The Gambler cover art

The Gambler

 Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
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 Gambler

By: Fyodor Dostoevsky
Narrated by: Walter Zimmerman
Try for £0.00

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

Buy Now for £20.99

Buy Now for £20.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
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.
Cancel

About this listen

 The Gambler brilliantly captures the strangely powerful compulsion to bet that Dostoevsky, himself a compulsive gambler, knew so well. The hero rides an emotional roller coaster between exhilaration and despair, and secondary characters such as the grandmother, who throws much of her fortune away at the gaming tables, are unforgettable. The book's publishing history is equally so: under the pressure of a deadline from an unscrupulous publisher, and with rights to his entire body of works at stake, Dostoevsky dictated the book in less than a month to the star pupil of Russia's first shorthand school. Then he married her.

In this dark and compelling short novel, Fyodor Dostoevsky tells the story of Alexey Ivanovitch, a young tutor working in the household of an imperious Russian general. Alexey tries to break through the wall of the established order in Russia, but instead becomes mired in the endless downward spiral of betting and loss. His intense and inescapable addiction is accentuated by his affair with the general's cruel yet seductive niece, Polina. In The Gambler, Dostoevsky reaches the height of drama with this stunning psychological portrait.

©1981 Jimcin Recordings (P)1981 Jimcin Recordings Classics Young Adult
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

 Notes from the Underground cover art
The Idiot cover art
Devils cover art
Crime and Punishment cover art
Crime and Punishment cover art
The House of the Dead cover art
The Idiot [Blackstone] cover art
The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition] cover art
The Keepers of Metsan Valo cover art
The Possessed cover art
The Dream of a Ridiculous Man cover art
Romola cover art
The Magic Mountain cover art
Strip cover art
The Little Nugget cover art
Elantris (1 of 3) [Dramatized Adaptation] cover art

Editor reviews

In Fyodor Dostoevsky's novella, Alexei Ivanovich is the tutor of a Russian family living in Germany. The General, the head of the family, is in debt, and knowing this, his niece Polina puts Alexei onto a life of gambling. Walter Zimmerman has a wonderfully terse style that fits Dostoevsky's marvelous prose, while also using a variety of accents when giving voice to the multitude of characters, making each one as distinct and memorable as Dostoevsky's narrative. The Gambler is a powerful portrait of Ivanovich's addictions to gambling and love, and the thrilling highs and crippling despair that come with both.

What listeners say about The Gambler

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Claudiu C.

The philosophy and psychology used very well

The depth in which he went with the characters and how well he portrayed gambling.

Report this

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Dig

Good Story

What didn’t you like about Walter Zimmerman’s performance?

The quality of the audio is poor.

It changes volume and sound quality.

The speech is stilted and short.

Report this

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!