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Jonathan Livingston Seagull: The New Complete Edition Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Richard Bach (Author), Marcus Lovett (Narrator), Kind Heart Productions (Publisher)
4.7 out of 5 stars 14,358 ratings

Now, for the first time ever, a new complete edition audiobook original of the timeless classic by Richard Bach. This is the story for people who follow their hearts and make their own rules, people who know there's more to this living than meets the eye: they'll be right there with Jonathan, flying higher and faster than they ever dreamed. Read by Marcus Lovett. Music composed by Ken Miller.

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  1. Listening Length
    1 hour and 27 minutes
  2. Author
    Richard Bach
  3. Narrator
    Marcus Lovett
  4. Audible release date
    January 30, 2018
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Kind Heart Productions
  7. ASIN
    B079MCKD9K
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length 1 hour and 27 minutes
Author Richard Bach
Narrator Marcus Lovett
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date January 30, 2018
Publisher Kind Heart Productions
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B079MCKD9K
Best Sellers Rank #5,369 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#7 in Metaphysical & Visionary Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)
#8 in Metaphysical & Visionary Fiction (Books)
#108 in Classic Literature

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
14,358 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book thought-provoking and inspiring, describing it as an eloquently written fable that describes the spiritual journey of a being. Moreover, they consider it fantastic for all ages, with one customer noting it can be read multiple times. Additionally, the book receives positive feedback for its pacing, with one review mentioning it's a perfect escape from mundane life, and customers appreciate the additional Part Four. However, the story quality receives mixed reactions, with some finding it beautiful while others describe it as boring.

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352 customers mention "Inspiration"345 positive7 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and inspiring, describing it as a spiritual journey that teaches life's great lessons.

"...This means that ego is meaningless, because what we are today is simply the result of yesterday's hard work, and whatever races we lose today could..." Read more

"...It contains a lot of implied meaning about life straight from the Boss...." Read more

"The very first book I read. Filled with morals for people. I re-read the book in a day and still LOVE ❤️ IT!" Read more

"I read this awesome highly metaphorical book years ago and just revisited it before passing along to a friend. ." Read more

126 customers mention "Readability"108 positive18 negative

Customers find the book easy to read and appreciate its eloquent writing style, with one customer noting its economy of words.

"...the book was in keeping with what I already believed but written in a very unique way so that human prejudices could be set aside, I mean it's..." Read more

"...This book is a short read. I forget how long it was but I read it in one evening's sitting." Read more

"...foreword and while re-reading JLS, I easily and comfortably saw the clarifying and concept-extending nature of "Illusions"...." Read more

"...It is an easy book to read and inspirational too - against all odds and sheer determination, the hallmark of a leader...." Read more

55 customers mention "Book for all ages"55 positive0 negative

Customers find this book fantastic and delightful for all ages, making it a must-read for children and teens, with one customer noting it's one of their favorites since childhood.

"Great life lessons here for young people... (and refreshers for the rest of us)." Read more

"This is a delightful story for all ages...." Read more

"...I also think this would be a great book to read to children - the very young may not be able to grasp its implications, but I bet those around 8yrs...." Read more

"...writer, no big words, no big thoughts, just simple ideas but youngsters love it and it tells its tale simply... It's a great book to read out loud,..." Read more

31 customers mention "Pacing"24 positive7 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing, with several noting it makes life better and one describing it as a perfect escape from the mundane.

"...and shows how a seagull can achieve lofty goals and live a happier more joyful life...." Read more

"...I do, every couple of years, and it gives me a great sense of inner peace...." Read more

"...'s amazing - and gives the 8+ year old a vision of excelling, being different is OK, learning & expressing yourself is amazing & fulfilling." Read more

"...Hope and optimism this new section ends with pessimism and a cold slap of reality, which is inappropriate for this story. I love Richard...." Read more

20 customers mention "Additions"17 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the additions to the book, particularly Part IV, which they find important and spot-on.

"...The extra/added part is fine, but I didn't get anything out of it that wasn't in the original 3 parts...." Read more

"...re-read this great book because I saw that there is now the additional Part Four..." Read more

"The book had an extra section added to it years after publishing that I didn't know about until reading it again after purchase. Great Find." Read more

"...its origins with simple truths about life, love, exclusion, inclusion, and the joy of learning. Everyone should read this story at least once." Read more

19 customers mention "Ease of use"19 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to use, with one customer noting it doesn't take much time to read and another mentioning it's simple to put yourself in the story.

"...The story of Jonathan Livingston Seagull is contagiously inspirational, easily winning me over...." Read more

"...I am also more than glad that he included the explanatory afterword, called "Last Words"...." Read more

"This was an easy, quick read yet it provides valuable life lessons on overcoming fears and doing things anyway when you’re fearful." Read more

"...Although it's incredibly simple (only about 90 pages, many of them featuring simple illustrations of seagulls), it's the content that shines...." Read more

16 customers mention "Gift value"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the book makes a great gift, with one mentioning it's ideal for a demotivated person.

"This was a birthday gift and she loves it." Read more

"...A great gift for people temporarily lost in the dark; any Outcast of any flock. Clifford Jones" Read more

"This is an ideal gift for a demotivated person; a great read for the ambitious...." Read more

"...As I appreciated the importance of his reading; Both are a gift." Read more

52 customers mention "Story quality"33 positive19 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the story quality of the book, with some finding it a beautiful continuation while others describe it as rather stupid and boring.

