The Good Soldier
John Dowell begins by calling this the saddest story he has ever heard, then unfolds it in loops and hesitations that make the reader doubt every claim he offers. Over years of comfortable friendship, two couples, the English Ashburnhams and the American Dowells, hide affairs, cruelties, and quiet ruin behind a surface of perfect manners. As the narrator circles back over the same events, the polished world of spa resorts and country houses gives way to something far darker. Published in 1915, Ford’s masterpiece is a landmark of the unreliable narrator and modernist form. This free PDF and EPUB edition makes a short, devastating classic easy to read.
About the Author
Ford Madox Ford (1873-1939) was an English novelist, poet, and editor, author of The Good Soldier and Parade’s End, and a major figure in early modernist literature.
See all books by Ford Madox Ford →
Listen to The Good Soldier Audiobook Free
Listen to The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford free online. The full audiobook (7 hr 40 min, 20 chapters, read by volunteer narrators) streams free on this page.
The Good Soldier (1915) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 01 - Part 1, Section 1 | 17:11 | |
| 2 | 02 - Part 1, Section 2 | 15:24 | |
| 3 | 03 - Part 1, Section 3 | 25:08 | |
| 4 | 04 - Part 1, Section 4 | 22:24 | |
| 5 | 05 - Part 1, Section 5 | 37:35 | |
| 6 | 06 - Part 1, Section 6 | 16:18 | |
| 7 | 07 - Part 2, Section 1 | 36:54 | |
| 8 | 08 - Part 2, Section 2 | 9:30 | |
| 9 | 09 - Part 3, Section 1a | 18:03 | |
| 10 | 10 - Part 3, Section 1b | 20:26 | |
| 11 | 11 - Part 3, Section 2 | 19:35 | |
| 12 | 12 - Part 3, Section 3 | 32:56 | |
| 13 | 13 - Part 3, Section 4a | 24:47 | |
| 14 | 14 - Part 3, Section 4b | 31:51 | |
| 15 | 15 - Part 4, Section 1 | 21:44 | |
| 16 | 16 - Part 4, Section 2 | 37:50 | |
| 17 | 17 - Part 4, Section 3 | 23:18 | |
| 18 | 18 - Part 4, Section 4 | 10:41 | |
| 19 | 19 - Part 4, Section 5 | 16:32 | |
| 20 | 20 - Part 4, Section 6 | 21:28 |
Prefer reading? Read The Good Soldier online free or download the PDF and EPUB above.
