Listen free for 30 days
-
The Odyssey
- Narrated by: Claire Danes
- Series: Iliad & Odyssey, Book 2
- Length: 13 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Ancient, Classical & Medieval Literature
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Listen with a free trial
Buy Now for £41.29
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Iliad
- Penguin Classics
- By: Homer, E. V. Rieu - translator
- Narrated by: Steve John Shepherd
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader, Agamemnon. But when the Trojan Hector kills Achilles' close friend Patroclus, he storms back into battle to take revenge - although knowing this will ensure his own early death.
-
-
Stunning
- By stormymonday on 22-11-20
-
The Aeneid
- By: Virgil
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The publication of a new translation by Fagles is a literary event. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles has reintroduced Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization.
-
-
Hear it as it is meant to be heard!
- By me,myself,andI on 12-08-19
-
The Iliad
- By: Homer, Ian Johnston - translator
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps the greatest poem of the Western world, The Iliad tells the story of 50 critical days towards the end of the Trojan war. Achilles has quarrelled with Agamemnon and sulks in his tent, while Hector brings his Trojans to the brink of victory; but fate will have the last word.
-
-
the best of the lot
- By MR on 13-04-13
-
Circe
- By: Madeline Miller
- Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the Orange Prize-winning, internationally best-selling author of The Song of Achilles comes the powerful story of the mythological witch Circe, inspired by Homer's Odyssey. In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.
-
-
Brilliant
- By madeleine davitt on 06-05-18
-
The Monster Collection
- By: Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson, and others
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage, Dan Stevens, Greg Wise, and others
- Length: 30 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Audible presents a special edition of three Gothic masterpieces: a brand-new Audible Exclusive recording of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Bram Stoker's Dracula.
-
-
Need to say which chapter = which book!!
- By Christopher on 06-03-20
-
The Etymologicon
- A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
- By: Mark Forsyth
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A quirky, entertaining and thought-provoking tour of the unexpected connections between words, read by Simon Shepherd. What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces? The Etymologicon springs from Mark Forsyth's Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words.
-
-
Brilliant and hilarious book
- By Sally Hawes on 06-01-13
-
The Iliad
- Penguin Classics
- By: Homer, E. V. Rieu - translator
- Narrated by: Steve John Shepherd
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of the foremost achievements in Western literature, Homer's Iliad tells the story of the darkest episode in the Trojan War. At its centre is Achilles, the greatest warrior-champion of the Greeks, and his refusal to fight after being humiliated by his leader, Agamemnon. But when the Trojan Hector kills Achilles' close friend Patroclus, he storms back into battle to take revenge - although knowing this will ensure his own early death.
-
-
Stunning
- By stormymonday on 22-11-20
-
The Aeneid
- By: Virgil
- Narrated by: Simon Callow
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The publication of a new translation by Fagles is a literary event. His translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey have sold hundreds of thousands of copies and have become the standard translations of our era. Now, with this stunning modern verse translation, Fagles has reintroduced Virgil's Aeneid to a whole new generation, and completed the classical triptych at the heart of Western civilization.
-
-
Hear it as it is meant to be heard!
- By me,myself,andI on 12-08-19
-
The Iliad
- By: Homer, Ian Johnston - translator
- Narrated by: Anton Lesser
- Length: 16 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perhaps the greatest poem of the Western world, The Iliad tells the story of 50 critical days towards the end of the Trojan war. Achilles has quarrelled with Agamemnon and sulks in his tent, while Hector brings his Trojans to the brink of victory; but fate will have the last word.
-
-
the best of the lot
- By MR on 13-04-13
-
Circe
- By: Madeline Miller
- Narrated by: Perdita Weeks
- Length: 12 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the Orange Prize-winning, internationally best-selling author of The Song of Achilles comes the powerful story of the mythological witch Circe, inspired by Homer's Odyssey. In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe has neither the look nor the voice of divinity and is scorned and rejected by her kin. Increasingly isolated, she turns to mortals for companionship, leading her to discover a power forbidden to the gods: witchcraft.
-
-
Brilliant
- By madeleine davitt on 06-05-18
-
The Monster Collection
- By: Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, Robert Louis Stevenson, and others
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage, Dan Stevens, Greg Wise, and others
- Length: 30 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Audible presents a special edition of three Gothic masterpieces: a brand-new Audible Exclusive recording of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Bram Stoker's Dracula.
-
-
Need to say which chapter = which book!!
