Download New Releases Full Audiobooks in Classics, British Literature

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Title: The Old Curiosity Shop

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Anton Lesser

Format: Unabridged

Length: 22 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-09-09

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 292 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Death, innocence, sacrifice and corruption - The Old Curiosity Shop is vintage Dickens. Provoking an unprecedented outpouring of public grief when it was first published, it follows the story of Little Nell and her feckless grandfather. Forced to leave their magical shop of curiosities in London, they are pursued across the English countryside by the grotesquely evil dwarf Quilp. They escape - but at what cost?

Part tragedy, part allegory, this is Dickens at his most intense; drawing on his own experiences, he weaves a story of extraordinary emotional power.

Members Reviews:

Outstanding Narration

After listening to Mr Lesser's narration, I was reminded how enjoyable the book was the first time I read it. Mr Lesser using his acting skills to the fullest, and his understanding of the characters comes through in his narration. It felt as if Quilp was actually narrating the script himself. I listened to the book in only a week, and I couldn't recommend a better book to listen to.

The story itself was pieced together by Dickens and was never meant to become a novel. However, the narration makes it sound as if the continuity flowed---something I could not manage when reading it myself.

A wonderful journey through Dicken's England.

This novel lacks some of the drama of stories such as Oliver Twist, but Dickens nevertheless takes the reader on a colourful and often touching journey into the best and worst of human nature. Anton Lesser's somewhat softer voice seems to do more justice to the feminine and younger characters of this story than some of the other narrators I have heard. I thoroughly recommend this audiobook, but do caution the listener to be prepared for an unexpected ending.

Dickens and Lesser

Anton Lesser does a fabulous job of reading Dickens. And the book is just as touching and interesting now as it was when crowds gathered to find out if Little Nell had died. Listening to Dickens read by someone who knows all the different dialects contributes immensely to appreciating the worlds D. creates.

Good but not the best of Dickens

The story is a bit disjointed and sentimental for my taste but Anton Lesser's performance makes it a classic

GREAT performance!

If you could sum up The Old Curiosity Shop in three words, what would they be?

Charming, emotional, and polished.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Either Mr. Swiveller because of his humor or Kit Nubbles for his genuine honesty.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Mr. Swiveller falls ill and finds himself waking weeks later in the care of the servant girl, whom he affectionately and ironically named the Marchionesse. His fair treatment of her when she was the lowest of servants was repaid by her taking care of him, perhaps even saving his life.

Any additional comments?

The performance of the narrator, Anton Lesser, is second to none. With a variety of voices easily recognized throughout the story and with such emotion in a believable manner, this has to be one of the best narrators I've ever heard on Audible.

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Title: Jane Eyre

Author: Charlotte Brontë

Narrator: Juliet Stevenson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-31-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1307 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The work tells the story of Jane's early life, her experience at Lowood School and as a governess. Her refusal to accept Rochester's love on any but her own strictly moral terms is a passionate cry for independence.

©2006 BBC Audiobooks; (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Superb narration of a great romantic classic

Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre, narrated by the incomparable Juliet Stevenson. Sigh. This is classical romance at its best.

Some who read rather than listen may find parts slow, unrealistic and liberally laced with purple prose. But not so listening to Stevenson. Her voice envelopes the high morality of Victorian England, the expressions of love, sacrifice, pain, confusion, desperation and transports these into the realm of prose-music. Her voice caresses the words. She transforms the coincidences and high drama to the level of probability. She gentles the listener into suspending belief and luxuriating in the outpouring of human emotions, the urgency of secret love and devotion, the unquestioning correctness of sacrifice, the terror of the insane.

Romantics will be enthralled by the barriers to the consummation of love, the very least being the class system and Victorian self restraint.

Stevenson's narration is better than good. This is great classic, read superbly.

Fabulous book and narrator

Jane Eyre is, of course, a fabulous book. But when narrated by Juliet Stevenson, it is brought to life in the most satisfying way. I have loved listening to this book and getting to know the characters (again) through Ms. Stevenson's lively narration.

Wonderful narrator

Juliet Stevenson is my favourite narrator, period. She understands the characters, and plays them amazingly. Some of the books I choose to listen is because of her narration, and not the book itself (although it obviously plays a role in the matter).

Perfect in Every Way

I am an AudioBook Narrator and so judge these things perhaps too harshly. But this performance by Juliet Stevenson is absolute perfection. The headphones never left my ears for days.

I cannot recommend this too highly.

Excellent, but second best...

