Download Best Sellers Audiobooks in Classics, American Literature

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Title: The Devil and Tom Walker

Author: Washington Irving

Narrator: Cindy Hardin Killavey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-04-09

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Tom Walker was not the nicest soul you'd ever meet. When he agrees to work with a stranger he comes upon in the woods, more things change than just his fortune. A strange twist of fate not only changes Tom's marital status but also hisstation & profession. A slip of the lip when least expected adds another turn to this classic story of light and dark.

Editorial Reviews:

Washington Irving's stories tend to become legends. "The Devil and Tom Walker" is one of those legends; its subject matter is human nature itself - goodness, evil, temptation, and fate. Cindy Hardin Killavey performs this story patiently, with the sweet, quiet intonation of a bedtime storyteller. The plot of the audiobook is Faustian - a man is dissatisfied with his life and makes a pact with the devil. However, Washington Irving's lively language disguises these deeper subjects in the pure joy of language.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Appreciated the noncreepy voice

:)

Nice and creepy! Reminds of the sleepy hollow idea. Great transcendental themes and play of the Faustian legend to boot.

Public domain work

Puritan writing at its finest. Tom Walker is a debased man, miserly and cruel to his fellows, and even to his wife. One day, he runs across the Devil, who shows him a grove of rotting trees, representing souls. They make the customary deal, with Walker becoming one of the richest men around. And Walker begins to work at keeping his soul, despite a lifetime of usury and the very deal to which he agreed.

If you're a fan of works like "The Scarlet Letter," this is probably just right for you. A definitely religious message, but with enough fantasy to draw in even an atheist reader, like myself.

This story is well into the public domain, so go look for some free sources. Project Gutenberg and Librivox are the prime candidates, but I listened to the free audio production available through PodCastle, and was quite pleased.

A must-read for Faustus fans

Tom Walker is married to an absolute nightmare of a woman (he's no saint himself). They're both stingy as can be, sharing nothing with one another, and have the sort of physically and verbally violent rows that frighten the fauna out of the nearby flora.

One evening, Tom is walking in the local wooded morass, when he comes upon an unusual person. At first he thinks the person is a Negro, but then he realises it looks like someone who works in ashes and soot all the time.

Upon asking the person's name, he is told:

"Oh, I go by various names. I am the wild huntsman in some countries; the black miner in others. In this neighborhood I am known by the name of the black woodsman. I am he to whom the red men consecrated this spot, and in honor of whom they now and then roasted a white man, by way of sweet-smelling sacrifice.

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Title: Moby Dick

Author: Herman Melville

Narrator: George Kennedy

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 08-27-09

Publisher: Audio Holdings, LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Ishmael, a sailor, recounts the ill-fated voyage of a whaling ship led by the fanatical Captain Ahab, who is in search of the white whale that crippled him. The author uses stylized language, symbolism, and metaphor to explore a variety of complex themes. Moby Dick is considered one of the greatest novels in the English language.

Members Reviews:

I am not saying that the book is bad, far from it

Not what I suspected. I have always heard that this book was a study on obsession and rage but that makes up an incredibly small portion of the book. It is really more of a textbook about whaling in the 19th century. I am not saying that the book is bad, far from it. What I am saying is that I am glad that I read it because it filled a gap in my literary knowledge, but having said that, I will never have to read it again.

A study in symbolism, or just a well-told story...

So far, so good. I'm 12 chapters in and thoroughly enjoying Melville. It's been awhile since I've read this and remember getting pretty bogged down once the detailed discussion of the use of whale by-products begins (although I do remember learning several new words for "oily").

The book was a free download and the audible version was 99 cents. I've decided to start listening to the classics while I take my dog for her daily 4 mile walk. Being a cheapskate I'm starting with the free books and the 99 cent audible companions. With a Dostoyevsky and a D.H. Lawrence under my belt, I thought I'd take a spin with Melville.

Perhaps listening to the description of whale by-products will be more entertaining than reading it. I think Melville's style lends itself well to being read aloud. I don't remember chuckling so much while reading his descriptions of things and I have been having those descriptions read to me.

