Discover the New Releases Audiobooks in Classics, European Literature

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Title: The Phantom of the Opera

Author: Jennifer Bassett

Narrator: Siriol Jenkins

Format: Abridged

Length: 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-09-10

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

It is 1880, in the Opera House in Paris. Everybody is talking about the Phantom of the Opera, the ghost that lives somewhere under the Opera House. The Phantom is a man in black clothes. He is a body without a head, he is a head without a body. He has a yellow face, he has no nose, he has black holes for eyes. Everybody is afraid of the Phantom the singers, the dancers, the directors, the stage workers.

An Oxford Bookworms Library reader for learners of English.

Critic Reviews:

"The most consistent of all series in terms of language control, length, and quality of storytelling." (David R. Hill, ELT Journal Review)

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

nice book

Good Reader for Students Learning English

The Phantom of the Opera is a popular story that many people around the world have heard of. It is well loved and has a high interest. My students have also expressed an interest in the story. I bought this book which is a simplified version of the story for students learning English. They can learn to read while enjoyed a story they already have high interest in. They enjoy it.

Excellent book for beginning English readers

Excellent book for beginning English readers!

Five Stars

I love this book!

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Title: The Kreutzer Sonata

Author: Leo Tolstoy

Narrator: Jonathan Oliver

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-19-10

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

One of Tolstoys most important shorter works, The Kreutzer Sonata presents a problematic view of the relationship between the sexes and promotes abstinence as the solution.

Pozdnyshev jealously observes the intimacy that emerges between his wife and a violin player. Haunted by The Kreutzer Sonata, over which they bonded, it plays round and round in Pozdnyshevs head, driving him to distraction and to an unquenchable rage.

The Kreutzer Sonata is a psychologically fascinating novella, offering interesting insights into the power play between the sexes.

Editorial Reviews:

Less a story than a philosophical tract, this tale is told to a chance listener on a railway journey by a man who has murdered his wife and been exonerated on the grounds that she was unfaithful and deserved it. Tolstoy writes the murderer Pozdnyshev as distraught, given to uttering a strange emotional cry, which Jonathan Oliver renders brilliantly. Oliver's Pozdnyshev, high-strung and tormented, is convinced that his crime was caused by the nature of modern marriage and that any true Christian, married or not, must live celibate or risk his mortal soul. Since Pozdnyshev strikes the listener as delusional, but Tolstoy's afterword makes clear that he is the author's mouthpiece, this makes for a strangely dissonant experience, if a marvelous piece of acting.

Members Reviews:

Disturbing

In "The Kreutzer Sonata," Tolstoy seems to be wanting to go Dostoevsky one better. His main character is a bitter, violent man filled with morbid jealousy and analyzing every action and motive with a stifling level of self-consciousness. He tells his story in the first person, to a fellow-traveller in a railway carriage: he killed his wife in a fit of jealous rage and was acquitted because it was a crime of passion. Jonathan Oliver narrates the story well, but it's a tough listen, and the little bit I've read about its publication history makes it sound like it was a tough read from the beginning.

Was his wife really having an affair with a musician? It doesn't look good, but it's ambiguous; he doesn't actually catch them in the act, but he satisfies himself that he has enough evidence to plunge a dagger into her side. Only when he sees her, a few days later, lying dead in the coffin does he realize the enormity of what he's done.

His monologue alternates between suprisingly modern-sounding observations on human sexuality and a prudish disgust with what, to him, seems more like a meat market than an elegant society. Everything seems to arouse him, either to rage or sexual passion: the rocking motion of a train, the "artificial" climax of a piece of music (Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata most specifically).

What's most peculiar, though, is Tolstoy's afterword, included here. What did he think was the solution to this hypersexual conflict between men and women, a conflict that spills over too often into violent rage? Abstinence. Not abstinence before marriage: abstinence period. Only when most people learn to live without sex, he says, will we finally reach our highest level of achievement as a race.