Jane Eyre is, for me, the greatest of all classic British literature. It is a remarkable gift to have such a magnificent novel read by such capable readers. While Juliet Stevenson does an excellent job, I find the older (and less expensive) version read by Lucy Scott to be as exceptional as the book itself. Stevenson has bit deeper a British accent, while Scott maintains a greater clarity of speech while creating an authentic English tone.

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Title: The Return of the Native

Author: Thomas Hardy

Narrator: Alan Rickman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-28-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 521 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

Exclusively from Audible

Set on Egdon Heath, a fictional barren moor in Wessex, Eustacia Vye longs for the excitement of city life but is cut off from the world in her grandfather's lonely cottage. Clym Yeobright who has returned to the area to become a schoolmaster seems to offer everything she dreams of: passion, excitement and the opportunity to escape. However, Clym's ambitions are quite different from hers, and marriage only increases Eustacia's destructive restlessness, drawing others into a tangled web of deceit and unhappiness.

Considered a truly modern story due to its sexual politics and hindered desires it still holds relevance to audiences today. There is a tension between the symbolic setting of the heath and the modernity of the characters that makes the listener question our freedom to the shape our lives as we wish. Are we always able to live our dreams?

Like George Eliot, Hardy was a Victorian realist whose novels and poetry were greatly influenced by Romanticism, especially the poet William Wordsworth. His critical thoughts on Victorian society can be seen throughout much of his work.

Narrator Biography

Multi-award winning actor and director Alan Rickman, famous for roles such as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films and the Sherriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991), had a varied career that included performing on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company in modern and classical theatre productions. In America, he gained recognition for his Broadway appearance in Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1985) and later his role in Die Hard (1988) made him internationally famous. Other notable performances included his 2001 return to the West End and Broadway in Noël Coward's Private Lives and Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman in 2010. Rickman is most remembered for his roles in films such as Love Actually (2003) and Sweeney Todd (2007) as well as voicing Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005), and Absalom the Caterpillar in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Critic Reviews:

"Rickman's voice is masculine and seductive; yet by altering tempo, modulating tone, he becomes Hardy's women and children, utterly compelling as he projects all ranges of emotion. His individualizing dialogue of the human-sized characters, that country chorus who form the backdrop of normality for Hardy's titanic lovers, is brilliant." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Might Be My Favorite Audiobook of All Time!

I love Thomas Hardy, and can't recommend his books highly enough, but this reading stands out because Rickman's enunciation is so perfect and his expression so dramatic. It perfectly suits the story in a way that is almost musical. The beginning of the book is like a painting in words and is so beautiful to hear. (but I think I could enjoy Alan Rickman reading the telephone book). It's wonderful to listen a book with so much poetry read so carefully. This is the story of Eustacia Vye, the most beautifully named character in all of fiction. I highly recommend it.

A Perfect Pairing

One of the most satisfying audio productions I've listened to--a case where the audio version was more enjoyable to me than the text because of the pefect pairing of 2 artists.

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Title: David Copperfield

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 33 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-30-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1933 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In David Copperfield - the novel he described as his "favorite child" - Dickens drew revealingly on his own experiences to create one of his most exuberant and enduringly popular works, filled with tragedy and comedy in equal measure.

Editorial Reviews:

At 34 hours in length, this is quite an undertaking, but there's no one better qualified than Simon Vance to lead us through this audio journey. He parses the author's long sentences well, pausing sufficiently to make the details easy to follow while still maintaining a quick enough pace to keep the story going. Most enjoyable is his voicing of the myriad characters who appear in the narrative - and characters they certainly are. Vance times their occasionally hilarious exchanges especially well. All of this is delivered in a manner that suggests that Vance revels in Dickens's prose and sly humor, and the listener cannot help but revel along with him. Three cheers for Vance - and not the least for his stamina!

Members Reviews:

Simply Amazing

I was admittedly intimidated by the length of this work and have passed reading this book in the past. However, my like of all things Dickens drove me to purchase this book and I have to say, it is one of the most delightful reads in my experience. Simon Vance is an amazing narrator and brings this story to life. The story is so full of richness and experience. I highly recommend this book.

Truly inspired.

Incredible English classic read by a most gifted narrator. I honestly became quite sad when the story was ending. Most highly recommended.

Great classic story narrated perfectly

Excellent story, excellent narrator. Charles Dickens' story brought to life.

"I am born."

