The most wonderful audiobook

Everything about this audiobook is absolutely perfect. Maurice is a beautiful story and Ben Whishaw delivers it better than anybody else could, not only because of subject matter but also because his voice is in fact nectar for the ears. I hope Audible get him to narrate more!

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Sublime

Wonderful, painful, beautiful - one of my all time favourite novels. Ben Whishaw’s reading is beyond perfect.

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7 people found this helpful

exceptional story-telling.

I don't usually read books of this age because I find them tedious but this was an eye-opener. The love affair between Maurice and Clive was was not consomated in the general sense but it was still passionate. My sympathies lay with Maurice only because he was so sorely disappointed. The initial phase of the tryst with Alec was lovely until the supposed blackmail but I was overjoyed when they went off together into the sunset. Exceptional story and poignantly read by the narrator. 10 out of 10, I need to find more in a similar vein.

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Wishaw and Forster, both in 5* form

I’ve known of Maurice for some 30+ years but never got around to reading it. I’m so glad, because I’ve just enjoyed the supreme experience of Ben Wishaw reading to me every night as I drop off to sleep. Not that I did fall asleep. I set my timer for 30 minutes and heard every word of my nightly segment.

The story is so unusual because as Forster himself says in the afterword, if he’d chosen to kill the two men off or had a suicide pact between them, then he might have had this published many years sooner. He chose a different path and gave his two men a happy ending.

Forster insisted that the book remained unpublished until after his death; this despite the Wolfenden Report in 1957. A published work from such a respected author, such as Maurice may well have ‘persuaded’ Parliament to change the Victorian law that criminalised homosexuality much earlier than it did in 1967.

The story is both genteel and gentle, but there’s always the threat of exposure and potential ruin. The nearest the reader/listener gets to anything too exciting (or ‘pornographic’ as Forster puts it) is the two late characters waking-up entangled in each other’s limbs.

Ben Wishaw is completely sympathetic in his interpretation of the text. His voice is always warm, his pronunciation perfect, and he lets the story do all the heavy lifting. There are times when you really want to cry out “Just stop it, Maurice!” At the same time you realise that these are feelings and situations still experienced today by so many people today.

Wishaw has a lovely voice to listen to and his pacing is perfect.

This is a ‘must listen’ and I urge you to add this to your library.

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A Beautiful Story

We are all born into this world and we all belong in this world, and we should all have a chance to live our lives in a way that is true to who we are and what makes us happy. It's sad that there has been so many rules and laws, prejudices and non acceptance over the years. By people who are somewhat uneducated, small minded and are not willing to accept or understand. Nature is a wonderful thing and it's amazing what it creates. Not everything is black and white, there are colours in between and all of this is perfectly natural. A beautiful story, as the author says at the end a little dated over the years. But the message is still so relevant today, not just for homosexulality but how we should not be so judgemental and prejudice, we should learn and understand. Beautifully read by Ben Wishaw, and I will definitely be reading more by E.M Forster, Howards End next I think!

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Classic

Very much of its time - but an excellent insight into the prejudiced mindset then - as well as the casual misunderstandings.

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2 people found this helpful

A sad story of it's time. well written and narrat

Of it's time but even in my lifetime it has caused hardship and sadness a father who wanted all gay people locked up in an asylum and the key thrown away so one lived in fear. In the time of this story you had class and snobbery to put up with

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1 person found this helpful

A superb reading of an important book

Who could imagine anyone reading ‘Maurice’ better than Ben Whishaw? Not I. Not to be missed!

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Ben Whishaw at his best

Superb reading by Ben Whishaw of a great story, if you think you know this book from watching the film, think again. I’ll be listening to this again in a few months, Forster raises so many interesting and challenging philosophical ideas regarding homosexuality.

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1 person found this helpful

Excellent book, but not the best narration

Well-crafted book with a good story with an interesting angle, though of course, of its time.

However, the narrator sounded sad throughout and I couldn't easily tell who was speaking when he narrated dialogue as he didn't really change his voice very much, if at all, for most of the characters. Rather monotonous, too. However, the story was good enough to carry it through.

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