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Title: The Imaginary Cuckold and School for Husbands

Author: Molière, Richard Wilbur (translator)

Narrator: Brian Bedford, Emily Bergl, Dakin Matthews, Juliet Mills, Christopher Neame, Lloyd Owen, Moira Quirk, Darren Richardson, Carolyn Seymour, Alan Shearman

Format: Original Recording

Length: 2 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-15-10

Publisher: L.A. Theatre Works

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Molière wrote some of the most durable and penetrating comedies of all time. The Imaginary Cuckold and The School for Husbands are two of his grand farces of marriage and misunderstanding, one set in Paris and the other in the provinces. Translated by Richard Wilbur. A full-cast performance featuring Brian Bedford, Emily Bergl, Dakin Matthews, Juliet Mills, Christopher Neame, Lloyd Owen, Moira Quirk, Darren Richardson, Carolyn Seymour, Alan Shearman, Rhashan Stone, Olivia Williams and Joanne Whalley.

Editorial Reviews:

Two of Molière's most popular plays see a modern performance from a talented cast in this live recording from L.A. Theatre Works. The School For Husbands is a farce centering around the suitors of two sisters, both of whom employ very different methods to secure their affection, while The Imaginary Cuckold is a relationship comedy about mistaken identity. Both plays benefit from a spirited and humorous delivery from Tony award-winning actor Brian Bedford and a supporting cast including Emily Bergl, Dakin Matthews, and Juliet Mills. Listeners will find these two works by Molière both wise and hilarious.

Members Reviews:

: ) A must!!!

:) A must!!!

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Titre: La mare au diable

Auteur: George Sand

Narrateur: Anne Trémolières

Format: Abridged

Durée: 3 hrs and 25 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 08-30-10

Éditeur: Editions Eponymes

Evaluation: 3 sur 5 sur 1 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Résumé de l'éditeur:

C'est en quatre jours que George Sand écrit La mare au diable. Roman "rustique" ancré dans le Berry autour de son cher Nohant qu'elle a toujours autant de joie à faire découvrir à Frédéric Chopin. Région qu'il aime en retour, à sa façon un peu distante, parce que l'âme de la vallée noire lui parle un peu de Pologne, songe toujours entrevu, terre de son âme sempiternellement exilé !

L'auteure

Née Aurore Dupin en 1804 à Paris,

connut une enfance heureusement dissipée à Nohant (Indre) au côté de sa grand-mère paternelle. De son mariage, à l'âge de dix-huit ans, avec Casimir Dudevant, elle eut deux enfants, Maurice et Solange.

Pourtant, elle ne devait pas tarder à suivre à Paris le jeune écrivain Jules Sandeau, et à commencer une vie légendaire de "garçonne" mondaine et artiste. Ces années romantiques, socialisantes, révolutionnaires imposèrent son nom de femme libre et de romancière engagée. Après sa liaison avec Musset vint le temps de Chopin...

Après l'amère défaite de 1848, elle se réfugie à Nohant, retrouve la famille de Maurice, ne vit plus que d'amitié et écrit, entre autres, ses romans berrichons. Elle meurt le 8 juin 1876.

(P) et © Editions Eponymes

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Titre: Les Confessions / Les Rêveries du Promeneur Solitaire

Auteur: Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Narrateur: Philippe Bertin

Format: Unabridged

Durée: 28 hrs and 21 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 07-29-10

Éditeur: LYRE AUDIO

Evaluation: 5 sur 5 sur 3 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Résumé de l'éditeur:

Pour la première fois en livre audio, cette œuvre magnifique composée de l'intégrale des Confessions, suivie des Rêveries du Promeneur Solitaire, est admirablement servie par toute la sensibilité de Philippe Bertin. Plus de 27h d'écoute pour le plaisir du cœur et de l'esprit.

(P) et © Lyre Audio 2008

Avis des membres:

Amazing Rousseau.

I enjoyed immensely this audio performance of Rousseau's Confessions and his Rêveries. I had read them both in college but are more meaningful the second time around. These books are monuments in confessional writing. A tour of the Age of Enlightenment

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Title: Metamorphosis

Author: Franz Kafka

Narrator: Dick Hill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-22-10

Publisher: Alpha DVD

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 76 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Metamorphosis, a novella by Franz Kafka, is often cited as one of the seminal works of short fiction of the 20th century. The story begins with a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, waking to find himself transformed into a gigantic insect.

