Bel Ami, or The History of a Scoundrel
Guy de Maupassant
Read by Martin Geeson
“He had faith in his good fortune, in that power of attraction which he felt within him - a power so irresistible that all women yielded to it.”
Though firmly set in 1880s Paris, Maupassant's gripping story of an amoral journalist on the make could, with only slight modifications of detail, be updated to the 1960s, to the Reagan-Thatcher years, or maybe to the present day. Anti-hero Georges Duroy is a down-at-heel ex-soldier of no particular talent. Good-looking but somewhat lacking in self-confidence, he discovers an ability to control and exploit women - whereupon his career in journalism takes off, fuelled by the corruption of colleagues and government arrivistes. He may be a provincial Don Juan, but he is neither accident-prone nor heading for a fall...
A Hollywood screen adaptation is in preparation at the time of recording.
(Summary by Martin Geeson) (8 hr 15 min)
Chapters
01 - Poverty | 28:00 | Read by Martin Geeson |
02 - Madame Forestier | 25:20 | Read by Martin Geeson |
03 - First Attempts | 20:03 | Read by Martin Geeson |
04 - Duroy Learns Something | 17:18 | Read by Martin Geeson |
05 - The First Intrigue, part one | 16:18 | Read by Martin Geeson |
06 - The First Intrigue, part two | 16:06 | Read by Martin Geeson |
07 - The First Intrigue, part three | 14:29 | Read by Martin Geeson |
08 - A Step Upward, part one | 16:04 | Read by Martin Geeson |
09 - A Step Upward, part two | 21:23 | Read by Martin Geeson |
10 - A Duel with an End | 25:34 | Read by Martin Geeson |
11 - Death and a Proposal | 36:34 | Read by Martin Geeson |
12 - Marriage, part one | 17:47 | Read by Martin Geeson |
13 - Marriage, part two | 19:24 | Read by Martin Geeson |
14 - Jealousy | 14:11 | Read by Martin Geeson |
15 - Mme Walter Takes a Hand, part one | 14:52 | Read by Martin Geeson |
16 - Mme Walter Takes a Hand, part two | 16:53 | Read by Martin Geeson |
17 - A Meeting and the Result | 21:36 | Read by Martin Geeson |
18 - Madame Marelle, part one | 22:15 | Read by Martin Geeson |
19 - Madame Marelle, part two | 13:32 | Read by Martin Geeson |
20 - The Will | 23:33 | Read by Martin Geeson |
21 - Suzanne, part one | 18:05 | Read by Martin Geeson |
22 - Suzanne, part two | 17:49 | Read by Martin Geeson |
23 - Divorce | 18:31 | Read by Martin Geeson |
24 - The Final Plot | 19:40 | Read by Martin Geeson |
25 - Attainment | 20:03 | Read by Martin Geeson |
Reviews
Very enjoyable
Lorna
This is a great yarn. The reader has an usual style, he almost sounds surprised at every sentence but don't let that put you off. Once you become accustomed to his intonation, he is actually rather wonderful. He does dialogue brilliantly and his French pronunciation is very correct albeit with an English accent. Great stuff!
I agree
William Hillmann III
each of the reviews that say the narrator was perfect for this story I am in complete agreement; couldn't have been better; great author, great narrator; 100% enjoyed listening to Bel Ami!
Granny G
Rather odd stress points in the reading; however, that's preferable to a monotone. Beautiful pronunciation of the French.
PoliCR
fascinating story, the reader has his very own style but it fits the story perfectly. merci beaucoup
Martin Geeson's Reading = 5 stars
zobert
Story = engrossing. Martin Geeson makes it extra yummy.
Martin Gleeson is a great narrator. He does a great job!
A LibriVox Listener
therese raquin
great reader, such a shame the text is bowdlerized!
A LibriVox Listener
Very intriguing story. High audio quality.