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Thérèse Raquin

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Thérèse Raquin

By: Emile Zola
Narrated by: Kate Winslet
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About this listen

Once upon a time, a teenaged Kate Winslet (The Reader, Titanic, Revolutionary Road) received a gift that would leave a lasting impression: a copy of Emile Zola’s classic Thérèse Raquin. Six Academy Award nominations and one Best Actress award later, she steps behind the microphone to perform this haunting classic of passion and disaster.

Thérèse Raquin is the story of a young woman forced into an unhappy marriage to her dull, sickly cousin and smothered by her overbearing aunt. When her husband’s childhood friend enters her life, it leads to a torrid affair that sets her spirit free for the first time, but with shattering consequences. Steeped in the atmosphere of 19th-century France and with a darkly rich foreboding, it is a story that brings out the best of its narrator’s incomparable talents.

“It is challenging, and it’s a heck of a lot of fun as well”, said Ms. Winslet of the recording experience. "As a listener, being able to tune out and be taken into another world, an atmosphere, an environment that is being created entirely for you by somebody else’s voice is really a wonderful, magical thing.”

Public Domain (P)2012 Audible, Inc. Classics Marriage Emotionally Gripping Scary

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Critic reviews

“Kate Winslet reads as though she is relishing every morsel of the drama…She clearly loves the book, and her pleasure in the text is infectious…she grabs listeners and doesn’t let go.” (AudioFile)
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Excellent reading by Ms Winslet with good characterisation. Therese Raquin is one of Zola’s shorter books and I last read Therese Raquin in my teens. I think that I must have been going through a period of angst! The story is very gloomy, dark, melodramatic and overwrought, and to be honest I don’t think that I would have stuck with it if I had been reading it myself. The quality of the reading redeemed these shortcomings and I found this an enjoyable and intriguing listen.

Well read but overwrought story

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The most brilliant story, beautifully translated and the delivery by Kate Winslet is perfection. I absolutely loved it.

Superb. A must-listen!

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This is one of the most depressing books I have ever read. The prose is great and the book starts not so bad but as it progresses the level of bleakness exponentially increases. There are no lovable characters. And the bedroom scenes fills one with absolute dread. Though, I guess in that sense the book is successful in perfectly conveying the feelings it writes about. Kate Winslet is a phenomenal reader, there is no doubt. But even her reading cannot rescue this book from being one of the most depressing books ever written. I think it would have worked much better as a dark comedy.

The bleakest book ever

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Kate Winslet did a marvelous job! I would listen more books read by her.

great book

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Kate Winslet brought it to life! my first experience with an Smile Zola book! fab

Great narration

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Stephen King’s Billy Summers led me here
What an astonishing book this is!
I had to listen in one sitting. Gripping.

Stunning

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Within the first few sentences of this production, I thought to myself, ‘there are books and there is literature’. This is definitely the latter. Every mood and moment is to be savoured. It makes me wonder why I've neglected Zola for so long.
I've already already listened to a couple of productions that I'd call ‘signature readings’. Kenneth Branagh’s rendition of Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ is, to the best of my memory, rightly labelled as such. Juliet Stevenson’s performance of George Eliot’s ‘Middlemarch’ strikes me as another where portrayal of whatever age, class and gender is just not a problem.
Kate Winslet achieves this level of delivery here. Without risking a spoiler of any sort, I can say it's a dark tale. Yet, one couldn't register so many hours of the same mood. Winslet makes the most of what subtle wriggle-room Zola has written into the canvas.
I'm sure I shall revisit this at some point in the future.
Next stop, Germinal.

The pursuit of happiness...

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Struggled to start but once I got going it was a joy. Kate Winslet is a great narrator and the story is so rich.

Surprising and enjoyable

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Not my usual thing but its a haunting little tale and beautifully read by KW. It's an interesting look at love and relationships, it took a while for me to get into it and want to listen as I don't think anyone is likeable at all but I eventually intrigued me (along with the language) and is worth a listen.

Interesting

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Dark, intense and beautifully written story. I loved every minute of it. Can’t wait to read more of his works.

Epic story, beautifully told by Kate Winslet!

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