Martin Eden by Jack London, Read by Edoardo Ballerini

Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens.

When you blend a master of lyrical language with an outstanding narrator, the result is an unforgettable listening experience. Host Jo Reed and AudioFile’s Robin Whitten discuss Martin Eden, Jack London’s 1909 semi-autobiographical novel, getting renewed attention with an award-winning feature film and Eduardo Ballerini’s new narration of the audiobook. Martin, a working-class sailor, falls in love with a member of the upper class, Ruth, and he is inspired to educate himself so he may become worthy of her. However, when he does become a famous writer and scholar, he can’t connect with his working-class roots any more. Ruth abandons him, and he falls into despair. Ballerini makes London’s reality our reality, making this classic a choice listening experience.

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