George Eliot has 18 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 28 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.8★ across 150 ratings. The most-rated is Middlemarch.
Middlemarch
Summary
Dorothea Brooke is an ardent idealist who represses her vivacity and intelligence for the cold, theological pedant Casaubon. One man understands her true nature: the artist Will Ladislaw. But how can love triumph against her sense of duty and Casaubon’s mean spirit? Meanwhile, in the little world of Middlemarch, the broader world is mirrored: the world of politics, social change, and reforms, as well as betrayal, greed, blackmail, ambition, and disappointment. Dorothea Brooke is an outstanding heroine; Middlemarch is filled with characters that are vivid and true, comic and moving. It is one of the greatest novels in the English language. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
Public Domain (P)2011 Naxos AudioBooks
Daniel Deronda
Summary
Meeting by chance at a gambling hall in Europe, the separate lives of Daniel Deronda and Gwendolen Harleth are immediately intertwined. Daniel, an Englishman of uncertain parentage, becomes Gwendolyn's redeemer as she finds herself drawn to his spiritual and altruistic nature after a loveless marriage. But Daniel's path was already set when he rescued a young Jewess from suicide. Daniel Deronda, George Eliot's final novel, is a remarkable work, encompassing themes of religion, imperialism and gender within its broad and fascinating scope. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
Public Domain (P)2015 Naxos AudioBooks
Middlemarch
Summary
George Eliot's most ambitious novel is a masterly evocation of diverse lives and changing fortunes in a provincial community. Peopling its landscape are Dorothea Brooke, a young idealist whose search for intellectual fulfilment leads her into a disastrous marriage to the pedantic scholar Casaubon; the charming but tactless Dr Lydgate, whose marriage to the spendthrift beauty Rosamund and pioneering medical methods threaten to undermine his career; and the religious hypocrite Bulstrode, hiding scandalous crimes from his past. As their stories interweave, George Eliot creates a richly nuanced and moving drama, hailed by Virginia Woolf as 'one of the few English novels written for adult people'. Middlemarch explores nearly all matters of concern to modern life, portraying an entire community and every class within it. Full of irony and suspense and even richer in character it shows how individual lives are shaped by and shape the community. Within Middlemarch, we find Eliot's ability to expand the audience's compassion and imagination. George Eliot was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. Her novels, largely set in provincial England, are well known for their realism and psychological insight. When Middlemarch was released Eliot was considered England's finest living novelist with many critics still regarding this novel as the finest in English. A BAFTA winning adaptation of Middlemarch aired as a television series in 1994. Narrator Biography Maureen is an English actress and author best known for playing the role of Vicki in Doctor Who where she starred alongside the original Doctor, William Hartnell. She then went on to appear in The Legend of King Arthur, Casualty, The Duchess of Duke Street, Taggart, Cracker, A Touch of Frost, Heartbeat and Jonathan Creek. In 1985 she made a rare film appearance in the comedy She'll Be Wearing Pink Pyjamas opposite Julie Walters. Maureen has also appeared in a number of stage productions, for example, The Relapse (Old Vic), The Merchant of Venice (Old Vic), The Archbishop's Ceiling (Bristol Old Vic) and Othello (Bristol Old Vic).
Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Middlemarch
Summary
Named for the fictional community in which it is set, Middlemarch is George Eliot's rich and teeming portrait of provincial life in Victorian England. In it, a panoply of complicated characters attempt to carry out their destinies against the various social expectations that accompany their classes and genders. At the center of the narrative is Dorothea Brooke, a thoughtful and idealistic young woman determined to make a difference with her life. Enamored of a man she believes is setting this example, she traps herself into a loveless marriage. Her parallel is Tertius Lydgate, a young doctor from the city whose passionate ambition to spread the new science of medicine is complicated by his love for the wrong woman. Epic in scope and unsurpassed in its study of human nature, Middlemarch is one of the greatest works of world literature.
