Download Best Sellers Audiobooks in Classics, American Literature

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Title: The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and Other Stories

Author: Mark Twain

Narrator: Walter Zimmerman, Cindy Hardin Killavey, Jack Benson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-17-08

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 11 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A town that prides itself on its honesty finds itself severely tested. One of the demons Twain always set out to slay was the myth that the citizens of the American republic are inherently more virtuous than others. By the invention of an elaborate hoax, a kind of giant practical joke, Twain has his hero turn the town of Hadleyburg inside out and, in the process, teach the hypocrites who dwell there a lesson in humility and moral realism.

There are 12 other stories in this volume that display Twain's incredible range of humor and wit:

Editorial Reviews:

Zimmerman, Killavey, and Benson are the formidable trio of narrators that bring us this collection of short stories by Mark Twain. Twain's satirical writing style and biting wit are showcased in this collection, including the famous Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg. Themes such as life in small-town America, human hypocrisy, lying, manners, and storytelling are explored, but these themes never get in the way of virtuosic storytelling and good old-fashioned entertainment.

Members Reviews:

Good selection, uneven narration

This audiobook, especially if you combine it with its companion recording "The $30,000 Bequest and Other Stories," gets five stars for selection: between them, they present Mark Twain's best short fiction. ("The Mysterious Stranger" doesn't make the cut here, unfortunately; but since most recordings of that story use a text seriously compromised by Twain's literary executor, that may be for the best.)

Unfortunately this audiobook, like "The $30,000 Bequest," suffers from uneven narration -- bad enough in places to bring the rating down to three stars. This in itself is not unusual for recordings of Twain short stories: the temptation to fake the accent, the bluster, or the comic energy seems too strong for most narrators. Probably my favorite recording of a Twain short story is Norman Dietz doing "The Stolen White Elephant" (available on his recording of "The Man Who Corrupted Hadleyburg"). Compared to that, these efforts come in as poor seconds.

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Title: Tanglewood Tales

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Narrator: Walter Zimmerman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-04-08

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Nathaniel Hawthorne has taken some of the most striking and exciting Greek legends and adapted them for young readers. In this retelling, Hawthorne maintains the conceptions held by the original authors. This collection includes "The Minotaur", "The Pygmies", "The Dragon's Teeth", "Circe's Palace", "The Pomegranate Seeds", and "The Golden Fleece".

(P)1980 Jimcin Recordings

Editorial Reviews:

In Tanglewood Tales, Nathaniel Hawthorne has rewritten many Greek myths for children. The work of Hawthorne, famed author of The Scarlet Letter, is always a delight for fans of New England's history or dark romanticism. Although Walter Zimmerman's pitch may seem at times monotone, his deliberate pacing and clear diction make these stories easy to follow. His performance is in keeping with Hawthorne's dark and serious tone. These legends originally targeted children, but today they will appeal most to adult Hawthorne fans, too.

Critic Reviews:

"A collection of Hawthorne's children's stories of fantasy and mythology, all full of heroes and heroines, adventure and danger. Zimmerman is superb in his vocal characterizations of the material that lends itself easily to the aural medium, providing enjoyable listening." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

A wonderful book that intices the imagination.

narrorator was slightly slow and drawn out but I loved the book and I would read it again

tangeld wood tales

i really liked it and i had to do it for school it was awsome

Robotic reading...at best.

The reading of this material was so deadpan, so boring that I could not get beyond about 15 minutes. My 6 year old reads better than this so-called "performance."

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Title: Mr. Sammler's Planet

Author: Saul Bellow

Narrator: Wolfram Kandinsky

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-27-07

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 40 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Mr. Artur Sammler is a man who has lasted, from the civilized England of the '20s and '30s through the war and death camps in Poland. As he moves now through the dangerous streets of New York, curious and disinterested in all he sees, he ponders the future of life on this planet.

©1970 Saul Bellow; (P)1993 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Members Reviews:

annoying narration detracts from story

I got through Chapter 1 and gave up. I was impressed with the writing, but the one-note narration did not encourage me to continue with this in the audiobook format. You may ask if I listened to a sample online before ordering, and I ask myself as well. What was I thinking? I'll have to finish this book in the print format, which isn't the worst fate to suffer.

America is heading to a disastrous fall

If you like to listen to people whine, read this book. If you don't, its a tough listen, but it's a good story

America is going down, that's the message from the 1960's. Given what has happened since, it looks like Saul Bellow is about right.

