The Death of Ivan Ilyitch


Read by Laurie Anne Walden

(4.7 stars; 513 reviews)

The Death of Ivan Ilyitch is the story of a socially ambitious middle-aged judge who contracts an unexplained and untreatable illness. As Ivan Ilyitch is forced to face the death he fears, he asks himself whether the life he thought was so correct was, in fact, a moral life after all. Written after Tolstoy's religious conversion, the novella is widely considered to be one of his masterpieces. (Summary by Laurie Anne Walden) (2 hr 32 min)

Chapters

Chapter 01 22:00 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Chapter 02 19:54 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Chapter 03 18:31 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Chapter 04 18:05 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Chapter 05 11:19 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Chapter 06 7:51 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Chapter 07 10:30 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Chapter 08 17:05 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Chapter 09 7:39 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Chapter 10 5:49 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Chapter 11 7:15 Read by Laurie Anne Walden
Chapter 12 6:16 Read by Laurie Anne Walden

Reviews

One of my favorites


(5 stars)

One can't go wrong with Ivan Ilyitch. I've read this books 5 times already, but to experience it as an audiobook is an entire different experience. It feels like we can share the catharsis with the reader, who does an excellent job, by the way, with her very sober delivery, nailing down every moment of intensity, reflection and despair in her recording. Her paused reading does wonders to the last chapters and you can almost hear the void in between her sentences: a perfect scenario for Ivan Ilyitch's final monologues.

excellent reader


(5 stars)

This reader is wonderful. Even, steady cadence, fluent pronunciation, and appropriate use of tone. The book itself is a worthy read. It is shorter and less developed than many other great Russian works, making it easier to follow and finish. It gives you a neatly packaged glimpse of Tolstoy's views on family, society, suffering, death, and God.

A Classic!


(3 stars)

The Death of Ivan Ilyitch was an interesting perspective on the panic that comes with a terminal diagnosis. The way Ivan reacts towards the end of his life should make us pause to think how we may react if 0ut in a similar situation.

Excellent Reader, Excellent book


(5 stars)

The reader is incredibly engaging. The book is fantastic, terrifying and for me induces a corrective epiphany in everything I do.

superb narration!


(5 stars)

This narrator reminds me a bit of Donna Tartt. I loved her voice and rhythm. I highly recommend this recording!


(5 stars)

I loved this reading. I found Ms. Walden's southern American accent to be pleasant and she reads at a nice pace.


(5 stars)

Excellent book. Narrates the ordinary life of a dying man The reader is excellent.

Great Book, Excellent Narration


(5 stars)

Tolstoy is one of the all-time greats. The narrator, Laurie Anne Walden, did a fantastic job narrating this. This novella recounts the end of the life of Ivan Ilych who is a judge in 19th-century Russia. Ivan is married with two children and living a comfortable life with the typical day-to-day family and job issues. I don't recall if Tolstoy writes what city this takes place in. One day Ivan falls down while hanging curtains and hurts his side. Thinking it’s s just a bruise which will heal, he puts off going to the doctor until the pain continually worsens. The doctor diagnoses him with a terminal illness but can't be sure if the malady is based in his appendix or pancreas. What follows is Ivan's slow physically and mentally painful journey through all the stages of death acceptance to his last breath. Spending time in Ivan's head as he looks back on his life and tries to make sense of his dire situation was a poignant experience, and it was not an easy listen. This is story telling at its best by a master.