Wow, was I ever. This was the first Dickens I read "voluntarily". It is well appreciated in my present reading. I know there is another reading of this story on Audible & I am here to say that I couldn't be happier w/ Simon Vance's version. From his "Maser Davey" of Mr Peggotty to his villanous "Copperfield" of Uriah Heap, Mr Vance is up for the duty of telling this increible story. I went to this book after listening to "The Last Dickens", purchashed here on Audible. That book introduced me to the American Superstar that was Charles Dickens. Could you just imagine waiting for these monthly installments in 1850? This book is a flawless study of all that humanity has to offer. Charles Dickens was able to put a masterpiece together in masterful pieces. Treat your spirit to this novel. It will give you the strength of the ages. Some things are simply timeless.

Excellent presentation of a great story.

Not much to say about Dickens or "David Copperfield." It's a classic. It's one of his greatest works, full of sharp, vivid characters and subtle emotions that take many chapters to bloom. Amazing work. A student of writing can examine this the rest of their life and never put a finger on exactly how Dickens succeeds in leading the story to the powerful conclusions and climaxes it reaches. At times it is literally, quite literally, breathtaking.

Simon Vance is an excellent reader and handles this book well. No complaints at all. My own opinion is that Robert Whitfield manages Dickens just a little bit better, with a slightly more insightful nuance at points. I couldn't explain that if I had to, but that's my impression.

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Title: Treasure Island

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Narrator: Neil Hunt

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-10-09

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1748 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

By journey's end he will have faced murder, mutiny, and mayhem - and in the process, become a man. Narrator Neil Hunt brings to life the characters Robert Louis Stevenson made so memorable: Black Dog, Blind Pew, Billy Bones, George Merry, Israel Hands, and Ben Gunn.

Editorial Reviews:

"Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!" "X marks the spot!" Long John Silver with his parrot on his arm! Treasure Island, the 1883 masterpiece by the great Scot Robert Louis Stevenson, set the course for all-things-pirate to come. Its influence is inestimable.

This story of buccaneers seeking buried treasure on an island off the coast of Mexico is told through the eyes of Jim Hawkins, a teenager who gets mixed up in the pirate crowd. Hawkins is brought to life in this audiobook by the expert Neil Hunt, whose British tenor playfully rises and falls with the churn of the waves and the mayhem wrought by Billy Bones, Ben Gunn, and other immortal characters of this swashbuckling epic.

Members Reviews:

This edition is ABRIDGED

HEADS UP!

This is not the original 'as published' edition of Treasure Island and nowhere in the publisher's information or description of the book on Audible does it tell you that this is an expurgated version meant for children.

Audible describes this book as "Unabridged" because in the audio version there are no changes from the paper edition BUT it never tells you that the paper edition itself is an abridgement of the original work. If you compare this audio edition with other audio versions offered on Audible, you will note that this recording is two hours shorter than other versions.

If you are looking for the "as published" edition, this is not it. If I had known it wasn't, I would not have bought the book--and I have learned that when it comes to classics on Audible, that "unabridged" doesn't necessarily mean "as published." (Audible, do you think you can do something about making this more clear in the future?)

An excellent job on a classic tale.

I was first introduced to this classic tale of pirates and adventure in preschool, where they had one of those dramatized abridgements that little kids often listen to before they read the full story. It wasn't until many years later that my brother began devoting some time each day to reading me the story, which he had received as a gift from an old teacher of mine in the hope that he might read it to me at some point. Due to my brother's moving out to go to college, however, we never finished it.

Three years ago now I found the unabridged version on CD, narrated by Neil Hunt. This being a copy obtained from my local public library however, some disks were damaged. So I was elated when I found that self same version here on Audible. Neil Hunt's narration is excellently done. All his portrayals, from Jim Hawkins to Israel Hands to Livesy to Long John Silver, are excellent. Needless to say I couldn't stop listening for more than a few minutes. Of course I've noticed that Recorded Books Incorporated, the company responsible for this unabridged recording, seems to have a nack for picking excellent narrators for their books, and Treasure Island is no exception.

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Title: Mansfield Park

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Wanda McCaddon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-04-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 593 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Shy, fragile Fanny Price is the consummate "poor relation". Sent to live with her wealthy uncle Thomas, she clashes with his spoiled, selfish daughters and falls in love with his son. Their lives are further complicated by the arrival of a pair of witty, sophisticated Londoners, whose flair for flirtation collides with the quiet, conservative country ways of Mansfield Park.

Written several years after the early manuscripts that eventually became Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park retains Jane Austen's familiar compassion and humor but offers a far more complex exploration of moral choices and their emotional consequences.

