Lord of the Flies ANNOTATION
The classic tale of a group of English school boys who are left stranded on an unpopulated island, and who must confront not only the defects of their society but the defects of their own natures.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
When Lord of the Flies appeared in 1954 it received unprecedented reviews for a first novel. Critics used such phrases as "beautifully writeen, tragic and provocative... vivid and enthralling... this beautiful and desperate book... completely convincing and often very frightening... its progress is magnificient... like a fragment of nightmare... a dizzy climax of terror... the terrible spell of this book..." E.M. Forster chose it as the Outstanding Novel of the Year. Time and Tide touched upon perhaps the most important facet of this book when it said, "It is not only a first-rate adventure but a parable of our times," and articles on this and subsequent Golding novels have stressed these twin aspects of Golding: a consummate control of the novel form, and a superb all-encompassing vision of reality which communicates itself with a power reminiscent of Conrad.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
William Golding's Lord of the Flies is now available in a newly remastered, re-released audiobook edition from Listening Library, performed by the author. This audio update of the classic YA novel about the struggles of a group of British schoolboys stranded on a desert island comes 48 years after the print version first appeared in 1954 and 26 years after Golding was first recorded reading the book. Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Here is another 50th-anniversary hardcover reprint. This edition sports the full text, plus notes and critical analyses. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
AudioFile
A plane crashes on an uninhabited tropical island during wartime. A group of schoolboys—the sole survivors—form their own society, an experiment that quickly descends into chaos and death in Golding's classic allegory. Listening Library recently rereleased this historic 1976 recording, and the timing could not be more apt. As CNN keeps viewers on edge with the latest military overtures in the real world and the reality TV show "Survivor" offers escape in the form of backstabbing, bug-eating "tribal" rituals, Lord Of The Flies gives the reader a lucid and chillingly objective mirror to our modern society. William Golding's narration is as impartial as his work, yet his grumbly, grandfatherly voice, complete with mid-sentence sniffs and swallows, is intimate. Included on the tapes is background on how he came to conceive the book and a brief rebuttal to critics about its meaning. M.M.O. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
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