- By Christopher on 06-03-20
-
The Etymologicon
- A Circular Stroll through the Hidden Connections of the English Language
- By: Mark Forsyth
- Narrated by: Simon Shepherd
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A quirky, entertaining and thought-provoking tour of the unexpected connections between words, read by Simon Shepherd. What is the actual connection between disgruntled and gruntled? What links church organs to organised crime, California to the Caliphate, or brackets to codpieces? The Etymologicon springs from Mark Forsyth's Inky Fool blog on the strange connections between words.
-
-
Brilliant and hilarious book
- By Sally Hawes on 06-01-13
-
Lord of the Flies
- By: William Golding
- Narrated by: Martin Jarvis
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A plane crashes on a desert island and the only survivors, a group of schoolboys, assemble on the beach and wait to be rescued. By day they inhabit a land of bright fantastic birds and dark blue seas, but at night their dreams are haunted by the image of a terrifying beast. As the boys’ delicate sense of order fades, so their childish dreams are transformed into something more primitive and their behaviour starts to take on a murderous, savage significance.
-
-
There's a reason it's a classic
- By Ant on 12-12-13
-
The English and Their History
- By: Robert Tombs
- Narrated by: Stephen Thorne
- Length: 45 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The English and their History, the first full-length account to appear in one volume for many decades, Robert Tombs gives us the history of the English people and of how the stories they have told about themselves have shaped them, from the prehistoric 'dreamtime' through to the present day.
-
-
Unbalanced and Biased
- By Michael Gleeson on 17-07-19
-
The Count of Monte Cristo
- By: Alexandre Dumas
- Narrated by: Bill Homewood
- Length: 52 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the eve of his marriage to the beautiful Mercedes, having that very day been made captain of his ship, the young sailor Edmond Dantès is arrested on a charge of treason, trumped up by jealous rivals. Incarcerated for many lonely years in the isolated and terrifying Chateau d'If near Marseille, he meticulously plans his brilliant escape and extraordinary revenge.
-
-
The Count of Monte CristoNarrated by Bill Homewood
- By Martin on 18-08-11
-
Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde
- In Aid of the Royal Theatrical Fund
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Dame Judi Dench, Jeremy Irons, Joanna Lumley, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is a collection of the Oscar Wilde's famous fairy tales, read by a cast of leading British actors. Additional narrators include Geoffrey Palmer O.B.E., Sir Donald Sinden, and Elaine Stritch. Music: 'Reverie De Sebastian' by Steve Davies.
-
-
What a cast!
- By Frank on 29-04-10
-
Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh
- By: Joseph Conrad
- Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh
- Length: 3 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Signature Performance: Kenneth Branagh plays this like a campfire ghost story, told by a haunted, slightly insane Marlow.
-
-
Haunting and beautiful
- By S. Goodyear on 13-04-16
-
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
- By: Jack Weatherford
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Jack Weatherford
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Mongol army led by Genghis Khan subjugated more lands and people in 25 years than the Romans did in 400. In nearly every country the Mongols conquered, they brought an unprecedented rise in cultural communication, expanded trade, and a blossoming of civilization.
-
-
An enjoyable hagiography(?)
- By Nik Jewell on 16-05-18
-
The Godfather
- By: Mario Puzo
- Narrated by: Joe Mantegna
- Length: 18 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A modern masterpiece, The Godfather is a searing portrayal of the 1940s criminal underworld. It is also the intimate story of the Corleone family, at once drawn together and ripped apart by its unique position at the core of the American Mafia. Still shocking 40 years after it was first published, this compelling tale of blackmail, murder, and family values is a true classic.
-
-
DO NOT MISS THIS!
- By suze0501@aol.com on 26-02-15
-
The History of the Ancient World
- From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome
- By: Susan Wise Bauer
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.
-
-
obsessed with royalty
- By Jason M Eshelby on 28-12-14
-
The New Silk Roads
- The Present and Future of the World
- By: Peter Frankopan
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
'All roads used to lead to Rome. Today, they lead to Beijing.' When The Silk Roads was published in 2015, it became an instant classic. A major reassessment of world history, it compelled us to look at the past from a different perspective. The New Silk Roads brings this story up to date, addressing the present and future of a world that is changing dramatically. Following the Silk Roads eastwards, from Europe through to China, by way of Russia and the Middle East, The New Silk Roads provides a timely reminder that we live in a world that is profoundly interconnected.