(P)1994 Blackstone Audio Inc.
The Mill on the Floss
Summary
Maggie Tulliver has two lovers: Philip Wakem, son of her father’s enemy, and Stephen Guest, already promised to her cousin. But the love she wants most in the world is that of her brother Tom. Maggie’s struggle against her passionate and sensual nature leads her to a deeper understanding and to eventual tragedy. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
Public Domain (P)2012 Naxos AudioBooks
Silas Marner
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
This Penguin Classic is performed by Jan Francis, star of Just Good Friends. This definitive recording includes an Introduction by David Carroll. Wrongly accused of theft and exiled from a religious community many years before, the embittered weaver Silas Marner lives alone in Raveloe, living only for work and his precious hoard of money. But when his money is stolen and an orphaned child finds her way into his house, Silas is given the chance to transform his life. His fate, and that of the little girl he adopts, is entwined with Godfrey Cass, son of the village Squire, who, like Silas, is trapped by his past.
Silas Marner, George Eliot's favourite of her novels, combines humour, rich symbolism and pointed social criticism to create an unsentimental but affectionate portrait of rural life.
Public Domain (P)2019 Penguin Audio
Middlemarch
Summary
George Eliot's beloved story of life, love and politics in an English town. A jewel in the classic literature crown, Middlemarch was selected as one of the BBC’s 100 Novels That Shaped Our World. Its epic arc takes in politics, tragedy, romance and comedy, interweaving multiple narratives to make up a thrilling ensemble tale. Set in the 1830s, this ‘study of provincial life’ introduces us to young, idealistic Dorothea Brooke, who accepts a proposal from scholarly Edward Casaubon, hoping to forge a loving partnership of intellectual equals. But on honeymoon in Rome, she swiftly becomes disillusioned. Trapped in an unhappy marriage, she finds solace in her friendship with Casaubon’s cousin, Will Ladislaw - only for her controlling husband to suspect her of betrayal and set out to test her loyalty. Meanwhile, mayor’s son Fred Vincy embarks on a steep economic learning curve, risking his burgeoning relationship with Mary Garth. When he contracts typhoid, he is treated by the town’s new medical man, Tertius Lydgate, who becomes drawn to Fred’s sister, Rosamond. Eager to win her hand, the Doctor seeks help from the wealthy Mr Bulstrode - a decision he will come to regret.... As their stories shift, viewpoints twist together and lives collide and realign in a compelling ‘convergence of human lots’ that shows us an entire world in microcosm. Juliet Aubrey stars as the Narrator, George Eliot, with Olivia Vinall as Dorothea, Charles Edwards as Casaubon and John Heffernan as Dr Lydgate. Also featured is a bonus edition of In Our Time, in which Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss George Eliot’s classic novel, described by Virginia Woolf as ‘one of the few English novels written for grown-up people'. Cast and credits: The Narrator, George Eliot - Juliet Aubrey Dorothea - Olivia Vinall Edward Casaubon - Charles Edwards Dr Lydgate - John Heffernan Will Ladislaw - Joseph Quinn Arthur Brooke/Caleb Garth/Mr Trumball - Neil McCaul Sir James Chettam - Hugh Skinner Rev Farebrother - Miles Jupp Nicholas Bulstrode - Adrian Scarborough Celia - Lucy Reynolds Peter Featherstone/Standish/John Raffles - Clive Hayward Fred Vincy/Auction bidder - Will Kirk Rosamond - Laura Christy Mr Vincy/Mr Bambridge - Rick Warden Mrs Cadwallader/Mrs Plymdale - Jessica Turner Adolf Naumann/Barman - Adam Courting Dr Hawley/Clerk - Greg Jones Servant/Mrs Abel - Sinead MacInnes Tantripp/Mary Garth - Scarlett Courtney Mrs Garth - Alison Belbin Letty Garth - Grace Doherty Farmer/Mr Hopkins - Ikky Elyas Tertius Lydgate - John Heffernan Harriet Bulstrode - Rosie Cavaliero Mrs Vincy/Farebrother’s aunt - Heather Craney Written by George Eliot. Adapted by Katie Hims. Directed by Jessica Dromgoole and Tracey Neale. First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 November-7 December 2019.
