Germinal
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Germinal
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Narrated by:
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Frederick Davidson
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By:
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Émile Zola
About this listen
Published in 1885, Germinal helped establish Emile Zola — an artist of unsparing candor — as the leading figure in the French school of naturalistic fiction. André Gide chose this masterpiece as one of the ten best novels in the French language.
(P)1996 Blackstone Audio Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Germinal
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- David Bisset
- 04-05-19
An exercise in realism
This is one of Zola's greatest novels: it is a moving depiction of the British mining industry in early industrial France. Davidson deals well with the diverse characters, but his voice as narrator is not particularly pleasing!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Tamoui
- 03-01-09
Love the book and the narration
At first I was taken aback by Frederick Davis rendering of the text but it didn't take long to settle into his cadence and now I intend to listen to everything he's narrated.
The title, Germinal, comes from French Republican Calendar; the seventh month named from the Latin word 'germen', which means germination - encapsulating the hope for a better life that the principal characters are lead to believe they can bring about through industrial action. That makes it sound rather dry but it isn't.
The story is an epic tale of downtrodden French miners and various other characters that influence their miserable lives to varying degrees. One of the best descriptions of mob incitement and ensuing violence I have read.
A relevant book to ponder in this day and age.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Alan
- 10-11-09
Narrator spoils it
Frederick Davis mumbles in a monotone; it is almost impossible to make such a great novel sound boring but he manages the 'almost impossible'. To be honest I don't think he understands a word of it, he reads as though he's translating from a language he doesn't understand.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
- Helen
- 03-11-07
Dreadful narration
Germinal was the first novel of Zola that I read, and I loved it. I went on to read everything else of his (in translation). I was looking forward to listening to an old favourite. However, the narration is dreadful and this is the first purchase from Audible that I have actually given up on.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- philip cadiz
- 20-04-15
Unspeakably awful narration
Would you try another book written by Emile Zola or narrated by Frederick Davidson?
no
Any additional comments?
a great novel totally spoiled by dreadful unsuitable English upper class drawl and utterly characterless and drab narration. A crime
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1 person found this helpful