-
-
Fascinating. I learned something in every chapter
- By J.F.Penn on 19-01-19
-
Democracy, Culture and the Voice of Poetry
- By: Robert Pinsky
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 1 hr and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The place of poetry in modern democracy is no place, according to conventional wisdom. The poet, we hear, is a casualty of mass entertainment and prosaic public culture, banished to the artistic sidelines to compose variations on insipid themes for a dwindling audience. Robert Pinsky, however, argues that this gloomy diagnosis is as wrongheaded as it is familiar.
-
Treasure Island
- By: Robert Louis Stevenson
- Narrated by: Timothy West
- Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First conceived during a rainy summer holiday in the Highlands of Scotland in an attempt to amuse his stepson, Treasure Island began with the map. Young Lloyd Osbourne had drawn a crude version of an island, and Stevenson, looking over the boy's shoulder, began to elaborate, christening various curves and smudges the famed names of Skeleton Island and Spyglass Hill and finally adding the three red crosses marking the buried treasure.
-
-
Great Characterisation
- By RobS on 13-08-16
-
How And Why A Poem Works
- By: John Lehman
- Narrated by: John Lehman
- Length: 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thought-provoking 51- minute audio presentation for writers, readers, students, teachers, parents...anyone who has ever wondered why a particular poem is their favorite. Includes "Stopping By The Woods": Delving beneath the surface of Robert Frost's poetry. John Lehman is a nationally published writer and poet with twenty years experience as a professional speaker and fifteen years as a creative director and senior copy writer for advertising agencies.
Summary
Acclaimed actress Claire Danes burnishes an epic story of heroes, gods, and monsters in a groundbreaking translation of The Odyssey, the first great adventure story in the Western literary tradition. When the wily warrior-king Odysseus sets off for home after the Trojan War, he doesn’t realize this simple undertaking will become a perilous journey of 10 years. Beset at every turn, he encounters obstacles, detours, and temptations—both supernatural and human—while his wife Penelope fends off would-be suitors desperate to take the throne.
Emily Wilson is the first woman to take on the daunting task of translating over 100,000 lines of a three-millennium-old poem from Ancient Greek to modern-day English. Her breathtaking rendition captures the poetic immediacy of the original text, while allowing listeners to experience The Odyssey with an honesty and directness few other versions have achieved. The result is a lean, fleet-footed translation that recaptures Homer’s “nimble gallop” and brings an ancient epic to new life. A fascinating introduction provides an informative overview of the Bronze Age milieu that produced the epic, the major themes of the poem, the controversies about its origins, and the unparalleled scope of its impact and influence.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.
More from the same
Narrator
What listeners say about The Odyssey
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- IM1
- 28-11-18
Line by Line Translation of Homer's Odyssey
The complete line by line translation in modern day spoken english of Homer's Odyssey is very relatable and just mesmerising. I can never get tired of Greek Mythology so maybe I am biased. Claire Danes was phenomenal. She did not try to over dramatise the scenes, nor her voice was robotic. Her narration had just the right amalgamation of emotions, intensity and pace.
Loved it.
38 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M. Rance
- 10-07-19
A captivating translation forcefully performed
Claire Danes is a perfect match for Wilson's translation. I grew up with the Fitzgerald translation and later read the Fagles translation. I am sorry I never got on with the Lattimore translation, but I appreciate its importance. Each are great in their own way. Fitzgerald brings out the poetry, Fagles approximates the Greek. But Wilson does something different - she brings out the narrative force of the tale. That is what Claire Danes captures so well. And despite Wilson being British, I am tempted to categorize this as an American translation. It benefits from an American-like English directness and it delights with a more modern lexicon than its predecessors. It would be interesting to hear it read by a British voice, Judy Dench perhaps? Wilson's introduction is also read here and it is worth the price of admission.
29 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Vashik Armenikus
- 28-12-18
First two hours are introduction to odyssey.
Intro could be much shorter , it felt as if author wants to tell her entire autobiography instead. But the translation is excellent, and it’s the best for an audio version
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Morgoth
- 16-10-19
Marathon intro
The intro was was far too self indulgent, long and unnecessary, the story was obviously great tho....
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Thomas Lückhof
- 17-12-18
Beautiful translation and a vivid narration
A beautiful translation of the ancient text combined with a narration that is nuanced and lively make this a great way to enjoy the poem.
14 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- RONAN O'CALLAGHAN
- 24-04-19
Don’t think twice. Nothing else is like The Odyssey.
Having read the Richmond Lattimore translation a couple of times - first for study and years later for pure pleasure, I had hoped in vain for an audiobook of that. The Audible version of his Iliad translation is stunning to listen to.
So I was intrigued when this popped up as a suggestion and I read some reviews.