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Silas Marner
Summary
Reputed as Eliot’s favourite novel Silas Marner is set in the early years of the 19th century. Marner, a weaver, is a member of a small congregation in Lantern Yard. Falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he leaves his home and lives a solitary life near the village of Raveloe. Dedicating his life to weaving and hoarding gold for the next 15 years, circumstances beyond his control shape his destiny and when his gold is stolen, he is rescued from despair by the arrival on his lonely hearth of a beautiful little girl, whom he adopts, and through whom he and the other people of the village learn that loving relationships are more fulfilling than material wealth.
Public Domain (P)2014 Victorian Classic Audiobooks
The George Eliot BBC Radio Drama Collection
Summary
One of the greatest English authors of the 19th century, George Eliot is renowned for her realistic storytelling and insight into the human psyche. This BBC Radio collection presents dramatisations of her five most famous novels, as well as an exploration of her life through her fictional characters. Adam Bede Summer, 1799, and in the Staffordshire village of Hayslope, one of Lisbeth Bede's sons has marriage on his mind.... Eliot's haunting story of love betrayed and rewarded stars Thomas Arnold and Victoria Liddelle. The Mill on the Floss Free-spirited country girl Maggie Tulliver must look outside the love of her own family to find the fulfilment she craves. This classic tale of rejection and reconciliation stars Deborah Findlay, Jasmine Hyde, Tom Goodman-Hill and David Tennant. Silas Marner Reclusive, embittered miser Silas Marner finds salvation when he fosters a little foundling girl - but his life with Eppie is threatened when her biological father makes a claim on her.... Starring George Costigan and Rebecca Callard. Middlemarch In 1830s England, passionate idealist Dorothea Brooke yearns to right society's wrongs. Starring Caroline Martin, Robert Glenister and Roger Allam. Daniel Deronda From the moment their eyes meet across a packed gaming room, Gwendolen Harleth and Daniel Deronda are irresistibly drawn to one another - and their fates become eternally and tragically entwined. Starring Anna Chancellor and Michael Perceval-Maxwell. In George Eliot: A Life in Five Characters, presenter Kathryn Hughes paints a portrait of the author through her key characters, as she talks to Eliot's biographer Philip Davis and authors Tessa Hadley, Sarah Moss, Sathnam Sangera, David Constantine and Kathy O'Shaughnessy. First published 1859 (Adam Bede), 1860 (The Mill on the Floss), 1861 (Silas Marner), 1871-72 (Middlemarch), 1876 (Daniel Deronda).
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Adam Bede
Summary
With an introduction and notes by Doreen Roberts, University of Kent at Canterbury "Examine your words well, and you will find that even when you have no motive to be false, it is a very hard thing to say the exact truth, even about your immediate feelings...." Adam Bede (1859), George Eliot's first full-length novel, marked the emergence of an artist to rank with Scott and Dickens. Set in the English Midlands of farmers and village craftsmen at the turn of the 18th century, the book relates a story of seduction issuing in "the inward suffering which is the worst form of Nemesis". But it is also a rich and pioneering record - drawing on intimate knowledge and affectionate memory - of a rural world that we have lost. The movement of the narration between social realism and reflection on its own processes, the exploration of motives, and the constant authorial presence all bespeak an art that strives to connect the fictional with the actual.
Public Domain (P)2016 Recorded Books
Adam Bede
Summary
George Eliot's first full-length novel Adam Bede is a profound rendering of 19th century English pastoral life. This timeless story of seduction and betrayal follows the virtuous carpenter Adam Bede, whose world is soon disrupted when the all-too-beautiful Hetty betrays him for another villager. Her actions precipitate a turmoil of tragic events that shake the very foundations of their serene rural community. Eliot's gift for leisurely and lyrical prose is in full effect here and her insight into human emotion and complexity is unrivalled.