Public Domain (P)2010 Alpha DVD LLC

Members Reviews:

I read it as a story, not a metaphor

It was just wonderful to think about this, and I know I am a bit grotesque, so keep that in mind. But go for it and read it. What is the worst that can happen?

Absurd and touching at the same time

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Possibly. I would say that I enjoyed the book, but I don't think that would be the right sentiment. I was touched by it. I think it has a very significant message, but it is not a light listen. So, although I would recommend it to people, I don't know if all of my friends would enjoy it.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Metamorphosis?

Gregor's death.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I did. This was my first experience with Kafka, so I wasn't sure what to expect. At first, I was surprised by the absurdity of the story. But, of course, this was Kafka's intent. As the story progressed, I was touched by Gregor's continued humanity despite his "condition." The themes in this piece are transferable to so many human situations, conditions, and plights. I was so touched by this story that I wept when it was over. I am crying now just remembering it. It affected me on a very deep level, unlike anything I have experienced with the more modern pieces I have been reading.

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Title: The Metamorphosis

Author: Franz Kafka

Narrator: John Michaels

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-13-10

Publisher: Spoken Realms

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 35 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Metamorphosis, a novella written by Franz Kafka in 1915, is widely studied in colleges and universities across the Western world. Imagine waking up one morning and finding that you are a giant insect, a cockroach, still perceiving your surroundings and family as they are, but unable to comminicate. This is what happens to Gregor Samsa. Yesterday he was a traveling salesman, and today he finds himself a repulsive vermin. The story revolves around how the family copes with the creature that must have been the son and brother they loved, until he succumbs to a wound from an apple thrown by his father.

Critic Reviews:

"One of the few perfect works of the poetic imagination written during this century." (Elias Canetti)

Members Reviews:

Beautiful Kafka Story was Well Narrated

This is one of Kafkas best stories and is very easy to read and quite enjoyable. The narration, although not perfect, matches the story nicely. This is one of my favorite Kafka stories. The story has a wonderfully bland tone regardless of the hideous circumstances. This is priced at about four bucks, so I didnt use a full credit. I have read this story quite a few times and completely enjoyed this version. If you havent read Kafka, this is the best place to start.

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Titel: Heinrich von Ofterdingen

Autor:: Novalis

Erzähler: Hans Jochim Schmidt

Format: Unabridged

Spieldauer: 6 hrs and 58 mins

Sprache: Deutsch

Veröffentlichungsdatum: 02-25-10

Herausgeber: Vorleser Schmidt Hörbuchverlag

Bewertung: 3 von 5 von 1 Stimmen

Kategorien: Classics, European Literature

Zusammenfassung des Herausgebers:

In dem berühmten Romanfragment "Heinrich von Ofterdingen" ringt der Autor mit seinem Lebensthema: was einen Dichter und was Dichtung ausmache. Hier findet sich auch das Motiv der "blauen Blume", die die Romantiker suchten.

(c)+(p) 2009 Vorleser Schmidt Hörbuchverlag

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Title: In the Ravine and Other Stories

Author: Anton Chekhov

Narrator: Kenneth Branagh

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-20-09

Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Here are 11 short stories and one novella by Anton Chekhov, one of the finest masters of what is acknowledged as a difficult genre. There is the richly comic "Oh! The Public" about a hassled ticket inspector, a wry look at morals and manners in "The Chorus Girl", and the melancholic tale of a cab driver in "Misery".

The other short stories in this collection are: "The Trousseau", "A Story Without a Title", "Children", "Fat and Thin", "The Beggar", "Hush!", "The Orator", and "An Actor's End".

Editorial Reviews:

Talented actor Kenneth Branagh, most known for his film and television roles in various Shakespeare works, tears into these classic stories with relish. Weaving a tapestry of character voices, Branagh uses accents, pacing, enunciation, and seemingly boundless energy to bring these great Russian works to life. Listeners will find themselves chuckling at times and tearing up at others as Branagh dramatizes Chekhov's deceptively simple plots and characters. The prodigious Branagh is well matched to these literary explorations by the master of the short story.