A holocaust survivor, who saw mighty Europe come undone, sees America's problems and the weakness of modern culture

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Title: The Prairie

Author: James Fenimore Cooper

Narrator: Noah Waterman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-30-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Prairie marks the final chapter in James Fenimore Cooper's great saga of American frontiersman Natty Bumppo. Though nearly 90 in 1804, Bumppo is still competent as a frontiersman and trapper, now on the Great Plains. Once more he is drawn into conflict with society in the form of an emigrant party led by the surly Ishmael Bush and his miscreant brother-in-law, Abiram White. And once again this great man of nature is called upon to exhibit his courage and resourcefulness to rescue the innocent.

Listen to the classics: download more from

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(P)1995 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"We still read Cooper today because he was the first of our authors to seize upon the dramatic possibilities of that unfallen western world that stands at the beginning of our national life." (J. W. Ward)

Members Reviews:

Great Story, Narrator needs help

This is a great story, though not quite as good as the earlier Leatherstocking Tales. The problem is the narrator. First, he seems to be in an incredible hurry. I get nervous just listening to him. He reads at a very fast rate. Second, there is a good deal of ambient noise including the narrators snorting and slurping. Likely this is caused by the rapidity with which he reads.

Other than that, he has a fine voice with good inflections and interest. He jsut needs to slow down.

Prairie

Narrator reads too quickly, makes it difficult to understand at times. Excellent story, but the narrator made listening tedious.

just horrible

The person reading this book is horrible!! What is his hurry? I can't understand half of what he is saying and the deep breaths, what is going on? Very disappointing, I have listened to many fine audio stories and this is the very very very worst narrator that I have ever heard, I do hope he has found a different occupation to spare any future audiences the pain of listening to him.

always like Cooper's books, classic.

I think I have read all there is of Natty Bumpas and his adventures, hell of a ride.

Read just a little fast

Good story. Sad to have the series come to an end. I enjoyed reading the series in chronological order rather than the order written.

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Title: Jo's Boys

Author: Louisa May Alcott

Narrator: C. M. Hébert

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-06-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 59 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Set 10 years after Little Men, Jo's Boys revisits Plumfield, the New England school still presided over by Jo and her husband, Professor Bhaer. Jo's Boys including sailor Emil, promising musician Nat, and rebellious Dan are grown. Jo remains at the center of this tale, holding her boys fast through shipwreck and storm, disappointment...and even murder.

Members Reviews:

Tragedy: Poor Jo Becomes Rich & Famous

After toiling in obscurity, suddenly Jo's stories begin selling. Money came in but so did visitors at all hours. I have no doubt, Ms Alcott was writing of her own vexing experiences with fame. C. M. Hebert does another solid job narrating. I think I have six of her titles. She is very good with Alcott's brand of humor. This is one of several books which follows Jo March's life after Little Women.

Here is romance, a bit of murder, high heroics, little things of interest and a tragedy. Jo and her professor husband, Mr. Bhaer have established Plumfield College. I am a bit vague concerning the philosophical underpinnings of Louisa May Alcott but I think she followed the Transcendentalists of Emerson and company. Think of them as an improvement association for mind, body and soul: no excuses and no shirking of responsibilities allowed. In any case, Plumfield was run on these principles.

Like all Alcott works, this book is packed with humorous anecdotes and funny incidents slyly tucked in among cleverly disguised advice and admonishments. Not bad advice either; it was solid in 1880 and maybe even more solid in 2009.

My Favorite Louisa May Alcott Book

While I love Little Women and Little Men, this is the book that I return to over and over again. The lessons learned by the characters are immortal lessons which seem to have been set aside by our society (to our detriment).

The narrator was really quite wonderful. She gave subtle nuances to the different voices of the characters without sounding ridiculous. This is the exact performance style that makes listening to a book so pleasing. I will listen to it many more times!

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Title: The Diaries of Adam and Eve

Author: Mark Twain

Narrator: Don Randall

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 3 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-17-06

Publisher: Divergent Arts LTD

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 42 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Diaries of Adam and Eve is Twain's humorous take on the myth of the Garden of Eden, as told by the participants. The joys and conflicts described will be familiar to all who labor with and love the opposite sex.

© and (P)2006 Ascendant Audiobooks LLC

Members Reviews:

Mark Twain effectively uses their personal accounts to show how Adam and Eve made sense of life and of each other.

To better understand the behaviors of Adam and Eve - main characters of Jim Jarmusch's upcoming fillm, "Last Lovers Left Alive", I purchased Mark Twain's Diaries of Adam and Eve. Mr. Jarmusch had mentioned Twain's book in an interview after the screening. Later, a friend also mentioned that Twain's book was the basis of a long-running musical play, "The Apple Tree". In any event, the diaries are a delightful, amusing read that highlights the essential differences between male and female.

Perennial delight

Only wish the short story was twice as long!

Last quote from Adam: "Where ever Eve was, Eden was there."

The never ending love story of our mythical founders ....

Twain the Theologian

I love "Eve's" comment: I feel like an experiment!!

