Tristram Shandy (Unabridged) Audiobook, by Laurence Sterne Play Audiobook Sample

Tristram Shandy Audiobook (Unabridged)

Tristram Shandy (Unabridged) Audiobook, by Laurence Sterne Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Anton Lesser Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 12.67 hours at 1.5x Speed 9.50 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: January 2012 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN:

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Publisher Description

Laurence Sterne's most famous novel is a biting satire of literary conventions and contemporary 18th-century values. Renowned for its parody of established narrative techniques, Tristram Shandy is commonly regarded as the forerunner of avant-garde fiction. Tristram's characteristic digressions on a whole range of unlikely subjects (including battle strategy and noses!) are endlessly surprising and make this one of Britain's greatest comic achievements. A cast of strange characters populate this strangest of novels: gentle Uncle Toby, sarcastic Walter, and of course, the pompous, garrulous Tristram himself. This edition is read by Anton Lesser in a tour de force performance.

Please note: In print, Tristram Shandy is filled with visual, typographical, and compositing jokes - pages that are completely blank, pages that are completely black, misplaced chapters or chapters consisting only of their title, squiggly lines to indicate waving a stick, and much more besides. This audiobook tries in a variety of ways to match Sterne's invention with aural equivalents.

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"Since no one had yet decided just what a novel should be, Sterne was free to write this classic of English prose. I book I look forward to periodically getting lost in for the rest of my life."

— Charles (5 out of 5 stars)

Tristram Shandy (Unabridged) Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.70588235294118 out of 53.70588235294118 out of 53.70588235294118 out of 53.70588235294118 out of 53.70588235294118 out of 5 (3.71)
5 Stars: 4
4 Stars: 8
3 Stars: 2
2 Stars: 2
1 Stars: 1
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " A perfect blend of wacky and profound. One of my favorite 18th-Century novels. The recent film was a hoot but didn't really do the book justice. "

    — Kim, 2/16/2014
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " There are a some nice ideas in this book, and it is occasionally funny. But mostly it is obfuscation and innuendo, which on their own I find pretty boring. "

    — Ian, 2/2/2014
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5

    " I tried I don't know how many times to get through this book. In the end, I might have shot myself in the foot as apposed to finishing it. Needless to say, I didn't make it to the last page... "

    — Ashes, 1/21/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " I give this 5 stars because ideally I like it. In reality, I find it very difficult to read for more than 5 minutes at a time. "

    — Amy, 12/20/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Meanderer masterpiece of the nth degree. I recommend it to anyone with a good dictionary close by. "

    — Jeff, 11/24/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " A bit of fun - made me smile on numerous occasions. Very little about Tristram though - much more about his uncle and his hobbyhorse. "

    — Philip, 11/18/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " This book is difficult to read. I've been reading it since June 2006. "

    — Joe, 9/19/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Loved this in grad school and laughed my a** off at it! "

    — Michele, 9/16/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " I found Uncle Toby and Trim most humorous. "

    — Caroline, 9/9/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Bizarre, in a fun, goofy and ultimately moving way. "

    — SmarterLilac, 8/2/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5

    " Dear lord, this book was difficult for me to read, especially since I then had to do a research paper on it. I'm not sure if I'm giving it three stars instead of two because of the actual quality of the written content, or just because I'm so damned proud that I made it through the whole book. "

    — Brittney, 5/29/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " What was most impressive to me about this book was how funny it still was some 250 years later. "

    — Ned, 5/21/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " all marks for the brilliant narrative technique though, 'was there a story or was it left incomplete? I dunno' "

    — Jaykumar, 2/16/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Brilliant and filthy-minded - obviously a novel for the ages. "

    — skein, 1/13/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " If only literature had followed his queue and gone non-linear and non-conformist, what then would we be reading now? "

    — A.L., 11/5/2012
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " This was Thomas Jefferson's favorite book (according to Olmert). "

    — Katie, 8/10/2012
  • Overall Performance: 2 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 52 out of 5

    " I'm going to have to do some research to actually understand the humor of this book. Otherwise, it's like Don Quixote, where I understand that a lot of things are supposed to be funny, but I don't find it funny. "

    — Edward, 6/1/2012

About Laurence Sterne

Laurence Sterne (1713–1768) was an Irish-born English novelist and an Anglican clergyman. He is best known for his novels The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman and A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy, but he also published many sermons, wrote memoirs, and was involved in local politics.

About Anton Lesser

Anton Lesser has, as an associate artist with the Royal Shakespeare Company, played many of Shakespeare’s most demanding roles, including Troilus (Troilus and Cressida), Edgar (King Lear), Petruchio, Romeo, and Richard III. He is a frequent radio contributor and has recorded many audiobooks, including much of the work of Charles Dickens. Lesser’s narration has won him seven AudioFile Earphones Awards.