Public Domain (P)2014 Naxos AudioBooks
The Mill on the Floss
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin. This Penguin Classic is performed by Anne-Marie Duff, star of the BBC's The Salisbury Poisonings and Shameless. This definitive recording features an introduction by A.S Byatt, writer, critic and author of Possession. Brought up at Dorlcote Mill, Maggie Tulliver worships her brother, Tom, and is desperate to win the approval of her parents, but her passionate, wayward nature and her fierce intelligence bring her into constant conflict with her family. As she reaches adulthood, the clash between their expectations and her desires is painfully played out as she finds herself torn between her relationships with three very different men: her proud and stubborn brother, a close friend who is also the son of her family's worst enemy, and a charismatic but dangerous suitor. With its poignant portrayal of sibling relationships, The Mill on the Floss is considered George Eliot's most autobiographical novel; it is also one of her most powerful and moving.
©2019 George Eliot (P)2019 Penguin Audio
Adam Bede
Summary
Adam Bede (1859), George Eliot's first full-length novel, marked the emergence of an artist to rank with Scott and Dickens. Set in the English Midlands of farmers and village craftsmen at the turn of the 18th century, the book relates a story of seduction issuing in 'the inward suffering which is the worst form of Nemesis'. But it is also a rich and pioneering record - drawing on intimate knowledge and affectionate memory - of a rural world that we have lost. The movement of the narration between social realism and reflection on its own processes, the exploration of motives, and the constant authorial presence all bespeak an art that strives to connect the fictional with the actual.
©2011 Talking Classics (P)2011 De Agostini UK 2010
Romola
Summary
"There is no book of mine about which I more thoroughly feel that I swear by every sentence as having been written with my best blood." Thus wrote George Eliot about Romola, the book that is central in her career as a novelist and among her most colorful, fluent, and persuasive works. Set in Florence in 1492, a time of great political and religious turmoil, Eliot's novel blends vivid fictional characters with historical figures such as Savonarola, Machiavelli, and the Medicis. When Romola, the virtuous daughter of a blind scholar, marries Tito Melema, a charismatic young Greek, she is bound to a man whose escalating betrayals threaten to destroy all that she holds dear. Profoundly inspired by Savonarola's teachings, then crushed by the religious leader's ultimate failure, Romola finds her salvation in noble self-sacrifice.
(P)1997 Blackstone Audio Inc.
Middlemarch
Summary
Middlemarch is considered one of the masterpieces of English fiction. Published in 1874, it is the seventh and penultimate novel by George Eliot. It pursues a number of underlying themes, including the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism and self-interest, religion and hypocrisy, political reform, and education. Set in the fictitious Midlands town of Middlemarch during the period 1830 - 32 and subtitled "A Study of Provincial Life", the novel creates a concept of life and society confronting the scepticism that was taking over the age. English novelist George Eliot (1819-1880), real name Mary Ann (Marian) Evans was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. Her novels, largely set in provincial England, are well known for their realism and psychological perspicacity. Please note: This is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.
©2009 RNIB (P)2009 RNIB
Silas Marner
Summary
Silas Marner is a dramatic novel by great Victorian novelist George Eliot. First published in 1861 it tells the tale of the lonely weaver Silas Marner who, after suffering betrayal and rejection, leaves his community to become a recluse obsessed only with accumulating money. One day Silas's money is stolen by Dunstan Cass, a dissolute son of Squire Cass, the town's leading landowner. The loss of his gold drives Silas into a deep gloom, until one day a little golden-haired orphan girl wanders into his home to change his life forever. Set at the beginning of the industrial revolution, Eliot weaves a telling social commentary into an inspiring tale of love and redemption. English novelist George Eliot (1819-1880), real name Mary Ann (Marian) Evans was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. Please note: This is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.