Her rationale for freeing Adam of the task of naming things is delicious.

Twain takes liberties with the narrative but the reader learns from it.

It's so sweet

the entire human race should read this book. it goes back to the basic but it isn't an intellectual book it is very simple one but explains very well what the most have forgotten, the importance to have the other in our lives and how we should be content with that and not ask for more. it's a short narration so you may read it at once and older children especially girls may read it to be prepared for matrimony life.

Darn Near Perfect!

Everyone should have read this one by now, but if you're among the few who have somehow overlooked this MT classic, do yourself a favor and buy this edition. It has both the diaries of Adam and Eve, originally published separately, in one volume.

If you've ever been in a relationship, or ever plan to be in a relationship, or need a good reason to AVOID being in a relationship, this is the book for you! Mark Twain at his best!

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Title: The Pioneers

Author: James Fenimore Cooper

Narrator: Jim Killavey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-28-06

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is the fourth in Cooper's series of five books known as the Leatherstocking Tales, which were arranged according to the chronology of their hero, Natty Bumpo.

Critic Reviews:

"The Pioneers is a rich chronicle of early frontier life filled with action, adventure, romance, and history." (The Literature Network)

Members Reviews:

Excellent and Insightful

This book has has many strange twists and turns and is both historical, in the broad sense of historical fiction, and an adventure story. It is written, as were most books back then in a rather rambling and wordy style. This was, after all, way before radio and TV and people liked their entertainment to last. Some readers of today, however, may not have the patience for a work like this. I like to do a little research on the classics I get and found an encyclopedia article that said the book "may be considered one of the first ecological novels in the United States." ( from Wikipedia.org ) That statement intrigued me but turned out to be quite true. There are many discussions in it about conservation and the use of natural resources. Amazing insight

for its time! The narrator was pretty good but made what I thought were a few pronunciation errors. However I checked them out and they were ok - alternatives pronunciations in a couple of cases, but acceptable.

Five Stars

Very good not as good as Deerslayer

Where does The Pioneers rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

Medium it is not as good as the previous books

Would you be willing to try another book from James Fenimore Cooper? Why or why not?

Yes

Have you listened to any of Jim Killaveys other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes very good

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

After the wilderness

Any additional comments?

Good book finishes his other stories that were great.

Poor recording

I very much enjoyed the novel. I was very irritated by the lack of any space between the chapters. Often the new chapter would cut off the last part of the final sentence from the previous chapter. Other than that, I enjoyed part 4 in the Leatherstocking series.

Only if you live in the Leatherstocking Region

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I live here, in the hills of James Fenimore Cooper; so while his narrative drags (it's his first novel, I believe, and characterization? Plot? etc etc seem largely unknown... ) the book offers a picture of life in the 18th century,. For that alone it is fascinating. The pigeon slaughter, the sugaring, the snow... Then aside from Cooper's flaws, the narration was super strange-- tinny voice, reverb, weird skips.

Painfully bad reading of a 1790's country tale

An interesting account of social rituals and the invasions of government into rural life in the 1790's, nearly ruined by the worst reader who has ever massacred a book. Does he pause after every four words hallucinating nonexistent commas, or is he short-winded? Does he accent the wrong words in every sentence because he is reading the text for the first time? The mispronounciations are the least of his sins. This would be a charming comedy of up-country manners, frontier politics, and Revolution-era diction, but the tour is made painful by the halting, spavined nag we are forced to ride.

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Title: Huckleberry Finn

Author: Mark Twain

Narrator: Garrick Hagon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-10-06

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 101 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the comic masterpiece of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, who trained as a river-boat pilot (from which experience he took his pen-name, Mark Twain). His most famous book describes a boy's journey down the Mississippi aboard a raft with the runaway black slave Jim. Their escapades in the Deep South before the American Civil War are a joy in themselves, but they also direct a searching light on a society where slavery and prejudice are taken for granted and civilization is hypocritical and corrupt.

Members Reviews:

Enthralling

Narrator Garrick Hagon is spectacular in his rendering of this fabulous story. I couldn't put it down so to speak.

how could i rate it less

a classic tale of growing up and adventure how could it be rated less than a five unless the reader was awful but he was delightfull i was caught up and transported to a time not my own and full of childhood exploration b4 tv and video games

Huckleberry Finn (Unabridged)

Thinking because it was a classic, it would be a good audio for my 12-year-old son, and I had not heard it before. We stopped listening - as a fault of my own, I did not realize how the story was written. I would not suggest this for an adolescent unless you get the unabridged because of the language used during the time the book takes place.

A classic

This was my first original Mark Twain book. When I was a kid I used to listen for hours to the adventures of Tom Sawyer, but in adapted version. I now tackled the real literature and had high hopes. I was not disappointed!

