Roderick Hudson (Unabridged)
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
Roderick Hudson is one of Henry James's first novels.
Originally published in 1875 as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly, it traces the development of the title character, a sculptor. Funded by the wealthy Rowland Mallet, Roderick Hudson travels from America to Rome, where he becomes the talk of the city. He soon finds that Europe tests him in ways he had not anticipated, both as an artist and as a man.
American-born English author Henry James (1843- 1916) was one of the founders and leaders of realism in fiction and is considered to be one of the great British novelists.
Please note: This is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.
Customer Reviews
Great reading of an early work by Henry James
The pleasure in listening to Roderick Hudson was almost entirely due to the superb narration. The reader is a Canadian who manages American and European, male and female, voices with equal ease and gives each character a consistent distinct sound.
This might be a book for diehard James’ fans only. Most of the characters in this early work never ring entirely true, although they are always interesting, even encumbered with gaudy labels such as “rosy widow”, “brilliant genius”, and combining “boyish unconsciousness and manly shrewdness”.
One word of warning: the book starts with a prolix 43:47 minute introduction (play the preview for a sample) written a quarter of a century after the book. I gave up on it several times before I finished it and now wish that I had left it until last.