Critic Reviews:

"If you want an outstanding reading, in which the narrator's voice brilliantly conveys the speaker's class and the intricate relationships between characters during conversations, you can do no better than to listen to Kenneth Branagh. This great actor mesmerizes as he gasps, chuckles, stutters, and declaims. A must listen." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Fine Stories about Mother Russia & the Human Heart

In the Ravine and Other Stories is a varied collection of eleven short stories and one novella by Anton Chekov. Ranging from 1883 to 1900, this collection demonstrates Chekov's perfect prose, sly humor, understated pathos, cynical insights, medical perceptions, and impressive ability to get into the heads of a variety of people, male and female, old and young, elite and peasant. Each story features a different kind of protagonist, a different point of view, a different mood. Together they offer quite a slice of late 19th century Russian culture (icons, peasants, bribes, alcohol, passions, roubles, etc.) and human behavior (greed, pride, cruelty, love, charity, compassion, etc.). Some of the stories end with an almost provocative abruptness. Some are less interesting than others. Some are devastating.

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Titre: Un cœur simple

Auteur: Gustave Flaubert

Narrateur: Marie-Christine Barrault

Format: Unabridged

Durée: 1 hr and 15 mins

Langue: Français

Date de publication: 08-21-09

Éditeur: Audiolib

Genres: Classics, European Literature

Résumé de l'éditeur:

"L'histoire d'un cœur simple est le récit d'une vie obscure, celle d'une pauvre fille de campagne, dévote mais mystique, dévouée sans exaltation et tendre comme le pain frais. Elle aime successivement un homme, les enfants de sa maîtresse, un neveu, un vieillard qu'elle soigne, puis son perroquet ; quand son perroquet est mort, elle le fait empailler et, en mourant à son tour, elle confond le perroquet avec le Saint-Esprit. Cela n'est nullement ironique comme vous le supposez, mais au contraire très sérieux et très triste."

Gustave Flaubert.

Un cœur simple a été publié pour la première fois en 1877 dans le recueil Trois Contes.

L'auteur

Décédé d'une attaque à Croisset en 1880,

est né en 1821 à Rouen. Comme Marcel Proust, il était le second fils d'un médecin de renom et, comme Proust encore, quelque peu "l'idiot de la famille".

Avec seulement six titres, on sait quel ensemble sans pareil un tel "emprunté" donna à la littérature. Le roman dit moderne doit tout ou presque à cet "homme-plume".

La narratrice

est la nièce de Jean-Louis Barrault. Elle entre au cours Simon en 1963 puis est admise au Conservatoire d'Art dramatique en 1964. Pendant deux ans (1966/1968), elle se consacre uniquement au théâtre. Elle débute au cinéma en 1969. Depuis, sur les planches, sur le petit écran de la TV, au cinéma, Marie-Christine Barrault poursuit une carrière prestigieuse.

© et (P) Audiolib, 2009

Avis des membres:

A Simple Treasure

Go with Flaubert on his little journey, and boy, do you get a payoff! He turns his scientific lens on Felicite, an uneducated peasant woman, and slowly pulls us inside her thoughts and feelings. But what begins as a coolly objective study slowly turns into an act of love. Here is a woman who lives at the opposite extreme from the secular and scientific world of the author; she inhabits an almost primitive worlds of dreams and religious devotion. It might seem slow going as we follow the course of her life; no striking events are related. But let yourself walk with her through these brief pages and treat yourself to the magnificent conclusion. It's a good way to get ready for Madame Bovary.

Un cur simple

L'histoire de ce livre est somme toute assez simple, comme l'indique son titre finalement. L'intért de le lire se situe plutt au niveau de l'écriture. Faubert à une plume magique et son imagination est particulièrement féconde dans ses descriptions situationnelles.

Five Stars

Flaubert at his best.

Five Stars

Easy to comprehend. It had been awhile since I read Flaubert, and I like the author very much.

The "simple heart" of the book's subject is too simple ...

The "simple heart" of the book's subject is too simple, incapable of artifice, malice, or planning. One is led to believe that she is slightly retarded.