Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
The Idiot cover art

The Idiot

By: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Narrated by: Michael Sheen
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £11.99

Buy Now for £11.99

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.
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT

Listeners also enjoyed...

Crime and Punishment cover art
The Idiot (AmazonClassics Edition) cover art
The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition] cover art
The Picture of Dorian Gray cover art
The Idiot [Blackstone] cover art
Crime and Punishment cover art
Crime and Punishment cover art
The Insulted and the Injured cover art
The Late Mattia Pascal cover art
Notes from the Underground cover art
The Sandman cover art
The Setting Sun cover art
Great Poets of the Romantic Age cover art
The Possessed cover art
Shakespeare: The Tragedies cover art
H. P. Lovecraft's Short Tales of Terror cover art

Summary

Prince Lef Nikolayevitch Muishkin is one of the great characters in Russian literature. Is he a saint or just naive, an idealist or, as many in General Yepanchin's society feel, an 'idiot'? Certainly, his return to St. Petersburg after years in a Swiss clinic has a dramatic effect on the beautiful Aglaya, youngest of the Yepanchin daughters and on the charismatic but willful Nastasia Phillipovna. 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 My Library section along with the audio.

©1995 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd. (P)1995 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

What listeners say about The Idiot

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    16
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

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
    5 out of 5 stars

Exceptional Classic

A gantastic read taken up a notch by phenomenal voice acting of Michael Sheen. Highly recommended.

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

Great tale narrated with passion

This is a book I have been meaning to read for years, so I was pleased to see two versions of it available on Audible. I chose this verson for two reasons - the talented narrator and actor Martin Sheen who brings to sparkling life all of the books characters, I never tired of listening. My second reason was the book and its reputation as among one of the best crafted russian tale - it certainly is a well earned reputation. I wholeheartedly recommend "The Idiot" to you - enjoy.

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

Fell in love

My absolute favourite book I have bought on this site. I instantly feel in love with Dostoevsky. This beauiful story is brought so evocatively to life by the brilliant, fanstastic and outstanding Michael Sheen. I personally could listen to him for hours and instantly went out and got the crime and punishment he also reads. I recommend this book to absolutely everyone!! It highlights how easily people's lives can be ruined not by other's greed, selfishness or any other vice...but by their innocence. Powerful stuff.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

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

A mammoth work, made accessible by a fine reading of a concise abridgement

A splendid, lively reading of a concise adaptation:
I usually avoid abridged books, but I have been ploughing my way through the full text, & I must say that this came as a relief!
Radio dramatisations don’t cut it, as the novel concerns itself with mannerisms, motives & appearances - & not only actions - & is very descriptive:
Michael Sheen’s reading effectively conveys the character of all the players, I enjoyed it very much including, oddly enough, the very grim finale:
The reading is enhanced throughout by some great Russian music, appropriate to the time, place, & mood of the various scenarios - I’ll enjoy listening again!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

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

Not the same translation as the book

The narrator doesn’t match with the translation that I have of the book so it’s very complicated to follow. Is it possible to do an exchange for the correct translation!
Thanks in advance for your help.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!