If you have not read The Odyssey already you should probably skip Emily Wilson’s introduction at first. But do come back to it when you can appreciate it - it considers the work from many angles but always in a relatable, engaging style and I agree with the reviewer who said the price is worth it for the introduction alone.
She aims for very plain language generally and for the most part it works very well. I love the fact that it is line for line. Her reluctance to reproduce the repetitive formulaic phrases such as ‘rosy fingered dawn’ etc is something she justifies in advance but I actually missed the charm of the repetitions and found her attempts at variation sometimes strained.
However, a great deal of power which can only originate in the narrative method of the original surges through her plain speaking unstoppably, wringing out almost every emotion imaginable before the shocking (to us) bloodbath of its climax.
Yes, there are some strange and alien ways of thinking in Homer’s world but far more striking and moving to me is how much we still share with the listeners of his time in our passions, fears, yearnings and consolations. And how much of the art of storytelling had already been mastered three thousand years ago.
Claire Danes performs it like she’s living it.
20 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 30-01-19
Impeccable
Really stupendous. Could not have enjoyed it more.
Well done all involved especially Emily and Clare.
Thanks
Richard Goodwin
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- colin
- 14-01-19
Good story. Well read
enjoyable listen book well read challenging to remember all characters and locations though. worth a second listen.
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- T Kus, UK
- 14-11-19
A great story to hear rather than read
This is an amazing classic adventure story written as a poem and it really comes to light as an audiobook performance. What I couldn't bear was the 3h long "introduction" which was far too long.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- A J Crowdy
- 28-08-19
Find a long journey!
A very long listen, but a lovely translation and beautifully read. Well worth sticking with it!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- J. Dixon
- 12-12-19
Lisping ragged reading
This is a feminist reinterpretation of the classic story. Ms Dane's reading is lisping, gravel-voiced and flat. It sounds like the first time she has read the material. It has been returned for credit.
24 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Tad Davis
- 28-01-19
Much better than I originally thought
I'm including my original review below; a number of people were kind enough to mark it as helpful. But honesty requires me to say that additional listening — of this and of other readings of The Odyssey — has changed my mind about the narration by Clare Danes. I believe the reservations I expressed earlier were unfair, or at least stated too strongly.
It's true that she doesn't give each character a distinctive voice, and also true that the narration, as opposed to the dialogue, proceeds in a narrow emotional register. The effect is one of listening to a memorized performance rather than a spontaneous story. But this is a stylistic choice. If it's a performance, it's at least a lively one, and if the characters don't have distinctive voices, Danes does vary pitch and speed and emotional tone for each. Following Odysseus’ successful revenge, there is no mistaking the crisp orders of Odysseus for the joyful cries of Eurycleia. If her Penelope sounds similar to her Telemachus, the increased softness of tone marks off her dialogue as efficiently as if Danes were working in full “impressionist” mode.
The tight control that I sense in Danes’ voice is an effect of the verse she's reading, which is a tightly controlled five-beat line. Emily Wilson did it that way on purpose. And it really is a wonderful, vigorous translation, with at least one surprising (and surprisingly perfect) word choice on nearly every page. More so than in any other translation of the Odyssey I've read, Wilson makes it clear that we are visiting a rigidly hierarchical master/slave society. While there are things I wish Clare Danes had done differently, there is no disputing that she carries the pace forward through 12 hours of densely heroic action. Contrary to the opinion I expressed in my original review, I will most definitely be listening to this one again.
Emily Wilson has mentioned on the Internet that she is working on a translation of The Iliad as well. It will take a few years. She has found that she can't simply apply the same techniques she worked out for The Odyssey: the poem is too different, and she's had to reinvent her whole approach. She's published one short passage, and it made my hair stand on end, so I'm really looking forward to her completing this project.
*** Original Review ***
This is a wonderful translation of The Odyssey, crackling with energy. I'm less taken with Claire Danes as the narrator, though. I like her as an actress, and in moments of high tension here, her voice quavers with emotion; but at times her reading emphasizes rhythm over passion. The rhythm is important: Emily Wilson’s decision to adhere to a steady five-beat line is one of the strengths of her translation. But in performance, it can result in occasional sing-song, and to my ears Claire Danes falls into this trap more often than I would like.
I'm struggling a bit to find the right way to describe what I find unsatisfying about her performance. One of my favorite Homeric audiobooks (performed by Anthony Heald) sounds like a story recited around a campfire. And maybe that’s the difference. The best performances of Homer sound like a recitation; Danes sounds like she’s reading a story written by somebody else. Of course that's what she IS doing, like all the other narrators of Homer; but not all of them sound like it.
