Try free for 30 days

Preview
  • Rites of Passage

  • To the Ends of the Earth: A Sea Trilogy, Book 1
  • By: William Golding
  • Narrated by: William Golding
  • Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins
  • 3.0 out of 5 stars (1 rating)

1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Rites of Passage

By: William Golding
Narrated by: William Golding
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $27.99

Buy Now for $27.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

Lose yourself in an epic naval journey in the final novel in the Booker Prize-winning Sea Trilogy, by the author of Lord of the Flies. Read by the author in 1989, this recording was re-mastered in 2022.

I grow a little crazy, I think, like all men at sea who live too close to each other and too close thereby to all that is monstrous under the sun and moon....

Edmund Talbot is sailing to Australia in the early 19th century. In his journal, he records mounting tensions aboard the ancient, stinking warship, as officers, sailors, soldiers and emigrants jostle in the cramped darkness below decks. But when something happens to Reverend Colley that brings him into a 'hell of self-degradation', it seems that shame is a force deadlier than the sea itself....

©1980 William Golding (P)2022 Faber Audio

Critic Reviews

"Golding writes the past as present [with] uncanny skill and tremendous intuition." (Ben Okri)

"A master at the full stretch of his age and wisdom - necessary, provoking, urgent, rich, complex and rare." (The Times)

"An extraordinary novel." (Observer)

What listeners say about Rites of Passage

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 3 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    0
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

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

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Low quality audio

I really liked this book, however the ‘remastering’ of Golding’s original recording from the 80’s is not excellent and at times is very low in sound level. From about half way through I had to really crank up my sound system to hear the audio.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.