"...Read it! Enjoy the message your way! JLS ends wonderfully in Part Three, which is the way anyone would have gotten it before 2014...." Read more

"...ends with pessimism and a cold slap of reality, which is inappropriate for this story. I love Richard. I love his books...." Read more

"...It's a wonderful little story which helps me understand Jesus and His healing ministry. As far as Part 4, I think of it as DVD extras...." Read more

"...As a bird lover, I also value the beautiful depiction of birds and nature. Don’t be fooled by the nay sayers...." Read more

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Lisa918
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best for age 12 and up.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Great life lessons here for young people... (and refreshers for the rest of us).
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  • kenny
    5.0 out of 5 stars second time reading
    Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Read this book once or twice when I was younger It is timeless. I learn more each time I read it.
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  • Wu Wei
    5.0 out of 5 stars Are we free or doomed from birth?
    Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2007
    Verified Purchase
    This is my all-time favorite book. It contains the most important truths I have ever learned.

    This book certainly could be viewed as Eastern Religion / New Age, and considering Bach's other books perhaps that is his main meaning.

    However, JLS also contains important non-religious truths which apply to everyday life. For example, based on one of the most quoted parts of the book, "Jonathan" might answer everyday questions like this:

    Are you saying I can lose weight and be thin, even though I've been fat my whole life?
    I say you are free.

    Are you saying that even though I finished near the bottom this year, with hard work I could finish near the top 3 or 4 years from now?
    I say you are free.

    Are you saying that even though the aptitude test showed I'm bad in math, that I could be successful in my dream job, engineering, if I try hard enough?
    I say you are free.

    Those answers are very, very different from the prevailing paradigm / meme within our society, which says that nearly everything is determined at birth, so that we are born either "fat" or "thin" people, born "smart" or "bad at math", born as "great athletes" or "losers". Society then tells us that we shouldn't try to change anything about ourselves (since it supposedly won't work), but should spend our lives happy or bitter because of the gifts that were handed out at the birth lottery. A key turning point is when Jonathan rejects the "strange hollow voice" in his mind which tells him:
    "There's no way around it. I am a seagull. I am limited by nature. If I were meant to learn so much about flying, I'd have charts for brains. If I were meant to fly at speed, I'd have a falcon's short wings... I must... be content as I am, as a poor limited seagull."

    Jonathan rejects this when he realizes that by tucking his wings close to his body he can simulate the falcon's short wings and fly fast even though he wasn't born with short wings. After he tries this and is able to fly faster than any gull could with extended wings, Jonathan realizes: "We can be free! We can learn to fly!"

    JLS says that mental restrictions are the biggest factor keeping us from reaching our potential. Some of those restrictions come from society, and some are self-created mental straitjackets. All of those mental limits are false and unnecessary. The truth according to Jonathan is:
    "Your whole body... is nothing more than your thought itself, in a form you can see. Break the chains of your mind, and you break the chains of your body, too..."
    (That can be seen as a totally non-religious statement. Our bodies today are the result of how hard we worked in the past and the mental limitations we didn't shed, and "our thought" = our mind is what determined that.)

    This leads Jonathan to answer these questions very differently from society: Who am I? What is my purpose in life? Should I be egotistical?

    Society tells us that we should conform, and we specifically are what the birth lottery gave us, like someone might be "heavy set, average intelligence but good in math". Society says that we should be immensely proud of everything we (supposedly) were born with, and of every victory, and should be intensely ashamed of anything we were born without, and of every defeat.

    Jonathan however, believing we are not limited by birth, sees each of us as being unique and of unlimited potential. Our goal and purpose in life is simply to be ourselves. This is not the limited self we are at the start of adult life, but everything which hard work could make us:

    "you have the freedom to be yourself, your true self, here and now, and nothing can stand in your way.
    Are you saying I can fly?
    I say you are free."

    "Each of us in truth is an idea... , an unlimited idea of freedom, and precision flying is a step towards expressing our real nature. Everything that limits us we have to put aside."

    This means that ego is meaningless, because what we are today is simply the result of yesterday's hard work, and whatever races we lose today could be won in the future if we work hard enough. Today's ranking and abilities are just the starting point for the rest of our lives, not something to get egotistical about. As one of Jonathan's students thought with a smile once he began teaching his own students, "No limits, Jonathan? Well, then, the time's not too distant when I'm going to appear out of thin air on YOUR beach, and show you a thing or two about flying!..."

    The reason why I discussed this in length is to disagree with reviews which say that JLS must be seen as a religious book, and that it teaches only "common sense" truths. It is rare, not common, to meet anyone who believes what JLS teaches.
    76 people found this helpful
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  • Reddog
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
    Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Read yrs ago. I was told author wrote the book in one night by a friend that knew him. It contains a lot of implied meaning about life straight from the Boss. I know fro m personal experience I wrote something very special to me one night not a book but a poem and didn’t really write it just flowed on the page. Thanks
    One person found this helpful
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  • Terry T.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Book
    Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Good book
    Helpful
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  • Alastair T
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great experience.
    Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Great condition. Fast shipping. Excellent experience.
    Helpful
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  • Mom
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic story!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    The very first book I read. Filled with morals for people. I re-read the book in a day and still LOVE ❤️ IT!
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  • Jenn
    5.0 out of 5 stars Reliving the Past
    Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I read this awesome highly metaphorical book years ago and just revisited it before passing along to a friend.
    .
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Samuel James
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best motivational book
    Reviewed in the United Arab Emirates on May 8, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Enjoyed read the book
    Report
  • Pátria e Família
    5.0 out of 5 stars Life changing
    Reviewed in Brazil on September 20, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    A must read, many levels of mind blowing information...
    Report
  • Alfred
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book since childhood
    Reviewed in Australia on June 24, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Recently went looking for this book, couldn't find it at home so bought this one new. Inspirational book
    Report
  • Akash Kasar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
    Reviewed in India on March 22, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I like the book and it's philosophy 10 on 10
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  • Sophia
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightening Read!
    Reviewed in Canada on February 12, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I LOVE this book, it is an old favourite and fabulous read! Very enlightening!
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