Initially, I found the beginning somewhat challenging to follow, but as the story unfolded, I became immersed in the tale of two sisters who, orphaned early in life, leave Australia and venture to England in search of happiness.

It was rather difficult to form connections with the characters and I found their motivations, and the various trials life presented them a bit dull. The revelation of Paul's story at the end did leave a lasting impression and the writing is beautiful and lyric.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC which I read in exchange for my review.

VERSION: Audiobook, Unabridged
ISBN: 9798368975542
PRICE: $26.99 (USD)
DURATION: 15 Hours, 29 Minutes, 36 Seconds

I was pleased to be granted a review copy of this audiobook by Spiegel & Grau and NetGalley. It opens with Lauren Groff's introduction from the 2021 reissue of the novel and closes with a bonus archival recording of Chapter 3 read by Shirley Hazzard on stage at 92NY. While critics have declared the novel a masterpiece, I had never heard of it. There are many brilliant writers and books that will remain undiscovered, but I thank providence for aligning my path with this one.

The Transit of Venus was originally published by Australian author Shirley Hazzard in 1980. It won the National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. This was her third novel. She won the National Book Award for fiction for her fourth novel The Great Fire.

It is a dense and complex work, written by a brilliant author who is quite passionate about words. The writing demands your attention and rewards your effort with exquisite passages. The audio version makes approaching this book much easier thanks to the skilled narration by Juliet Stevenson. The listener is graced with multiple male and female characters masterfully interpreted and personified by Stevenson.

The story might be considered a highly intellectual romance novel, so powerful that it scares away the casual reader. Like Joyce’s Ulysses, many people give up after reading the first 50 pages. Thomas Mallon described the novel as, “stuffed with description so intellectually active as to be sometimes exhausting.” I took it on as a challenge and a gift in that it sets a high mark in style and structure. It has an old fashioned feel reminiscent of Dickens, and a masterpiece, one that deserves a 2nd and 3rd reading.

When I saw "The Transit of Venus" was available on AUDIOBOOK via #netgalley (to be released on 9/10/24) it felt like a direct gift to me, so THANK YOU to Net Galley and to Spiegel and Grau by Spotify on audiobooks. I was turned onto this novel (originally published in 1980) and this author (Australian writer Shirley Hazzard) by Lily King who has written Euphoria, Writers and Lovers, Five Tuesdays in Winter (stories) and other wonderful books. I attended an online book release event for Writers and Lovers and she mentioned (with such admiration) this novel and Hazzard as a writer. Between her enthusiasm (and Lauren Groff's written intro to the latest edition of Hazzard's book) I knew I was going to be in for a treat.

This is a broad, sweeping novel about two sisters - Caro and Grace - who are orphaned in their native Australia and taken in by a half-sister, Dora, Dora is, herself, a character and some of Hazzard's best writing comes out in her descriptions of this woman. Infinitely quotable! This book moves through decades (covering multiple locations) and centers on love and loss and so much more. Kind of a weak summation of a stellar novel - one of my favorites - but it must be read to be fully appreciated (read more than once in my opinion). And last but not least, Juliet Stevenson KILLS the narration. She is expert at bringing the characters to life and I thank her for the opportunity to LISTEN to The Transit of Venus.

I just finished reading "The Transit of Venus," a novel that follows the lives of two Australian sisters who move to post-war England. Caro, the adventurous and unconventional sister, and Grace, who seeks happiness in marriage, both undergo significant personal growth over the decades. They experience love, disappointment, and loss, which adds depth to their characters.

The book is beautifully written, thought-provoking, and filled with poignant emotions such as sorrow and longing. However, I did not feel a strong connection with the characters personally. Hazzard's writing is so good that I think if she intended for me to feel something, I would. Maybe I am missing something. I do plan to explore more of this author's works in the future.

Thank you for this audiobook arc and I enjoyed the narrator!

I really haven’t enjoyed this audiobook at all. I tried so hard to get into it but I just couldn’t. Thank you for sending it to me. But it just wasn’t for me.

This is an audio version of the 2021 edition of Transit of Venus, originally published by a master of English composition, Shirley Hazzard. Although I read it over 30 years ago, this edition read by Juliet Stephens adds depth and furthers my appreciation of Hazzard's craft. There is an enlightening forward by Lauren Groff, who counts it as one of her favorite novels, a perfect novel, and who has read it at least 4 times, adding her insights. Also, at the end, a real treat. Chapter 3 read by Ms. Hazzard herself.

An intriguing book that demands patience and ultimately earns it without ever really transcending its status or taking that next step into greatness (at least for me), <i>The Transit of Venus</i> is somewhere between rediscovered classic and forgotten apocrypha. This reissue (its first time appearing in audiobook form) does justice to the text despite me never feeling like it was the optimal way of experiencing it - Hazzard's prose is literary and languid, and as a reader, I would have probably preferred to take my time with the prose, appreciating all the ways in which it unfolds at my own pace. That's not to say Juliet Stevenson doesn't do a great job - she does! Certainly! I just think that on the page is where this novel really has the opportunity to sing. I quite enjoyed Lauren Groff's introduction (from the 2021 reissue, as far as I can tell) with additional context about her encounters with this novel over the years - I'm not sure I share her passion and will find myself revisiting this again and again, but I do think it's a worthwhile entry in the canon of traditional 20th century literature, even though it feels flung out of space from a world untouched by postmodernism. I think there are depths here to be plumbed, and I hope its most passionate readers do so.

<i>My thanks to Spiegel & Grau by Spotify Audiobooks for this in exchange for my honest review.</i>

Great saga. It’s important to know a whole story to understand the story. Sit down, dig in and enjoy the story, the deep, expressive story, and enjoy!

*A big thank-you to Spiegel & Grau and NetGalley for a free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.*
I never heard of Ms Hazzard and I am happy to have discovered her novel. The beginning was hard for me to follow, however, as the novel progressed, I became fully engaged in the story about two sisters, early orhpaned, who leave Australia and arrive in England to seek happiness.
I did not warm up to any of the characters, however, the complex personalitites, motives for their actions and everything life offered them, forced me to listen to the audiobook continually (or nearly). Paul's full story, revealed at the end of the novel, was most memorable to me.
Ms Stevenson, the narrator, reads equisitely, as always, and her voice is a perfect fit for Ms Hazzard's fiction.

While I didn't like this book, I think the narration was done well. Juliette Stevenson's accents added to the experience.

This is a welcome format for this classic novel. The narrator does an excellent job with all the outsized personalities and range of accents

Shirley Hazzard has a beautiful and poetic prose to her writing and I absolutely loved this book. This is life, the uncertainty of it, the secrets in it, the joys of it. Kudos to NetGalley for the ARC/audiobook.

I've tried for several days to get into this book and failed at about 36% of the audiobook (I decided enough is enough and ordered the paperback version because I know I will enjoy reading it myself). The reason is unbelievably because of the lyrical & beautiful writing where you can quickly get lost in and I mean... lost.

The monotone of the narrator did not help. Some of her pronunciation can be a little confusing at times: 'eat' sounds like 'ek'

It is the kind of book that you need to read and take your time with it and not suitable to be consume in audio format the way many classics books are.

I’ve really struggled with this one, was listening on an audiobook and I am not really able to follow the plot, I don’t know if it would be easier to read. I found the characters didn’t develop, I didn’t know much about any of them except their story, not about their characters or personalities.
The phraseology is beautifully descriptive and evocative at times, but for me that didn’t make up for the missing action and depth. It’s possible that this is just not my style of book, as I know it has received high praise elsewhere.