The Sorrows of Young Werther


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4.4 stars; 97 reviews)

The Sorrows of Young Werther (German, Die Leiden des jungen Werther, originally published as Die Leiden des jungen Werthers) is an epistolary and loosely autobiographical novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, first published in 1774. The story follows the life and sorrows of Werther after he falls desperately in love with a young woman who is married to another. A climactic scene prominently features Goethe's own German translation of a portion of James Macpherson's Ossian cycle of poems, which had originally been presented as translations of ancient works, and was later found to have been written by Macpherson. (Introduction by Wikipedia and Barry Eads) (4 hr 43 min)

Chapters

01 - Book 1, May Entries 29:59 Read by Rob De Lorenzo
02 - Book 1, June Entries 26:05 Read by Rob De Lorenzo
03 - Book 1, July Entries 29:23 Read by Rob De Lorenzo
04 - Book 1, August Entires 31:37 Read by Rob De Lorenzo
05 - Book 1, September Entries 10:20 Read by Barry Eads
06 - Book 2, October - February Entries 18:34 Read by Barry Eads
07 - Book 2, March - July Entries 19:07 Read by Barry Eads
08 - Book 2, August - October Entries 19:47 Read by Barry Eads
09 - Book 2, November - Dec. 6 20:00 Read by Barry Eads
10 - Book 2, Editor to Reader - Dec. 15 19:51 Read by Barry Eads
11 - Book 2, December 20 Part 1 14:53 Read by Barry Eads
12 - Book 2, December 20 Part 2 20:53 Read by Barry Eads
13 - Book 2, December 20 Part 3 22:45 Read by Barry Eads

Reviews

a tragic masterpiece


(5 stars)

what really can be said without reading this yourself? I can easily see why this immediately initiated a cult following and such men as even Napoleon carried this on their person. to the readers wonderful job

I have mixed feelings.


(5 stars)

This is my second time listening to this version so I've decided to leave a review. Now, the literature value of this book is great. It is amazingly written and I love it for that. Geothe is a wonderfully skilled author! My problems with this book are mostly personal, with Werther's character and handling of the whole situation. I think infatuation and obsession are quite stupid, and that is what he feels for Charlotte. But anyway, it's a wonderful story and I think these readers did a nice job reading it, particularly Mr. Lorenzo.

The Obsession of a Drama Queen


(3.5 stars)

I know, it’s Goethe and I’m supposed to be impressed. I don’t have much of a beef with the writing except for the characters. None were really fleshed out except for our melancholy hero, who is obsessed rather than in love. He does not not mind causing the object of his affections pain, discomfort, rumors, the jealousy of her husband (our hero’s best friend), etc, etc. Over and over again. At length. He is hot-headed, selfish and concerned only with his own desires. So tragic? No.


(2 stars)

Story strayed a lot in various parts. No lasting impression was made overall. Narrators are a bit monotonous and contribute to the difficulty in staying with the story

Nice Narration


(5 stars)

I have to say, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I thought I would, but the narrator did a good job at reading.

Good reading


(5 stars)

A very good reading of a moving work, the emotion of which was not lost on the reader

Splendid book, wonderfully read


(4 stars)

The readers manage to effectively convey Werther's passion in this truly quintessential romantic masterpiece.

A shame, I wanted to enjoy this, but well read


(4 stars)