes their undoing.

One of the most influential and prolific novelists and poets of the 19th and early 20th centuries, Thomas Hardy followed the naturalist movement and was greatly inspired by the works of Charles Dickens and William Wordsworth. In turn, his work enthused the likes of Robert Frost, W.H. Auden and Philip Larkin.

Narrator Biography

Stephen Thorne is a classically-trained radio, film, stage and television actor. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and has toured with The Old Vic Company and the Royal Shakespeare Company. His voice experience is extensive and he is credited with over 2000 radio broadcasts and 300 unabridged audiobooks. These include works by James Henry, Dick King-Smith, Arthur Conan-Doyle and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Stephen famously voiced the character of Aslan in the 1979 adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. His unique narration style has won him various awards in both the UK and the USA, including a Talkies Award and several Golden Earphones Awards from Audiofile Magazine.

Stephen is no stranger to the screen and his television roles include Z-Cars, Death of an Expert Witness, David Copperfield, Crossroads, Last of the Summer Wine and Doctor Who. He also appeared in the 1984 film, Runaway and the 1985 film, Lollipop Dragon: The Great Christmas Race.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Classics Literary Fiction Fiction Emotionally Gripping Tear-jerking Heartfelt
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Tess of the D'Urbervilles cover art
Far from the Madding Crowd cover art
Hardy: The Mayor of Casterbridge cover art
The Thomas Hardy BBC Radio Drama Collection cover art
The Return of the Native cover art
Under the Greenwood Tree cover art
Sons and Lovers cover art
Wessex Tales cover art
Richard Burton Reads the Poetry of Thomas Hardy cover art
A Pair of Blue Eyes cover art
David Copperfield cover art
Wuthering Heights cover art
The Light Years cover art
North and South cover art
An American Marriage (Oprah’s Book Club) cover art
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter cover art

What listeners say about Jude The Obscure

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    233
  • 4 Stars
    94
  • 3 Stars
    46
  • 2 Stars
    15
  • 1 Stars
    5
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    246
  • 4 Stars
    68
  • 3 Stars
    19
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    180
  • 4 Stars
    92
  • 3 Stars
    51
  • 2 Stars
    11
  • 1 Stars
    8

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not my favourite Hardy

Beautifully read with lots of feeling and emotion. Not my favourite Thomas Hardy I have to say, a tad too morose for my taste. The numerous Latin phrases, though in keeping with the general mood of the book, had me flummoxed and I found them self indulgent by the author. Nevertheless I stuck with it until the end and in the main enjoyed it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enthralling ...

This was a Hardy novel I’d surprisingly not read before.
It received shocking reviews after publication, claiming it to be obscene and immoral.
You can understand why considering it’s day.
This tale would easily translate current times, although wouldn’t be considered shocking in these times.
It is well narrated and enthralling to the end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Brilliantly read

It took a while to get into the story, but I thoroughly enjoyed listening to it. The characters were all brilliantly portrayed by the reader.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

I love Thomas Hardy, this book took me a while to get into but I really enjoyed it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Harrowing Tale

The novel was beautifully read . A multilayered tale of thwarted idealism and the tragic consequences thereof.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The narration brings Harry's novel to life.

Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Had never read this one before so was not expecting it to be as tragic. Hardy was very forward thinking on religion and the availability of education to all.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Haunting

Beautifully written and narrated story. Haunting in its tragic love story and reflection of society. Brought me to tears

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

Anything by TH was going to be good but this was absolutely captivating. Ahead if it's time in many ways and heartbreakibg too. An absolute pleasure to listen to and a book that will stay with you afterwards.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Enchanting tale

I loved this storyline. The narrator added depth to the prose and I confess to foregoing sleep to hear more. A story indeed!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional

Best book I’ve ever listened to. Touching and heartfelt and a thoughtful examination of marriage, religion, freedom and life.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!