Public Domain (P)2009 RNIB
The Mill on the Floss
Summary
George Eliot’s classic Victorian epic about a brother and sister pitted against one another in love and life. Based on George Eliot’s own rural upbringing and relationship with her estranged brother, The Mill on the Floss is a powerful, dynamic tale of familial rejection, sibling rivalry and what happens when the head confronts the heart. Growing up at Dorlcote Mill in the beautiful English countryside, young Maggie yearns for approval and affection. With her dark, striking looks and quick intelligence, she is the misfit of the Tulliver family, and while her father dotes on her, her mother despairs of her rebelliousness. But it is the love of her stolid, dutiful brother, Tom, that Maggie craves most, and despite their opposing natures, the two forge a close bond. But as adults, their paths diverge. Following their father’s bankruptcy, Tom leaves school and enters the world of business, determined to repay the family’s debts and regain their home. Maggie, meanwhile, is drawn to two very different men: kindred spirit Philip Wakem, the son of her father's enemy, and the charming, seductive Stephen Guest, already promised to her cousin, Lucy. As she struggles to reconcile passion and loyalty, the choices Maggie makes will set her against her beloved brother - with tragic consequences.... Full of humour and high drama and featuring a rich, filmic soundscape, this stunning adaption is scripted by award-winning author Rachel Joyce. Also included is bonus programme Free Thinking: George Eliot’s Mill on the Floss, hosted by Shahidha Bari, in which writer Rebecca Mead, actor Fiona Shaw and academics Dafydd Mills Daniel, Philip Davis and Peggy Reynolds discuss the background to Eliot’s much-loved 1860 novel and read selected extracts. Cast: George Eliot, the Narrator - Anna Maxwell Martin Young Maggie - Amy-Jayne Leigh Young Tom - Oliver Zetterstrom Young Lucy - Grace Doherty Mr Tulliver - Roger Ringrose Mrs Tulliver - Alison Belbin Maggie - Joanna Vanderham Tom - Will Kirk Lucy - Ell Potter Philip - Chris Lew Kum Hoi Stephen - Jack Farthing Mrs Moss - Heather Craney Mr Wakem - John Dougall Mrs Glegg - Elizabeth Counsell Mr Stelling - John Lightbody Dr Kenn - Hasan Dixon Luke/Bob - Kurtis Lowe Keiza/Sally - Bettrys Jones Written by George Eliot. Adapted by Rachel Joyce. Produced by Tracey Neale. Executive producer: Toby Swift First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6-17 April 2020. Free Thinking: George Eliot’s Mill on the Floss: Presented by Shahidha Bari. With Rebecca Mead, Fiona Shaw, Dafydd Mills Daniel, Philip Davis and Peggy Reynolds. Produced by Fiona McLean.
©2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2020 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Daniel Deronda
Summary
Penguin Classics presents George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda, adapted for audio and available as a digital download as part of the Penguin English Library series. Read by the actress Eleanor Bron. "What can I do.... I must get up in the morning and do what everyone else does. It is all like a dance set beforehand. I seem to see all that can be - and I am tired and sick of it. And the world is all confusion to me." George Eliot’s last, most controversial novel opens as the spoiled Gwendolen Harleth, poised at a roulette table about to throw away a small fortune, captivates Daniel Deronda. As their lives become intertwined, they are also transformed by suffering, misfortune, revelations and Daniel’s fascination with the Jewish singer Mirah. Daniel Deronda shocked Victorian readers with its portrayal of the Jewish experience in British society, and remains a moving and epic portrayal of human passions. Part of a series of vintage recordings taken from the Penguin Archives. Affordable, collectable, quality productions - perfect for on-the-go listening.
©2012 George Eliot (P)2012 Penguin Books Ltd