The book can be enjoyed on many levels, but I don't think you need to be a literature geek to appreciate the story being told by the main character. If you want to get beyond that and delve into all the symbolism contained here, you may do so; but you may also enjoy just seeing the world through Ishmael's eyes -- he's quite a character (pun intended).

Moby Dick for non English majors.

I am a non English major, so no comments on the opinion. I had never read this book in school. I give this four stars only because of the general information about the whaling industry. I find the style of prose hard to read, although I would have to say in many places it is effective. The book, through the author's or character's observations, describes in a fair amount of detail of life, conditions and use for the whaling industry. There is some condemnation of the uses of parts of the whale by the rich while detailing the lives of the whalers. Without being overly dramatic, the book details hunting of whales, butchering of the whales and the life and dangers of the crew. I won't say why, but I thought the ending was a pretty big letdown. As for all the English majors who want to discuss the meaning and parables about Ahab and chasing the white whale, huh? While much was said of Ahab and his obsession with Moby Dick, the book in its whole seems more of a way to tell readers about all aspects of whaling.

Takes time but well spent it is!

This novel is a ragbag of styles and content.

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Title: Ethan Frome

Author: Edith Wharton

Narrator: Irene Worth

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-14-09

Publisher: Audio Holdings, LLC

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Ethan Frome is a lonely farmer trying to make a living while also tending to his frigid, demanding and ungrateful wife Zeena. Hope enters Ethan's life of despair when his wife's cousin Mattie arrives to help. His life is transformed as he falls in love Mattie but their fate is doomed by the oppressive principles of that era.

©2009 Public Domain; (P)2009 Audio Holdings, LLC

Editorial Reviews:

Edith Whartons Ethan Frome is an elegiac and intensely affecting story about love, responsibility, and the tragic consequences that ensue when they find themselves at odds. It tells the story of the titular Ethan Frome, a man torn between his ill and ill-natured wife and her bright young cousin, with whom he shares a kinship rarely and deeply felt.

Actor Irene Worth performs this gripping audiobook, her voice equal parts tremulous and stern, a perfect fit for straight-laced principles of Fromes old-fashioned world, which find themselves strained to breaking in the course of the novel. Worth has a keen sense for the ebb and flow of this work, and handles its escalating intensity with aplomb.

Members Reviews:

Listening made it fun!

If you could sum up Ethan Frome in three words, what would they be?

Old Testament, Sad

What was one of the most memorable moments of Ethan Frome?

The sled ride.

What does Irene Worth bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Loved the sound of her pronouncing those difficult words. They made sense when she narrated the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no, but could have

Any additional comments?

Found a fun way to enjoy the classics without wading through those difficult words we don't use anymore or have different meanings in our times

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Title: A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers

Author: Henry David Thoreau

Narrator: Jim Killavey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-04-09

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Very similar in style to Walden, and in fact written while he stayed at Walden Pond, this account chronicles Throeau's 1830 boat trip. In it, he weaves together travel writing, essays on religion, history, and lyrical poetry, as well as his own unique philosophy.

Editorial Reviews:

Voice actor Jim Killavey gives a melodious performance of A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, American writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreaus first published book. His rich voice complements the expansive nature of the text, which is rife with symbolism and surprising in its structure. Thoreaus narrative is an account of an excursion he took with his elder brother John in 1839. The pair travelled by boat and on foot, journeying from Concord, Massachusetts, to New Hampshire. The book is a moving memorial tribute to John, who died in 1842.

Members Reviews:

Thoughtful book

This is very much like WALDEN. If you want a fast paced advice book...forget it. This meanders, much like WALDEN, and switches from mundane to profound again and again. A book to savor, not to rush through. Unlike another reader, I had no problem with the reader..he was laid back but that's the kind of book it is. Sound quality was fine at 4.

powerful book and good reading

I have trouble understanding why people download a long book and then blast ( often unfairly as in this case ) the narrator. Samples are provided so you know what you are getting. I like to judge for myself so listened to the sample in spite of a review that had such a "blast."

