Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • The Kreutzer Sonata

  • By: Leo Tolstoy
  • Narrated by: Simon Prebble
  • Length: 3 hrs and 30 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (255 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

The Kreutzer Sonata

By: Leo Tolstoy
Narrated by: Simon Prebble
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £8.99

Buy Now for £8.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

One of the world’s greatest novelists, Leo Tolstoy was also the author of a number of superb short stories, one of his best known being “The Kreutzer Sonata.” This macabre story involves the murder of a wife by her husband. It is a penetrating study of jealousy as well as a piercing complaint about the way in which society educates men and women in matters of sex - a serious condemnation of the mores and attitudes of the wealthy, educated class.

Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) was born in Russia. His parents, who died when he was young, were of noble birth. He served in the army in the Caucasus and Crimea, where he wrote his first stories. He is especially known for his masterpieces, War and Peace (1869) and Anna Karenina (1877).

Public Domain (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2
activate_samplebutton_t1

Listeners also enjoyed...

Classic Romance cover art
The Devil cover art
The Idiot (AmazonClassics Edition) cover art
The Nether World cover art
Testimony of Two Men cover art
The Insulted and the Injured cover art
The Brothers Karamazov cover art
The Lady with the Dog & Other Stories (AmazonClassics Edition) cover art
The Late Mattia Pascal cover art
First Love cover art
The Ultimate Gothic Horror Collection: Novels and Stories from Edgar Allan Poe; Bram Stoker, Henry James, Mary Shelley, Oscar Wilde; and More cover art
John Halifax, Gentleman cover art
Scenes of Clerical Life cover art
Shirley cover art
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall cover art
The Mill on the Floss cover art

What listeners say about The Kreutzer Sonata

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    147
  • 4 Stars
    68
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    160
  • 4 Stars
    49
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    123
  • 4 Stars
    58
  • 3 Stars
    32
  • 2 Stars
    6
  • 1 Stars
    4

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Believable emotion

This is an observation on human relations in 1880's that probably were held until very recently in some countries and unfortunately is much similar to today in some cultures. The narrative includes believable emotions and consideration of internalised reasoning that are insightful but also disturbing.
A good performance, I could image this as a play.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb Tolstoy at his best!

Simon Prebble provides an excellent narration, the pace is perfect allowing the listener to sit in on the conversation is almost surreal. Tolstoy has the Nate ability to observe and record conversations and surroundings and present them like no other writer.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding

Another outstanding book by Leo Tolstoy. There is a lot packed into this short book, making for an intensive read/listen. Very well read by the narrator.
Really interesting to hear the ideas and views of the murderer so clearly articulated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sublime!

Very thought provoking and moving, and the performance of the reader is truly captivating. Thank you!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

" An imperceptible smile."

Tolstoy is so brilliant a writer, I wondered why I had never before found his short stories. Mmm, now I think I know. The Kreutzer Sonata is, indeed, well crafted but disturbingly twisted as a man on a long train journey confesses his obsession with, and murder of his wife, the mother of his children. And is released after the killing is determined to be one of passion.
The excellent writing only further enhanced this reader's emotional repugnance, especially given that the narrator was the also excellent Simon Prebble, who further enhanced the text with his low key performance.
Not a book who's content I would recommend, impartial though it is.

I downloaded a complementary copy of The Kreutzer Sonata as part of the Audible + programme. Thank you, Audible.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Satisfactory story, entertaining but not particularly impactful or life changing

Perhaps I did not grasp the story all too well, but I was not obsessed with the story. The characters are very shallow and not developed well, and I didn’t find the story disturbing either. It was entertaining about half way through and that is why I rated it 3 stars.

The performance by the voice actor was great, and I did enjoy listening to him.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Deeply Disturbing!

This is not the Tolstoy of Anna Karenina or War and Peace and I think it is important that someone is aware of this, before embarking on reading/listening to it. It is a creepy and unpleasant story. Putting aside the preposterous plot, the tone of this book is disconcertingly bitter and anguished, psychotic, egotistical, and ignorant concerning female sexuality.
It is a disturbing read. The story is a confession of a man whose suspicions and jealousy lead him to carry out a heinous crime, the murder of his wife. There appear to be similarities with Tolstoy's personal life, Tolstoy was very jealous of a musician friend of his wife with whom she played.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

deeply disturbing but enjoyable.

A melancholy look at life, love, and relationships through the example of an old man.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not an Easy Listen.

A very dark story.It gets into the mind of a murderer with all his conceit, lack of insight, jealousy and deep hatred of the female sex.It’s quite disturbing and I only finished it as I was hoping that there might be some light at the end of the tunnel.There wasn’t.However, it was superbly narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A novella riffing on jealousy and railing on society

Tolstoy is a master and something of a philosopher. This features a long vitriolic attack on the ills of society and blends several characters from Shakespeare including perhaps Leontes, Othello, Timon. It’s worth a listen for sure and it’s free to members but it’s not the best of Tolstoy and the good performance is spoiled by a long monologue playing someone very bitter and full of self loathing. There is a deeper reflective value though

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!