Editorial Reviews:

Fanny Price, one of a dozen children born into a family that can ill afford so many, is sent at the age of 10 to live with her wealthy relatives. In typical Jane Austen form, immutable laws of propriety frame acts both vicious and virtuous, enabling Fanny to find her place in the world. Wanda McCaddon is the ideal choice to present this classic. Her impeccable elocution fits Austen's persnickety style. McCaddon gives a soft, sweet cadence to Fanny's thoughts and words while conveying all the author's derision toward the story's shallow characters. Both story and performance deliver a nineteenth-century "tell-all" just as impossible to resist as the tabloids in the checkout line.

Members Reviews:

Nicely narrated

Would you listen to Mansfield Park again? Why?

It's likely I would listen to this again. I enjoyed it more this time, both reading on my Fire and listening at the same time, than I have previously.

What other book might you compare Mansfield Park to and why?

Mansfield Park is a typical Austin satire on manners and morals of British society and can be compared pretty much to any of her others. Those who like Austin might find themselves liking Thackeray's *Vanity Fair*, too. I consider him a superior author to Austin.

What does Wanda McCaddon bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Her voice has character, but character that matches the story and doesn't distract from it. Her characterizations are (generally) well done, and sometimes very well done.

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

My last reading of Mansfield Park didn't impress me much, so I was surprised to find that this time I did want to keep going until it was done. I got much more out of it, perhaps because of my own level of maturity increasing, as well as Wanda McCaddon's narration.

Love it

Narrator was great for the price and this is by far one of my top Jane Austen books, I suggest it.

Good Story, hard to listen to

What made the experience of listening to Mansfield Park the most enjoyable?

I liked the variation of the characters and their interaction with eachother,

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Wanda McCaddon?

I have several of Jane Austen's books on tape and I would prefer hearing Kate Redding

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed the book, but the narration was hard to hear. I often listen while driving and some of the narrator's character voices were softer than others and I missed the dialogue. I would not listen to another book narrated by Wanda McCaddon.

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Title: A Tale of Two Cities [Tantor]

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-03-09

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3667 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This novel provides a highly charged examination of human suffering and human sacrifice, private experience and public history, during the French Revolution.

A Tale of Two Cities is one of Charles Dickens's most exciting novels. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, it tells the story of a family threatened by the terrible events of the past. Doctor Manette was wrongly imprisoned in the Bastille for 18 years without trial by the aristocratic authorities. Finally released, he is reunited with his daughter, Lucie, who despite her French ancestry has been brought up in London. Lucie falls in love with Charles Darnay, another expatriate, who has abandoned wealth and a title in France because of his political convictions. When revolution breaks out in Paris, Darnay returns to the city to help an old family servant, but there he is arrested because of the crimes committed by his relations. His wife, Lucie, their young daughter, and her aged father follow him across the channel, thus putting all their lives in danger.

Editorial Reviews:

Charles Dickens's classic of the French Revolution is expertly dramatized by Simon Vance. It's also a grand romance. Charles Darnay, the French émigré who relinquishes his title in disgust at the poverty wrought upon the peasants by the titled class, and Sydney Carton, the world-weary drunken London barrister, both love Lucie, the daughter of the unjustly imprisoned Dr. Alexandre Manette. Vance will have listeners weeping as Carton greets Madame Guillotine with some of the most famous lines in literature. Carton's depression and ultimate redemption are crystal clear; Madame Defarge, with her clicking knitting needles, takes on appropriate menace; and Jarvis Lorry, the reliable "man of business," loves Lucie as if she were his daughter.

Members Reviews:

it's the singer not the song*

tale of 2 cities is tale of 2 cities. it's a landmark novel. it's my favorite Dickens. and this is the best of the versions. i have several versions and this is the one.

it is Simon Vance that makes the difference. he's perfect in this narration. he's better than any other. perfect articulation. perfect cadence. perfect tone. perfect meter. a perfect version.

in fact, i believe, this is one of the best of the audiobooks on audible. i have listened to this one over and over. maybe i've put it on a dozen times. why? this reading is poetry of sound and story. this is a pleasure to hear.

i hope you enjoy it.

-m

* Mick Jagger

A classic, honored.

I am a fairly well-read person, yet I'd managed to miss this cornerstone work for my entire life. I am very glad that I encountered it in the voice of Simon Vance. He is a superb reader, with a fine sense of timing and drama. I was riveted by the story and (I admit it) I wept at the end, sobbed like a baby. Maybe it was good that I waited so long to get to this great book!