I liked the sound and got the book. Moral of the story...You would not buy a car without taking a test drive. Don't get a book without listening to the sample and trust your own ears.

Great book. Awful reading.

I would advise listening to the sample a couple time so you can decide where or not you can listen to this recording. I listened to the sample once, and I thought, 'Well, maybe it will grow on me. Give the guy a chance." Well, it didn't grow on me. The narrator of this recording seems to be clueless to the patterns, cadences of Thoreau's gorgeous prose.To my ear this reading is so bad that I'm not sure if I will ever finish this book. He pauses within sentences where he shouldn't, and rushes though phrases where he needs to slow down. He emphasizes unimportant words, and over emphasizes others, all very arbitrarily. The voice subordinates where it should coordinate, and vice versa. It seems, at times, that he is reading one...word...at...a...time. Many of Thoreau's sentences are long and flowing, but the reader seems to not be able to go with the natural flow of human speech. He can't make it though these kinds of sentences in a manner in which the listener can have any sense that he is at the beginning, middle or end of the sentence. You're listening along, and you might be ten words into the next sentence before you realize the last sentence has already ended. Or there's a weird pause and you're trying to figure out if it's the end, and then it just picks up and chugs along like rail cars rolling down a grade, unhitched from the locomotive. It's maddening.

Truly Awful Reader!

I only decided that the reader of "Concord & Merrimack" was not a robot when I listened to his reading of Walden, which is slightly better.

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Title: Emerson: Essential Emerson - Key Works of the American Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Narrator: Don Randall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-30-09

Publisher: Divergent Arts LTD

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Here is an accessible introduction to Emerson's work. It includes essays interspersed with classic Emerson poetry. Included in this audiobook are:"Music", "Divinity School Address", "The Concord Hymn", "Give All to Love", "The Lords of Life", "Experience", "Self Reliance", and "Grace."

(P)2009 Ascendant Audio, LLC

Members Reviews:

Confused...

I'm not sure how to mess up Emerson. The information is priceless and timeless. But the delivery of the reader is pitiful. It sounds like an intoxicated robot trying to be sarcastic... or serious, I'm not sure which. Its a little frustrating. I even want a refund. I've listened to many books by many narrators and have heard good and not so good. This one is bad and has prompted me to leave my first review so that you don't make the same mistake. At least listen to the sample reading... I didn't.

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Title: The Diamond as Big as the Ritz

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Narrator: Jim Roberts

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-24-09

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 35 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

F. Scott Fitzgerald's finest work is generally thought to be The Great Gatsby. However, he also wrote many wonderful short stories. This one, very much like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," shows Fitzgerald's amazing imagination and creativity. What would it be like, Fitzgerald wondered, to be rich beyond the dreams of avarice? This story is his answer.

(P)2009 Jimcin Recordings

Editorial Reviews:

In "The Diamond as big as the Ritz", the always-elegant writer F. Scott Fitzgerald writes an imaginative account of an entrepreneurial family who come to possess a ridiculously large diamond. The story is about American money, history, and racial politics. Jim Roberts narrates the audiobook in a careful, no-frills manner that allows the listener space to really absorb Fitzgerald's pristine prose, and to find buried some rather profound discoveries about human nature.

Members Reviews:

Very Imaginative Story

Would you listen to The Diamond as Big as the Ritz again? Why?

No....it was good but once was enough.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All of them

What does Jim Roberts bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

I made sure I listened to the sample before getting this because a couple of people really did not like the reader but...very few people agreed with them so, I did the logical thing..listened and decided for myself. Sample sounded fine so I got it and and really enjoyed the reading. No idea why those people had such a problem with it..to each his own, I guess.

Any additional comments?

This was a very unusual story for Fitzgerald and he showed he not only can write, but that he has a fantastic imagination. Great story.

How to ruin a classic

One of the great short stories read like a high school textbook to pre-schoolers. The story is 5 stars, maybe 7, but the reading...well, it was only the quality of the story that kept me from tossing the CD out the window. The reading was like a car on bad gas, sputtering, struggling, saved only by the unstoppable momentum of the story. Read it yourself and avoid this.