She does grasp the punch and rapidity of the language, though. This is one of the most accessible and fast-paced performances of The Odyssey available. Wilson disciplined her language to match Homer’s line count, and the 24 books of the poem race by, for the most part, in 20-25 minutes each. And this is without undue hurry on Danes's part: her reading gives room for each word in each line to be heard distinctly. The approach of the translation means that the language is more compressed than in some versions; but there are epithets and wine-dark seas enough to satisfy those who want the occasional flavor of a more literal approach.
For every odd word choice made by Wilson - Odysseus is described straight off as a “complicated” man - there are a dozen choices that illuminate and clarify. Wilson makes clear that the “servants” that populate the poem are really “slaves”; and she also makes clear that while some of the slave girls willingly sleep with the suitors, what is really going on most of the time is rape. This makes the fate of the dozen slave girls hanged by Telemachus even more poignant.
It's definitely worth a listen, but it's not going to become my go-to audio version of The Odyssey.
172 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Mary Beth In Brooklyn
- 12-01-19
Thrilling! (a page turner, if these were pages)
Claire Danes expertly modulates her voice and tone as she reads each character and situation. The new translation is so accessible as to be (at times) almost too casual and contemporary. Nonetheless, the story is told directly, understandably, and with humor and drama. I had to ration myself so that I didn't lie in bed listening to it for hours and hours.
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- N. Hawryluk
- 23-05-19
Thrilling, Very Well Narrated
Interesting to see a story built completely on Deus ex machina, where nearly every major action is either designed by or directly intervened by a god. While the trope cheapens most stories, this is like watching Ocean’s Eleven or one of its sequels, where you know things will work out but you want to see HOW they manage to get there. Really thrilling.
Note: If you’re reading for the first time, skip the entire first 3-hour chapter, which is a very in-depth and enlightening analysis by the author, but it reveals the entire plot of the book. Ditto for the next 30-minute chapter, which is a translator’s note. It always bothers me that classic literature translations always have their author’s editorializing at the beginning rather than the end like this. I recommend starting with the Audible chapter “Book 1”, which is the start of the story. Then after it’s over, go back and listen to all the author’s notes.
Claire Danes does an excellent job narrating. [AUDIBLE]
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- D. Terry
- 21-12-18
Narrator's Readings of Dialogue Overdone
Emily Wilson's superb translation presents The Odyssey in natural language. Claire Danes, the narrator, almost always presented dialogues in an exaggerated, unnatural way -- her characters often sound a bit manic when they speak. Her presentation of dialogue undermines the naturalness of the language in Wilson's translation.
63 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- KSK5
- 12-01-19
excellent translation and performance
a translation with its greater use of vernacular Modern English worked very well. And her reading was done with considerable Feeling. a wonderful listening experience.
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Shofi
- 09-01-19
Perfect! Just perfect!
This is the best translation of The Odyssey IMHO because of its style. The story itself is a classic, everyone who have struggled or is struggling to achieve a goal knows or should know about the story of Odysseus. And this translation by Emily Wilson, this performance by Claire Danes, is the best way to know about him.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Christina H.
- 14-02-19
Don’t love the narration or the translation
I liked the clip, but once I started listening to the whole thing, I found the translation to be very repetitive. I also found the reading to be too stiff. I know it’s a “classic,” but it was a very dry reading. And such an exciting, action-packed story!
53 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Reviewer in Stoneham
- 27-01-19
Wow, I love it.
I’ve wanted to re-read this since high school 30 years ago. Wow — am I glad I chose this. I bought the Audible AND the book to follow along. It’s amazing.
The narrator’s voice is interesting and compelling; she clearly enjoyed this project. She is easy to listen to and very talented.
Listen to the sample and watch the video then decide.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Matt Boyle
- 07-01-19
Don't get swept up in the fancy revision.
Fagle's "Odyssey" was great, not my favorite...Butler's was fantastic. Came upon this and was pretty excited to give it a try as well. Undoubtedly not my cup of tea. Others may like it (which is fine) but please be warned that the narration is just so robotic and dry. Nothing against Claire Danes, but...it just doesn't work. Not only was the tone off-putting, but the translation was a bit too modern (which may sound strange to some). I've never found the Odyssey read so...inaccurately. It just felt really off. I'm a sucker for fancy book covers and art designs - so I enthusiastically (and foolishly) jumped headfirst into this as well. Also - is it necessary for 3 hours of "forewords and authors notes and translators notes, etc" before the actual story itself?
78 people found this helpful