The Idiot (Part 03 and 04)
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
The extraordinary child-adult Prince Myshkin, confined for several years in a Swiss sanatorium suffering from severe epilepsy, returns to Russia to claim his inheritance and to find a place in healthy human society. The teeming St Petersburg community he enters is far from receptive to an innocent like himself, despite some early successes and relentless pursuit by grotesque fortune-hunters. His naive gaucheries give rise to extreme reactions among his new acquaintance, ranging from anguished protectiveness to mockery and contempt. But even before reaching the city, during the memorable train journey that opens the novel, he has encountered the demonic Rogozhin, the son of a wealthy merchant – who is in thrall to the equally doomed Nastasia Filippovna: beautiful, capricious and destructively neurotic, she joins with the two weirdly contrasted men in a spiraling dance of death… (Summary by Martin Geeson) (11 hr 34 min)
Chapters
| Part III, Chapter 1 | 35:34 | Read by Alia Makki |
| Part III, Chapter 2 | 30:03 | Read by Alia Makki |
| Part III, Chapter 3 | 35:55 | Read by Alia Makki |
| Part III, Chapter 4 | 33:57 | Read by Alia Makki |
| Part III, Chapter 5 | 29:14 | Read by Alia Makki |
| Part III, Chapter 6 | 36:33 | Read by Alia Makki |
| Part III, Chapter 7 | 31:42 | Read by Alia Makki |
| Part III, Chapter 8 | 32:14 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part III, Chapter 9 | 28:45 | Read by Alia Makki |
| Part III, Chapter 10 | 16:04 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 1 | 28:08 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 2 | 21:21 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 3 | 27:00 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 4 | 29:54 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 5 | 43:53 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 6 | 37:37 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 7 | 42:41 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 8 | 46:27 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 9 | 30:05 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 10 | 32:49 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 11 | 34:00 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
| Part IV, Chapter 12 | 10:04 | Read by Jan Moorehouse |
Reviews
reading is ok
A LibriVox Listener
The reading is quite average by librivox standards. But it comes as a shock after listening to wonderful Martin Geeson for first two parts. But matching upto that level is tough. tip: listen to chapter 1 twice. once to get used to the voice. thanks to her we are able to complete the book atleast.
A LibriVox Listener
The worst reading ever.sorry.i appreciate your effort but this is painful
Knox
I thoroughly enjoyed this story from the beginning of book 1 part one and two to the very end of book 2 part three and four. In this reading, I had to force myself to sit through the first reader. She was difficult to listen to but I am grateful to her and all the volunteers who take their personal time to present books to those of us thirsting for the knowledge within. The second reader finalized the reading and made it worth while to struggle through the first reader. She provided a much more entertaining and enjoyable experience. Thank you all for your time and effort.
terrible reading
Mr.P
Parts one and two were amazing. I am trying to enjoy part three but the reader so far is horrible. Pronunciation is off on many names and she even changes from chapter to chapter how she pronounces a name herself. very inconsistent. so dull and monotone it is painful.
nope
meg
The first half (part1/2) is incredibly well read. Then this part was unbearable itâs a real disappointment as I have been unable to get through this and find out how the story ends. I really hope someone else re-records this ad it is itâs impossible to listen to.
intriguing story
calsun
Well written, compelling story but reads like a soap opera. I had no idea what the ending would be like and it was a surprise.
zenbear
I truly loved the reader for parts 1-2. The first reader for 3 is UNLISTENABLE. I am not an ESL teacher paid to endure this kind of insufferable nonsense. She tortures the language and mispronounces half the words and names. Come on, LibriVox. Worst reader ever.
J
Alia Makki is an artist. Like a prose-reading Sarah Palin, she delivers Dostoyevsky’s text without the pretense of sense: we find mispronounced words, run-on phrases with misplaced emphasis, and a rushed, sing-song style of delivery enough to drive a person mad. Enjoy.