Horrible narration

What disappointed you about The Diamond as Big as the Ritz?

I am fairly new to Audible. I have purchased 18 titles and this is the only one that I have been unable to finish. I ended my satisfying F.Scott Fitzgerald binge with this sour taste. Oh well, I'll always have Gatsby.

Would you ever listen to anything by F. Scott Fitzgerald again?

I have purchased and enjoyed, "The Great Gatsby", "Tender is the Night", "This Side of Paradise", "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Bernice Bobs Her Hair". I think I'm done with F. Scott for awhile.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Jim Roberts?

Anyone.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment. The book was inexpensive so I wasn't too upset.

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Title: The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Narrator: Adam Sims

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-19-09

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 23 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, Poe's only full novel, is one of his most unusual works. A riveting story, told in the first person, it tells of a disastrous sea voyage involving storms, mutiny, starvation, thirst - and a mysterious conclusion. Jorge Luis Borges and Baudelaire were among those who rated it highly. This recording was timed to mark the 200th anniversary of Poe's birth.

Editorial Reviews:

An unexpected turn of events transforms the novelty of life on the high seas into a nightmare. Going to sea with his best friend, the story's first-person narrator, Arthur Pym, travels the world and miraculously survives abominable horrors - mutiny, shipwreck, abandonment at sea, and hostile natives in the Galapagos. Narrator Adam Sims has a youthful, slightly raspy voice that ideally suits the young narrator. His articulate enunciation and measured pace are consistent throughout the story. To accommodate Poe's lengthy tangents, Sims shifts his tone to match the formality of the historical asides. Through his enthusiastic narration, Sims gives the listener an exciting rendering of Poe's only novel.

Members Reviews:

Hard to Describe...

...but I'll try.

This is a nautical adventure, but the story of A.G. Pym is hardly a fun one. It's also somewhat sci-fi, ending with a fantasical voyage towards the South Pole (echoed later by Jules Verne in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea).

I get the feeling that Poe wanted to make this sound as realistic as possible, so the book starts out fairly straightforwardly---the narrator stows aboard his friend's father's whaling ship, figuring that he'd be a welcome guest once they put out to sea. But, alas, a mutiny occurs, followed by a shipwreck. The surviving characters spend a lot of time starving and dehydrating (this part drags on quite a bit) before they are rescued and head towards the Pole. There, they meet new creatures, new people, new lands.

I should point out that the book is quite guesome...many of characters die, often in an unpleasant manner. And the story ends oddly---almost mid-sentence, with no real resolution.

This book is interesting for historical reasons, more than for its enterainment value (which, in my opinion, is minimal)---Poe was an important author...this is the only novel-length story he published in his lifetime...the sci-fi aspect is one of the earliest examples of that genre. The book has an experimental feel, as if Poe was trying to do something different and new. Apparently, it worked, since Jules Verne (among others) cites it as an inspiration. But I wouldn't call it "fun."

The narrator does a pretty good job with this.

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Title: The Wizard of Oz

Subtitle: Wizard of Oz, Book 1, Special Annotated Edition

Author: L Frank Baum

Narrator: Ron Knowles

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-19-09

Publisher: RP Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 35 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, you join Dorothy on her first adventure in the land of Oz. After a cyclone transports Dorothy to Oz, she must seek out the great wizard in order to return to Kansas. You follow her adventures as she travels with the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion to see the Wizard of Oz then to see Glinda, the good witch.

©2009 RP Audio; (P)2009 RP Audio

Members Reviews:

Prolonged prologue and lacking charm

Very disappointed. A wonderful book that stands the test of 100 years and this audio version seems to miss all of the charm and wit. I have read the Oz books to my children who love them, and bought this version for long car rides. There is a very long prologue which is largely advertising and a laundry list of Baum titles. If you try to skip it, you end up in chapter 2. Needless to say, children are uninterested and irritated by this delay in the story telling. The narrator does change voices for the characters, but lacks the warmth and cheerfulness I would have expected for this book.

Fantastic! My favorite edition of The Wizard of Oz

Would you listen to The Wizard of Oz again? Why?

