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Billy Budd
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
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Billy Budd
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Summary
Set in 1797, Herman Melville's Billy Budd exploits the tension of this period during the war between England and France to create a tale of satanic treachery, tragedy and great pathos that explores human relationships and the inherently ambiguous nature of man-made justice.
Critic reviews
"In this last of Melville's works, published posthumously, the author dramatized the clash between natural goodness and innocence as personified by Billy Budd, and unprovoked evil as embodied in Claggart." ( Masterpieces of World Literature)
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What listeners say about Billy Budd
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- richard2
- 12-12-21
Difficult but worth sticking with
I found the verbose style of the story challenging- but the story itself very thought provoking, and on the whole well read (apart from some shaky ‘British’ accents in the direct speech).
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Edyta
- 23-02-17
Difficult but rewarding read
Who was your favorite character and why?
Billy Budd, he was so innocent and beautiful.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
Enjoy is not a good word, but the scene with Billy, Captain Vere and Claggart was very strange and unsettling.I don't want to give away the plot so I will write no more.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Don't believe what you see.
Any additional comments?
The book is so short but it was somehow a very long read for me. I mean I had a few attempts. The book wasn't easy for me- very long sentences, a lot of unusual or marine vocab, but I finally succeded (with the help of printed book). As it happens with Melville, the book you read is not the whole story, there is a lot of hidden meaning for you to work out, and I must say that immidiately after finishing my listening I went online and found some very interesting essey, which helped me to understand the book. I love what this book has to offer, this is an exceptional read.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Graham G.
- 04-02-22
Very good book
I could not suggest any more inappropriate narrator for this book. Not a bad narrator, just inappropriate to the story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-01-22
If you are a fan of Herman Melville...
This is a must listen to.Excellent production and a fascinating story of life at sea for the poor sailor.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Tracy H.
- 25-09-22
Not for British listening
A good reading can have you spellbound. This reading of what is no doubt a social and historical source of information. Sadly is not.
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