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The Winter's Tale Audiobook
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(3.00) - 9,621 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The Winter's Tale' follows two childhood friends: Leontes, King of Sicilia, and Polixenes, the King of Bohemia. Polixenes is visiting the kingdom of Sicilia, and is enjoying catching up with his old friend. However, after nine months, Polixenes yearns to return to his own kingdom to tend to affairs and see his son. This edition is an adaptation of Shakespeare's eponymous comedy, narrated in plain modern English, capturing the very essence and key elements of the original Shakespeare's drama. Read in English, unabridged.
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"I think this would have to be my absolute favorite play by Shakespeare. I read this after having read all the more famous ones and was very surprised by the ending. It is not what you'd expect from Shakespeare. While it ends the way a comedy should, there is still a surprise twist."
— Mark (5 out of 5 stars)
The Winter's Tale Listener Reviews
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" A fantastical romance with comedy, tragedy, and lovely surprises. Best enjoyed within the historical contexts. "
— Janine, 2/16/2014 -
" This one's definitely a problem play. The motivations seem a bit forced, and the repentance and reconciliation are just too pat. I liked it better when Lamb told it. As an adult, I just cannot like most of the characters, so I really don't like the play very well. "
— Sandra, 2/5/2014 -
" This is my favorite Shakespeare drama, and I've definitely seen it on stage more than once. "
— Danielle, 1/30/2014 -
" I remember reading this at some point, but I get it mixed up with all the other tertiary plays that aren't as funny as 12th Night and Midsummer Night's Dream. "
— Kristina, 12/31/2013 -
" I LOVE FLORIZEL. "
— Hui, 12/27/2013 -
" This is one of the more bizarre plotlines. With bizarre characters. Which don't fit together. The plot doesn't quite cobble enough for me. It's like a puzzle, where the edges of the pieces sort of lay on top of each other, instead of locking together. So you end up with Niagara Falls falling off backwards on the picture. There are some interesting statements made here, and a few scenes of good fun... but if you're going to read some Shakespeare? There are many other ones to read first. "
— Kelly, 12/26/2013 -
" The five stars is not just for the play itself, but for the notes on its history, composition and meaning by editor John Pitcher. Usually these sections are as dry and sandpaper, but Pitcher conveys his own enthusiasm and as a result, these sections are a joy to read. "
— Alex, 12/25/2013 -
" meh. not my favorite shakespeare play. "
— Brittany, 9/21/2013 -
" I docked it a star for the statue scene... "
— Tex, 9/16/2013 -
" Had no idea how good this one was until we hit it in class, now it's really stuck with me, and really changes how I've always thought of Shakespeare (which, to be fair, is based more on his earlier plays and career than these later ones). "
— Micha, 9/11/2013 -
" I won't pretend I understood everything that happened, but I got the jist of it. "
— Keely, 9/6/2013 -
" First work of Shakespeare's I've read in over 3 years. Um, I thought parts of it were brilliant, while others were just...random. Middle of Act 2 was odd, and Act 5 was just... weird. I liked it, but it just wasn't what I was expecting from a Shakespearean play. "
— Tara, 8/15/2013 -
" One of my favorite plays, I re-read over the summer because I saw the RSC's production at the Armory. I love the dual nature of this play: first half a tragedy, the second act a ridiculous pastoral comedy. "
— Jenny, 5/11/2013 -
" Shakespeare's everything play. Really. Or at least all of his good theatrical devices. Such a powerful story of forgiveness with a love thread along the way. "
— Cyndi, 11/29/2012 -
" The writing was still beautiful, but it is such a silly play. [Leaves this review pursued by bear] "
— Michael, 3/25/2012 -
" This was a fun read; such a dramatic story and pretty funny in parts, too. I was surprised at all the sexual references, I guess I thought that literature from that long ago would be more virtuous. "
— Lindsey, 3/17/2012 -
" I actually watched this instead of read it, but it counts. :) "
— Amber, 3/11/2012 -
" hans history, and why he was were he was and why he got involved in the rebellion "
— Theresa, 12/27/2011 -
" I think this is my favorite Shakespeare play? "
— Austin, 10/2/2011 -
" I was actually in this play! Best role ever: Autolycus! "
— Sarah, 9/28/2011 -
" I adore Shakespeare. His work is pure beauty. I can't recommend his works enough. "
— Emmalee, 8/13/2011 -
" I actually watched this instead of read it, but it counts. :) "
— Amber, 5/14/2011 -
" Like "As You Like It," this play also concerns aristocracy and it partly takes place in a pastoral setting. I found it enjoyable, but couldn't buy the mystical element. The secondary characters were more interesting, because most of them were funnier. "
— Ke, 5/11/2011 -
" Read for Shakespeare English class--Freshman Year "
— Maggie, 4/17/2011 -
" Zeitgeist, boy has our language gone backward in time. Discovering WS has been a huge bucket list item of mine for 30 years. So fulfilling to be doing it!! But sometimes wildly difficult! "
— Kathie, 4/3/2011 -
" Ok, I like the ideas behind this play better than the work itself. It is ambitious and long and slow to read and unfortunately under produced.<br/> "
— James, 2/28/2011 -
" I was actually in this play! Best role ever: Autolycus! "
— Sarah, 2/24/2011 -
" I enjoyed this book. The first work of Shakespeare that I have read. After getting used to the language, I loved the book. It reminded me of other stories,I have read. There was a surprise ending. I would recommend this book. "
— Kathy, 1/24/2011 -
" Dude, it's where JKRowling got the name Hermoine from, and it was just so funny! "
— Gabi, 12/20/2010
About the Authors
Edith Nesbit (1858–1924) lived in England and had dreamed of becoming a poet since she was fifteen years old. After her husband fell ill, it was up to her to support her small family. For the next nineteen years, she wrote novels, essays, articles, poems, and short stories; but it was not until 1899, when The Story of the Treasure Seekers was published, that she achieved great success. Her groundbreaking style of depicting realistic, believable children quickly gained a popularity that has lasted for more than a century.
William Shakespeare (1564–1616), English poet and dramatist of the Elizabethan and early Jacobean period, is the most widely known author in all of English literature and often considered the greatest. He was an active member of a theater company for at least twenty years, during which time he wrote many great plays. Plays were not prized as literature at the time and Shakespeare was not widely read until the middle of the eighteenth century, when a great upsurge of interest in his works began that continues today.
About Josh Verbae
Josh Verbae is the editor and a theology specialist at The Big Nest. His work includes compiling collections of Christian Classics series and editions of the Holy Bible. His narration work includes The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter, The Sphinx without a Secret by Oscar Wilde, and English Fairy Tales, Vol 1 by Andrew Lang.