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Jude the Obscure

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Jude the Obscure

By: Thomas Hardy
Narrated by: Neville Jason
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About this listen

Sexually innocent Jude Fawley is trapped into marriage by seductive Arabella Donn, but their union is an unhappy one and Arabella leaves him. Jude's welcome freedom allows him to pursue his obsession with his pretty cousin Sue Bridehead, a brilliant, charismatic free-thinker who would be his ideal soul mate if not for her aversion to physical love. When Jude and Sue decide to lead their lives outside marriage they bring down on themselves all the force of a repressive society. This fearless and outspoken story caused a furor on its publication, and was Hardy's last novel.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Download the accompanying reference guide.Public Domain (P)2013 Naxos AudioBooks Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Romance

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I enjoyed the story despite the repeated errors made by the main characters. Can't help feeling that Sue needed to take some personal responsibility but I guess that's how things were at this time, so more a commentary on the social pressures of the age, just when you think things can't get any worse Hardy deals yet another blow to the hopes of the fragile characters, who by the end you really want to find a little peace in their grim existences. Not a happy tale, but glad I read it nonetheless. Might give Hardy a break for a bit though...

A thoroughly depressing tale of human suffering

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What didn’t you like about Neville Jason’s performance?

The characters Jude and Sue are radical and free-thinking, if naive and innocent. Jason gives them both a voice that makes them sound stupid and slow-witted.

Naive not stupid

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Would you listen to Jude the Obscure again? Why?

Great story but more importantly, brilliantly performed.

What did you like best about this story?

How well the author brought all the points he wanted to make about society and the modern and traditional thought of the time, through a combination of a good plot and crafted and sometimes incredibly explanatory dialog.
And it is a good story.

Which character – as performed by Neville Jason – was your favourite?

Richard Phillotson. Beautifully voiced. I liked this character. For much of the book Phillotson represents convention in progress. Unlike the main characters, when a difficult decision has to be made he does not prevaricate. He acts wisely. His decision is not based on tradition or on modern philosophies but on what he feels to be the human truth of the matter. The decision is greatly to his personal disadvantage but he accepts this because it was the right thing to do.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. Reminded me of growing up. (up to a point. I still have all my kids)

Any additional comments?

I only tried this book by chance and I'm really glad I did.

A Pleasant Surprise for Me.

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I have listened sequentuially to each of the Hardy Novels. This of course is the last of them. I am sorry to say that this is the only one that I have found to be a chore to listen to. The pace of the narrative is glacial and Jude's voicing does not, I'm afraid, match my hopes and expectations at all. Frankly, he is made to sound a bit like a village idiot . Sue (annooyingly pronounced Syue throughout) is not much better. Ths version seems to be circa two hours longer than all of the other options. I can see why. It just drags. Two thirds of the way through I am about to give up on it and read the final third myself. That way, at least, I can imbue Jude with a hint of savvy.

Hard going

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This isn't perhaps Hardy's greatest book but what spoilt it was the narration. It made the two main characters sound completely witless!

Not Hardy's finest anyway, but narration is awful.

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A great Classic by Thomas Hardy beautifully read and interpreted by the narrator. He really expressed Jude's feelings in all their anguish. Would definitely recommend this production.

A Great Classic

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