Lord of the Flies

Name: Lord of the Flies
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Rating: 3.89 (406 reviews)
Author: William Golding
ISBN: 9780807209554

Author: William Golding

Narrator: William Golding

Unabridged: 6 hr 35 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Listening Library

Published: 11/26/2002

Categories: Young Adult Fiction, Action & Adventure, Literary Fiction, Classic

Synopsis

William Golding’s profound tale of stranded youth, survival, and the shadowy depths of human nature

“Lord of the Flies is one of my favorite books. I still read it every couple of years.”—Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy

At the dawn of the next World War, a plane crash strands a group of schoolboys on a remote island. There are no grownups. No rules. Freedom is celebrated. But when strange, distant noises and visions of a beast begin to haunt the boys, their fragile order unravels, and all hopes of rescue fade.

Since 1954, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies has shaped our understanding of human nature—the latent darkness within, and the destructive or creative capacity of collective will.

About The Author

Sir William Golding was born in Cornwall in 1911. He started writing at the age of seven, but following the wishes of his parents, studied natural sciences and English at Oxford. He served in World War II and following the war, returned to writing and teaching. By the time Lord of the Flies was finally accepted for publication in 1954, it had been turned down by more than twenty publishers. The book became an immediate bestseller. In 1983, Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature, largely based on this book. He was knighted in 1988 and died in 1993.

Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Debbie on 2009-09-21 17:10:49

I didn't have the audio book, so no sound problems here. As an English teacher, I love this book. It can be disected so many ways and there is just so much there... it is a classic for a reason :!

AudiobooksNow review by Cassandra on 2009-11-16 20:05:31

I am in a college prep english glass at Juniata High School, and we are required to read 2 british novels a marking period. I chose this one just because I thought that the title of it made it sound bizarre. I really enjoyed reading this book it is now one of my favorites!!!

Goodreads review by Emily May on May 16, 2019

Kids are evil. Don't you know? I've just finished rereading this book for my book club but, to be honest, I've liked it ever since my class were made to read it in high school. Overall, Lord of the Flies doesn't seem to be very popular, but I've always liked the almost Hobbesian look at the state of......more

Goodreads review by Lisa of Troy on August 12, 2024

A group of boys are stranded on a remote and deserted island. How will these boys fare away from grownups, away from society, away from rules? Written in 1954, The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding is considered a classic. The symbolism in this book is unreal especially if you consider t......more

Goodreads review by s.penkevich on April 30, 2025

This book will forever haunt me and be forever intertwined with my freshman year of high school. Its a great book for a classroom and was where I was first taught symbolism in a way that really stood out to me. This book is so rich in literary devices I remember it being the first moment where I rea......more

Goodreads review by Dr. Appu on February 09, 2024

How are dictators being made? Mein Kampf, Pol Pot: Anatomy of a Nightmare, The Last King of Scotland and Sandstorm: Libya in the Time of Revolution, won't answer this question perfectly. William Golding has the perfect answer to it through this allegory. How can a novel about a bunch of strande......more

Quotes

“One of the most complex studies of human nature and the tendencies of societal forces ever written.”
—Jason Mott, National Book Award-winning author of Hell of a Book and People Like Us.

"Lord of the Flies is one of my favorite books. I still read it every couple of years."
—Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy

"I finished the last half of Lord of the Flies in a single afternoon, my eyes wide, my heart pounding, not thinking, just inhaling....My rule of thumb as a writer and reader—largely formed by Lord of the Flies—is feel it first, think about it later."
—Stephen King

"This brilliant work is a frightening parody on man's return [in a few weeks] to that state of darkness from which it took him thousands of years to emerge. Fully to succeed, a fantasy must approach very close to reality. Lord of the Flies does. It must also be superbly written. It is."
—The New York Times Book Review