Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Get this deal Try for £0.00
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
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.
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.
Grendel cover art

Grendel

By: John Gardner
Narrated by: George Guidall
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £14.99

Buy Now for £14.99

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.

Listeners also enjoyed...

 The Monstrous Child cover art
The Sound and the Fury cover art
Parzival cover art
Beowulf cover art
Damiano cover art
The Silmarillion cover art
Dead Souls cover art
Wolfsangel cover art
Njál's Saga cover art
Stalking the Shadows cover art
Loki Ragnarok cover art
A Tale of Two Cities cover art
Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh cover art
The Brothers Karamazov [Naxos AudioBooks Edition] cover art
The Sum of All Men cover art
Three Hearts and Three Lions cover art

Summary

World renowned critic John Gardner has received prestigious awards for his wide range of literary achievements, including short stories, novels, and essays. When he turns his talents to retelling "Beowulf", the earliest epic in British literature, the result is a work that combines extensive knowledge with a marvelous strain of pure fun.

In Gardner's version of the epic, instead of lauding the helmeted hero, Beowulf, the spotlight shines on Grendel, a beast whose grotesque body and blood thirst condemn him to the life of an outlaw. Grendel is a horrible monster who greedily gobbles up warriors in the Danish mead hall guarded by Beowulf. But within Grendel lurks a soul that delights in dark humor, dramatic pirouettes, and pranks. Both young adult and adult listeners will revel in this powerful complement to a classic tale.

George Guidall's narration captures a surreal landscape that shimmers on the other side of the original epic's heroic mirror. What we see is that there's a little bit of Grendel living is each of us.
©1971 John Gardner (P)1997 Recorded Books
Classics Literary Fiction Epic Fantasy Historical
Show More Show Less

Critic reviews

"George Guidall masterfully impersonates the grumbling momma's boy with deliciously sly humor and mock-tragic grandeur. Without ever striking a false note, he maintains throughout such a perfect balance of crudity and poetry that we laugh, cringe and weep all at once." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Grendel

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 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
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for J. Wexler

Interesting work of literature

Beowulf story from Grendels perspective. Very stream of consciousness at times, but also enjoyable. A different take on the saga

Report this

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
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for JOD

Not for me

I just couldn't get into the story, got half way and gave up, not my style

Report this

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
Profile Image for aviv sion

Grendel

beautiful story and incredibly touching narration
i love the percpective this story gives into what it is to be different and to feel mobstrous

Report this

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
Profile Image for Anonymous User

Conclusions

I loved all the descriptions given to characters, the environment and seeing the world from Grendels perspective was really interesting. I enjoyed the first part and last part of the novel but around the middle of the book i thought it trailed off. Also I think the fight with Beowulf at the end was slightly rushed and would’ve liked to seen more of him, or a critique of him- although Gardner had already critiqued the role of the ‘hero’. We don’t learn a lot about Gredels early life and I would’ve preferred this over the commentary of good/ evil, purpose of life and so forth given by the dragon. But all in all it was fantastically written and made me want to read more about Anglo/Saxon period.

Report this

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!