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Le Pere Goriot
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
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Publisher's Summary
At the shabby boarding house in the rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève, petty Madame Vauquer and her tenants wonder at the plight of the aging resident Goriot. Once a well-heeled merchant, Goriot was, at first, afforded special treatment from the Madame. But now something is clearly amiss in his financial affairs, and his increasingly tawdry appearance makes him a subject of ridicule in the household. Some think he lost in the markets, others see him as a lecherous patron of prostitutes, but one thing is clear: his selfless, complete devotion to his two daughters.
As the tragedy of old Goriot is revealed, the shallow values of society come into scrutiny.
Critic Reviews
"Le Père Goriot holds so much, and in proportion to what it holds is...so simple and compact, that it easily ranks among the few greatest novels we possess." (Henry James)
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What listeners say about Le Pere Goriot
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- beatrice
- 03-12-10
balzac rocks
A first-rate introduction to Balzac, whose work I hadn't read previously. Hecht is fabulous as the creepy, seductive Vautrin.
8 people found this helpful
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- David E. Gregson
- 11-22-12
If you read only one Balzac novel, this is it.
Would you listen to Le Pere Goriot again? Why?
Balzac's powers of description are amazing -- and the characters are memorable.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Without doubt the young student Eugène de Rastignac, an attractive but misguidedly ambitious young man -- whose last name has actually entered the French language as a synonym for an opportunistic social climber -- an "arriviste." Rastignac wrestles with his own moral conscience as he manipulates people to achieve his social ends.
Any additional comments?
Superbly read.
5 people found this helpful
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- ramez
- 04-04-18
Good, provided that:
This is a good book, provided that you do not read it right after you read "War and Peace", because it cannot compete.
The thing about classics is reflection more than the story. I am very surprised that belzac did not spend time to convey to us, his distant children, that Gene loved Goriot deeply. I learned that only in the last chapter. Also how much did Gene loved his mistress? I can't tell after finishing the story.
1 person found this helpful
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- Candida
- 08-24-15
French emotion
Wonderful ! Sly and outraged attack on aristocratic social world of Parisian society in the 19th century
1 person found this helpful
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- James
- 05-26-15
Superb Reading
Paul Hecht brings a timeless classic to brilliant life. All of the heartbreaking tragedy and brutal cynicism of one of the greatest novels in all literature become palpable in his dramatic but restrained narration.
1 person found this helpful
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- Christian Burchett
- 02-22-21
Loved it
Well read and easy to follow. Fascinating story about a boarding house in early 19th century France. I listened after listening to an economics book that mentioned this as a reference to the wealth dynamics of recent modern history.
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- Branford
- 01-13-21
Great book and one of the best narrative performances I’ve heard
It’s Balzac’s best book and as timely as ever. The voice actor is the best I’ve ever heard.
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- José C Domínguez
- 08-21-20
Superb interpretation
A superb interpretation of a sensitive book it reflects the misfortunes of a loving father until his death
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- Merlin
- 02-11-15
For a classic, disappointing: bleak and humourless
I'm a big fan of classic 19th c. novels, but this is the first novel by Balzac I've read. It will probably be the last. I found the story mediocre, the writing longwinded, and most of the characters uninteresting. The moral development of the law student Rastignac (sp?) is somewhat interesting as he first is corrupted by and then has his eyes opened to the true nature of 'high society.' But the interminable scenes in the last third of the novel ddepicting Goriot declaring his love for his daughters while they carry on fleecing him down to the shirt on his back simply lose interest. The reading was fine.
2 people found this helpful
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- murray
- 03-15-13
Not as good as i remember it
Is there anything you would change about this book?
take it out of the classic books of the19th century
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
make it not so ridiculously soap operish
What three words best describe Paul Hecht’s voice?
doesn't do character that well
Did Le Pere Goriot inspire you to do anything?
go back to english novels
2 people found this helpful