I tried several others but this is my favorite edition of The Wizard of Oz. I liked the narrator. His voice is pleasant to listen to, and he does a terrific job with voicing the characters in the book. To me it seemed like L Frank Baum himself was reading the book.

I also liked that it is an annotated edition. The notes at the beginning of the added to the experience for me. I didn't know much of anything about Baum or the Oz books, until I listened to it. It gave me a better understanding of it all. Bravo

What other book might you compare The Wizard of Oz to and why?

It's hard to compare The Wizard of Oz to anything else except maybe Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.

What about Ron Knowless performance did you like?

The performance was excellent and one of the best out of all the Oz narrators. His voice is easy to listen to and he does an excellent job voicing the characters. It really did feel to me like L Frank Baum himself was reading the book.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Dorothy could always go home, but she would have missed out on the greatest adventure of her life.

Any additional comments?

Excellent edition of an excellent story.

If you don't Mind a highschool eassy on Frank Baum

Where does The Wizard of Oz rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

This books ranks pretty low honestly the Prologue drags on for way to long. It sounds like a high school student wrote it for speech class on the life and history of Frank Baum. Giving a brief synopsizes of each of the books. It's like its just trying to sell the next books without first getting you to like the book your reading just kind of assuming that you already love the book. It might have been better placed at the end to sell the next book after you find out if you like the story or the characters.

What did you like best about this story?

I bought this as a one of those books you should just have in your library as a classic. But oh my lord this book is RANDOM. If you like the Disk-world series this would be it's predecessor.

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Title: The Country of the Pointed Firs

Author: Sarah Orne Jewett

Narrator: Cindy Hardin Killavey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 02-16-09

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 36 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Ahead of its time with an important social message, and written in the careful prose that marked 19th century literature, The Country of the Pointed Firs is an exciting and memorable narrative creation.

Editorial Reviews:

Cindy Hardin Killavey uses an alert and welcoming tone in her performance of Sarah Orne Jewetts The Country of the Pointed Firs, which Henry James described as a "beautiful little quantum of achievement".

Jewetts 1896 novella takes place in a Maine fishing village named Dunnet Landing. The storys narrator has returned to the fishing village after getting to know it a few years earlier and finds a place to stay with a feisty widow, Mrs. Todd. As she spends time in Dunnet, she gets to know other local characters, like the aging seaman, Captain Littlemore, and Mrs. Todds shy, eccentric brother, William.

Killaveys inflections change to accommodate the regional dialect employed in Jewetts loving evocation of coastal Maine.

Members Reviews:

Unexpected Delight !

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

This book was such a delight. The narrator was very good. She really caught the down home Maine atmosphere in her voice. The author has a knack for writing great descriptions with a minimum of words. You close your eyes and you are right there in the small village on the rocky Maine coast. No wonder its a classic.I liked it so much that I have suggested this book to my book group.

Missing Chapter 21, 22, 23

Audio has background noice of someone else in the next room. You can hear it and very disturbed. Missing chapter 21, 22, and 23.

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Title: The Red Badge of Courage

Author: Stephen Crane

Narrator: William Dufris

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-12-08

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In the spring of 1863, as he faces battle for the first time at Chancellorsville, Virginia, a young Union soldier matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war.

(P)2008 Tantor

Members Reviews:

Red Badge of Courage

I see why this is a classic. Be sure to get the narrator, William Dufris. He is less dry than the other. A GOOD LISTEN.

Narrator great. Book of historical interest.

First, I should say that the narrator did a great job in portraying several characters in a totally believable way.

The novel concerns a young man who enlists in the Civil War and fights in several battles. The perspective of the story is that of how the young man felt and reacted to his situations and how he felt about his reactions. Stephen Crane apparently bridges a gap between an older style of writing where the story was told, to a more modern style where the perspective is on the inner thoughts and feelings of the protagonist. Thus the book will be of interest to civil war buffs and those interested in tracing the progression of American Literature.

Great performance, decent story

I had to read this book for my US history class. The audio book is immensely more enjoyable than actually reading it.