Truly a Classic

"A Tale of Two Cities" is the best selling book of all time and Charles Dickens is easily one of the world's most iconic writers. Add the great narration that we've come to expect from Simon Vance and you have an Audible Classic that one will thoroughly enjoy.

Charles Dickens did a great job when he wrote this book and the sales of book over time does tell you why. This is one of those timeless classics that you can't help but enjoy.

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Title: The Warden: Timothy West Version

Author: Anthony Trollope

Narrator: Timothy West

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-09-09

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 419 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Exclusively from Audible

The first of six in Trollope's series of the Chronicles of Barsetshire introducing the fictional cathedral town of Barchester and the characters of Septimus Harding, the Warden, and his son-in-law Archdeacon Grantly.

The Warden concerns the moral dilemma of the conscientious Reverend Septimus Harding, who finds himself at the centre of a bitter conflict between defenders of Church privilege and the reformers of the mid-Victorian period.

His daughter's suitor, John Bold, is a political radical and passionate reformer who launches a campaign against Harding's management of the financial affairs of the charity, thus shattering the atmosphere of the once tranquil town of Barchester. The scandal is not improved when Harding's indelicate son-in-law, Archdeacon Grantly, leaps to his defence.

The audiobook is a charming social comedy and love story that portrays life in an English cathedral town whilst looking at the larger social and political issues.

The Warden was Trollope's first literary success which paved the way for him to later leave his career as a Post Office Inspector and become a prolific and much-respected author of the Victorian era. He eventually published 47 novels, many of which are still popular and well-loved today due to their timeless quality and parallels with contemporary society.

Narrator Biography

Timothy West is prolific in film, television, theatre, and audiobooks. He has narrated a number of Anthony Trollope's classic audiobooks, including the six Chronicles of Barsetshire and The Pallisers series. He has also narrated volumes of Simon Schama's A History of Britain and John Mortimer's Rumpole on Trial.

Timothy West's theatrical credits include King Lear, The Vote, Uncle Vanya, A Number, Quarter, and Coriolanus and his films include Ever After, Joan Of Arc, Endgame, Iris, and The Day of the Jackal. On television, Timothy has appeared in Broken Biscuits (BBC), Great Canal Journeys (across 3 Series), and the regular role of Stan Carter on EastEnders (BBC).

Members Reviews:

The Old Man & His Terrific and Single Daughter

Along with some romance, this is a broadside of satire directed at the gentlemen of the press and of the law. Anthony Trollope beards the lion in its den with this story of the power of a self-important press to inflict great damage on individuals and institutions. Under the guise of public interest reform, a newspaper runs stories which result in the resignation of a decent and kind old man Mr. Harding, as well as the virtual shut down of a charitable, well run, old folk's home. While these are matters of no moment to the newspaper editor except as sensational stories which sells papers, there is real pain and damage inflicted on the innocent. One might conclude from this book: doing what is lawful is not always the same as doing what is right or just. I just love the way this gentle, easily guided, old man takes matters into his own hands and overturns the apple carts and plans of those who considered themselves better suited to guide him than his own principles.

Timothy West's performance of this work cannot be praised enough. He somehow manages the trick of capturing Trollope's brand of humor and subtle jabs and making it accessible to the listener.

A witty Story

This book was written in 1852. I was unaware of A.

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Title: Robinson Crusoe

Author: Daniel Defoe

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-08

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 674 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This classic tale of shipwreck and survival on an uninhabited island was an instant success when first published in 1719, and it has inspired countless imitations.

In his own words, Robinson Crusoe tells of the terrible storm that drowned all his shipmates and left him marooned on a deserted island. Forced to overcome despair, doubt, and self-pity, he struggles to create a life for himself in the wilderness. From practically nothing, Crusoe painstakingly learns how to make pottery, grow crops, domesticate livestock, and build a house. His many adventures are recounted in vivid detail, including a fierce battle with cannibals and his rescue of Friday, the man who becomes his trusted companion.

Full of enchanting detail and daring heroics, Robinson Crusoe is a celebration of courage, patience, ingenuity, and hard work.

Members Reviews:

Fantastic Story and Excellent Narration

Exciting storyline and excellent narration really brings this book to life. I could listen to Simon Vance read the phone book. :)

Great story but with moments that made me cringe

Robinson Crusoe is a great story, but it has some cringe-able moments. The big one, the one I didn't remember from high school, was the purpose of Crusoe's voyage when he was shipwrecked on the island: he was the supercargo on a slave ship, intending to buy "slaves for trinkets" on the west coast of Africa, some of them destined for his own slave plantation in Brazil. It would be nice to report that by the end of the book, after his association with Friday, he came to realize the trade was evil, but such is not the case.

