The Queen of Spades cover art

The Queen of Spades

A Pushkin Short Story

 Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Queen of Spades

By: Alexander Pushkin
Narrated by: Deaver Brown
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £3.99

Buy Now for £3.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

"The Queen of Spades" is the best known and probably the best of all Russian short stories. It confronts the great riches of a few and the impoverishment of the many in the form of the assistant to the fabulously rich and old Countess; Hermann, who seeks great wealth through any means; and the countess's knowledge of how to win one's fortune on three cards. The denouement is worthy of being considered one of the finest in literature. As a great critic said, Gogol's "The Overcoat" may have been the great work that inspired Russian authors such as Fyodor Dostoevsky, but the "Queen of Spades" inspired all of literature.

Public Domain (P)2011 Christina Brown Anthologies Classics Short Story
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

What listeners say about The Queen of Spades

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 2 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 1.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Jaja

Appalling reading...

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

To hear Pushkin's classic mangled by such an egregious reading is painful indeed. Deaver Brown could not manage some of the Russian names with any consistency or accuracy - even though the patronymics had been omitted. Nor could he distinguish between "external" and "eternal". Or correctly pronounce "flaccid." But these are quibbles compared to utter lack of any attempt at characterisation, or variety in tone and pace. I thought that perhaps this gentleman was a long-retired American academic, making an extra buck by recording classic texts, but no - to my horror, Audible lists quite a few books he has recorded. Avoid.

Would you be willing to try another one of Deaver Brown’s performances?

No.

Any additional comments?

This is a tale which veers from the delicate to the macabre; more is left unsaid than stated and the reader (or listener) anxiously tries to fill in the gaps before the denouement. It requires a dramatic range sadly lacking in this effort.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for adiba yaqobi

Performance

Who is the narrator? He struggles with reading! Note to myself listen before buying it.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!