Nicely narrated by Garrick Hagon, I finally understand why Mark Twain is a favourite with many throughout an extensive period of time!

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Title: Miracle on 34th Street (Dramatized)

Author: Valentine Davies

Narrator: full cast

Format: Original Recording

Length: 1 hr and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-20-05

Publisher: NYS Theatre Institute

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Kris Kringle, forced out of a retirement home for refusing to deny he is Santa Claus, is hired as a seasonal Santa at Macy's in Manhattan. Customers warmly accept him as the very spirit of the season. Susan, the young daughter of Doris Walker, the store's personnel director, likes Kris but does not believe in Santa Claus and tells him that he is merely a Macy's employee. Other children believe that he is the genuine, legendary Real Thing.

When Kris begins recommending that customers shop for the best deal, even if that sends them to competitors, people congratulate the store for its good will and business booms. Mr. Macy is quite happy about that...until some of his employees plot to get rid of him by having him declared insane. Attorney Fred Gailey, Doris' suitor, shows her and Susan the beauty of faith and proves there is a Santa Claus (Kris Kringle) in a court of law.

Audiobook cast principals(in order of appearance):

John Romeo as Kris Kringle

Byron Nilsson as Dr. Pierce

Eric Rose as Jim, the Zookeeper

Elsabeth S. Rogers as Dors

Mary Jane Hansen as Miss Adams

John McGuire as Mr. Shellhammer/Al

Michael Steese as Drunken Santa/Finley

Mort Hess as Mr. Macy

David Bunce as Mr. Sawyer/Lou

Joel Aroeste as Mr. Gimbel/Judge Harper

Marva Ray as Cleo

Timothy Booth as Fred

Alyson Lange as Susan

Meredith Bull as Maryke

Joe Quandt as Mr. Mara

Ron Komora as Charlie Halloran/Dr. Rogers

Will Dedrick as Tommy Mara

Members Reviews:

OK, not great.

Any additional comments?

This is a fairly faithful reading of the movie, but there's a lot lost in the translation.

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Title: Three Lives

Author: Gertrude Stein

Narrator: Walter Zimmerman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-01-05

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 29 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

These stories reveal a young Gertrude Stein, who has begun to experiment with language but is still rooted to some extent in traditional narrative.

Critic Reviews:

"A fine new kind of realism. (William James)

"First true representation of an African-American in American literature." (Richard Wright)

Members Reviews:

1

I normally put my review of the production of the audiobook at the end. Except for when the production is bad. The production was bad. So, I've not put the review of the production at the end. The production was bad because it sounded like it was a copy of a tape that wasn't the master tape. It sounded like someone used a cheap Walmart microphone and recorded it on tape that had been left in Gertrude Stein's hot Parisian attic, and was trying to salvage the recording by playing the tape in the bathroom and recording it with a Walmart microphone in the bathroom. They used a Walmart microphone and used an old tape and it sounded so bad I couldn't put the production part of the review at the end. I had to put it at the beginning. Because it was that bad.

****

These stories were certainly interesting. Each of these stories was interesting. Certainly, after reading them, I thought each of the stories by Gertrude Stein interesting. When I read them, I never knew if I could stand them enough to find them interesting. I did, however, stand them and by the end I did find them mostly interesting.

The second story was certainly the strongest. The second story was "Melanctha" and I think it was the strongest. It certainly was the longest. The flow of this novella, although long and repetitive, was still strong. "The Good Anna" was the first story and wasn't as long as the longest story which was "Melanctha". The last story was "The Gentle Lena" which could have been named "the Passive Lena". Everybody bosses Lena around, which makes her passive. That is why it could have been named The Passive Lena. But it was the last story, and Stein called it "The Gentle Lena" and she is the boss of her own book I guess. She wasn't passive about naming the stories in her own book. It was her book.

I didn't hate these stories and found these experimental stories interesting. I just didn't love them. Each of the stories was interesting. The most interesting was "Melanctha". "Melanctha" was the longest, but also most interesting. Perhaps it was the race theme of "Melanctha". Anyway, I'm glad I read these interesting, repetitive stories which I didn't love. I found each interesting. Just not interesting to read again and while I trusted the stories I just couldn't love them, or keep my mind from wandering.

Fine literature. Terrible production.

The production value is abysmal. The sound is thin and distorted. It also echoes. Difficult to get beyond that. Finis.

Mechanic narrator

Fascinating and important book for the advancement of literary modernism but the narrator is so mechanic (is it a computer?) that it seriously detracts from the experience.

Genius

What made the experience of listening to Three Lives the most enjoyable?

Three Lives was most enjoyable because it was a great depiction of regular people in everyday relationships. The repetition of the sentences was a great technique to show how we say over an over the things we are pondering either to ourselves or to others.