The first word he teaches Friday is the name he decided to call him by - the day of the week on which he rescued Friday from cannibals. (He never bothers trying to learn Friday's original name in his own language.) The second word he teaches him is the name by which he wants to be addressed: Master.

This bothered me enough that I spent some time looking up the history of abolitionism in England. Apparently it didn't really take off until another generation or two after the book was written (in 1719). So Defoe doesn't quite get a free pass in my book for this, but at least it can be argued that he was simply not ahead of his time on this issue.

Still, it's a great story, and well worth listening to. Crusoe pieces together a life of reasonable comfort, using flotsam from the wreck that stranded him on the island, and a bit of ingenuity. He keeps track of time by cutting notches in a post. He discovers living seeds among the trash he brought back, and by careful experimenting over several years, he is able to raise a respectable crop of wheat. He comes to a kind of accommodation with the cannibals who periodically visit the island: he realizes that he has no right to kill them just because he abhors their way of life.

But eventually he does kill a few and rescue one of their fellow cannibals, who was about to become a meal himself. This young man he names Friday. As Friday learns English and they begin having more substantial conversations, Crusoe tries to teach him Christianity. (I have to admit that I found Friday's questions and objections more persuasive than Crusoe's answers.) Eventually they are rescued and leave the island.

A major loose end in the plot concerns Friday's father and a small group of Spanish soldiers, whom Friday and Crusoe rescue from yet another band of cannibals.

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Title: David Copperfield

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Martin Jarvis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 34 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-15-08

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 525 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

When David Copperfield escapes from the cruelty of his childhood home, he embarks on a journey to adulthood which leads him through comedy and tragedy, love and heartbreak, and friendship and betrayal.

Public Domain ©2008 BBC Audiobooks Ltd; (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Perfect narrator for one of the best classics.

Reading David Copperfield is always a great pleasure, but listening to a superb reader makes is doubly so. I have listened to four different people narrate this classic, and Jarvis stands tall as the best. He simply offers an outstanding performance. There's no need to give a synopsis of David Copperield, I just want to encourage Audible members to choose this version since the reader makes it more enjoyable than other performers who have narrted the classic tale. Download it and travel back in time to the Dickensian world.

David Copperfield - Perfection

This audio book is, in my opinion, quite simply the most rewarding listening possible.

David Copperfield is rightly considered a classic. It is a wonderful book that sweeps through a life and has such characters in it as would pitch the listener between pity, anger and farce. I lost count of the times I laughed out loud and on several occasions I was moved almost to tears.

This reading enhances the reputation of classic in almost every way. Superb narration, diction and tempo, consistent and effortless characterizations and a pretty good recording make this audio book the highlight of my Audible association.

Can't recommend this any higher

Enchanting.

This was the first audiobook I have ever listened to, and I am so glad I chose this one for my initiation. Martin Jarvis is simply amazing; a truly talented man. I never tired of listening to his voice-- his accent is perfect. He performs all of the voices of the characters (which are numerous) with such skill, it almost felt like I was listening to a whole cast rather than this one amazing actor. The book itself is wonderful. I was never fond of reading Dickens, but hearing it "performed" in this manner has made me a Dickens fan. You won't regret listening to this one.

Absorbing story expertly narrated

I was a real pleasure listening to this book. Martin Jarvis is a master. He is perhaps my favorite narrator of all. His voice is lovely, and he has created a dozen or so unique character voices that he somehow manages to keep straight throughout. Moreover, he moves effortlessly between character and narrator, giving us a seamless listen.

The story itself is so rich in description and detail that I am transported body and soul to Victorian England. The dialog is beautifully written and makes me yearn for the gentility of centuries past.

Highly recommended.

Brilliant Narrator

Martin Jarvis' narration of this book was nothing short of brilliant. He really made the characters come to life and coloured in the story. It was like seeing a black and white film in colour for the first time. I'm working my way through all of Dickens books and am really glad I got this one. I'll certainly be looking forward to hearing more of Jarvis.

This book was not quite as action packed and fraught with evil deeds as some of Dickens' other works, but it's a good tale all the same. It's fascinating to watch as the characters develop and change over time. It's fun, positive and full of characters that seem like old friends by the time you finish.