Literature Study

The study of this text is made easier because it has a tempo and rhythm where the reader might struggle on their own.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Great narration

Simply loved it. You need to listed and you can visualise. I’ve wanted to read this for years but always been afraid to start but audible is definitely the way to go

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Wonderful

A beautifully performed work which greatly enhances this classic masterpiece of poetry and theology, to make it a thrilling drama, even if we know the end.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Brilliant !

I remember reading this at school and being truly impressed - I did have a brilliant teacher ( and what a difference that makes to English Literature ). This time the whole experience is enhanced by the wonderful Anton Lesser - what could be better. I loved the whole experience.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Got to be listened to aloud....

....I remember Philip Pullman saying that. Paradise Lost is one of the great poems in the English language, and this is a wonderfully clear and historically sensitive reading by Anton Lesser. Milton will never be in danger of being re-evaluated as a proto-femimist writer, that's for sure - but he is a magnificent poet nonetheless.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Masterly reading of a masterpiece

This is a tour de force by Anton Lesser. A perfectly paced reading of this great book.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Excellent narration

A fantastic story, delicious writing, all told with such expression - a top rate audiobook, and a great way to experience this classic of literature

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Exquisite book, masterfully read by the wonderful Anton Lesser. Every word a complete joy.

Can not thank ‘Audible’ and Anton Lesser enough for making ‘Paradise Lost’ so easily accessible. Enjoyed every minute cannot wait to re-listen. Exquisite, highly recommend .

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

A constant delight

Over many years I have returned to this wonderful edition, firstly as a CD and now as an audiobook. Milton's genius is laid bare in a sublime reading.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

Sonorous metal

Paradise lost is a poem that gains greatly by being read aloud. Passages which on the printed page may seem convoluted and obscure can be made clear by a good reader, and Anton Lesser is, as always not merely a good but an outstanding reader. His voice at first may seem slight and lacking resonance but he follows the argument and pace of the narrative with great intelligence and is able to differentiate and characterise convincingly all the different voices that speak in the poem. This skill is essential, since unlike the abridged version published by Naxos some years ago, he is the sole narrator. As such he does a superb job throughout the long and varied length of this poem.
The old Argo recording of substantial portions of the epic still seems to me unmatched -with Tony Church as a superb narrator, Michael Redgrave as a splendidly theatrical Satan, Michael Hordern as a plausible God the father, Prunella scales as a movingly characterised Eve. The use of different voices is undoubtably better and more in keeping with the strong dramatic element in this epic. It is a pity that this and other Argo recordings are no longer available. But Anton Lesser as a single narrator does the job perhaps as well as it can be done (and is certainly preferable to the pedestrian version by Frederic Davidson). If you know Paradise Lost, you will find Anton Lessor's reading always clear and often illuminating.If you are approaching this marvellous poem for the first time, this reading is an ideal way to gain an overview of the whole epic.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

117 people found this helpful