Download New Releases Full Audiobooks in Classics, British Literature

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Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray

Author: Oscar Wilde

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-24-08

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1148 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The wish comes true, and Dorian soon finds that none of his wicked actions have visible consequences. Realizing that he will appear fresh and unspoiled no matter what kind of life he lives, Dorian becomes increasingly corrupt, unchecked by public opinion. Only the portrait grows degenerate and ugly, a powerful symbol of Dorian's internal ruin.

Wilde's dreamlike exploration of life without limits scandalized its late-Victorian audience and has haunted readers' imaginations for more than a hundred years.

Members Reviews:

A Picture of You and Me

There are books you like. There are books you enjoy. There are books you admire. And then there are books that go off in your head like a bomb. Or, rather, fireworks. Bombs can only destroy. Fireworks illuminate. And I havent felt this illuminated by a book since I listened to Michal York reading Brave New Worlda work that pales in comparison.

Like many people, I used to docket Oscar Wilde as a mere maker of glittering, memorable aphorisms and observations. And, indeed, his conversational flourishes can tickle us with their humorous dexterity:

My dear fellow, she tried to found a salon, and only succeeded in opening a restaurant.

Or titillate us with their utter cynicism:

"Young people, nowadays, imagine that money is everything."

"Yes," murmured Lord Henry, settling his button-hole in his coat; "and when they grow older they know it.

Or simply stop us in our tracks with a subtle distinction that has never occurred to us before:

"I didn't say I liked it, Harry. I said it fascinated me. There is a great difference."

"Ah, you have discovered that?" murmured Lord Henry.

We laugh at Wildes humor, admire his penetration or relish his audacityand we take a moment to try to commit what we have just read to memory. But Lord Henry Wotton coins so many aphorisms that, early on, I began to tire of themthe excess of brilliance and scandal, the detonation of so many conversational hand grenades in my ears, made me wonder if Wilde were nothing more than what he seemed in his photographs: a gifted dandy, the petted aesthete who lived on the surface of life, a committed spectator, much like his creation, Lord Henry.

And when, in the books preface, Wilde asserts that, There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all I assumed he was setting forth a principle that would inform the book I was about to hear. That I was entering a world where Art was never good or evil but just well- or ill-wroughta world were, as Lord Henry says, only ugliness is a sin. Like many other readers before me, I assumed wrong.

The more I listened the more Wildes assertion in his preface perplexed me. From the evidence of the story it is absurd: one of the major influences that corrupts Dorian Grey (and this story is all about the power of influences) is a book, lent to him by (who else?) Lord Henry. As the story unfolds it becomes abundantly clear that, for all Lord Henrys wicked witticisms, the real sin is the studied avoidance of ugliness.

In fact, it was the sheer weight of Lord Henrys endless aphorisms and sophisticated cynicism, at first so charming, that gives us the first indication that our trio of friends (Lord Henry, Basil Hallwood and Dorian) have the wrong end of the stick.

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Title: The Lost World

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: Glen McCready

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-25-08

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1219 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Here is the precursor to Jurassic Park. Victorian explorers have heard there is a remote plateau where dinosaurs still survive, and a group set outs on a dangerous mission to find out more about it.

Editorial Reviews:

The creator of Sherlock Holmes delivers a classic adventure fantasy in this tale of a trip by journalists, scientists, and adventurers to investigate rumors of dinosaurs on a mysterious plateau deep in a mythical South American jungle. Much fun and over-the-top adventure ensue. The author is ably supported by Glenn McCready, who delivers a narration very much in the nineteenth-century style. He plays up the characters' big personalities and celebrates the rather orotund style of the writing, which isn't as tight as in the Holmes series. Not for modern-fiction-only readers, this collection will appeal most to lovers of nineteenth-century literature.

Critic Reviews:

"Glen McCready's performance captures the time and tone of Doyle's material perfectly without straying into melodrama." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

Wit and Drama

I love this book, it's hugely entertaining with superbly drawn characters and a rip roaring plot. The reader of this edition, Glen McCready, voices the tale into colourful, energetic, life and really brings out the humour in the writing. I expect I'll listen to this one a few times.

Excellent

One of the great old adventure stories that still holds up today. Glen McCready's narration is perfect. Highly recommended!

Classic Excellence!

Any additional comments?

Stop reading this right now & go download it. 5 stars straight across! There is a reason This book is considered a classic and I for one am thrilled it wasn't ruined by horrible direction or narration. I highly recommend this book.

Great performance of an excellent story!

McCready's performance alone would make this enjoyable even if the book wasn't so well written. The last five hours are especially exciting, fast paced, and filled with adventure. Doyle includes a lot of humor in the book which McCready expertly delivers. I immediately started looking for other books narrated by McCready.

The Original Jurassic Park? Yes and No.

It's amazing how you can be aware of a book all your life, think you know what it is, and then be completely stunned because it's not what you expected at all. If you've seen TV or film versions, you've not experienced the real story. Having said that, the story is a much quicker adventure than I expected, and it almost demands a sequel just to explore what isn't touched upon. Prof. Challenger, especially, is one of those memorable characters of literature who just stays with you because you love to hate him - even though he's not a villain - because it's hard not to share his enthusiasm for the adventure. Every film version I've ever seen paints him the straight-laced gentleman, and it just couldn't be further from Conan Doyle's original. As a surprise, it's quite a bit different from the writing style of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. All in all, it's very much a straightforward, old world adventure, and well worth the short time it takes to go through it.

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Title: Silas Marner

Author: George Eliot

Narrator: Andrew Sachs

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-29-08

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 282 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Exclusively from Audible

For 15 years the weaver Silas Marner has plied his loom near the village of Raveloe, alone and unjustly in exile, cut off from faith and human love, he cares only for his hoard of golden guineas. But two events occur that will change his life forever; his gold disappears and a golden-haired baby girl appears. But where did she come from and who really stole the gold? This moving tale sees Silas eventually redeemed and restored to life by the unlikely means of his love for the orphan child Eppie.

One of Eliot's most admired and loved works, Silas Marner is a tender and moving tale of betrayal, greed, loss, and redemption, with a finely drawn picture of early 19th-century England before the loss of the simple rural way of life. This moral tale shows the importance of valuing what really matters in life and that the hand we are dealt may ultimately lead to our happiness. Though it is Eliot's shortest book it still retains all the elements which are most recognisable and admirable about her work.

George Eliot was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. Her novels, largely set in provincial England, are well known for their realism and psychological insight.

Narrator Biography

Beginning his career in repertory theatre, Andrew Sachs made his screen debut in 1959 in the film The Night We Dropped a Clanger. After numerous television appearances, he finally made his name in the 1970s with his role as Spanish waiter Manuel in Fawlty Towers, for which he was BAFTA nominated. A long career in acting and voiceover work followed, including narrating all five series of the BBC's BAFTA award winning series Troubleshooter (1990-1993), ITV's ...from Hell series (1997-2010) and the spoof documentary series That Peter Kay Thing (2000).

Andrew Sachs radio work includes playing Dr John Watson in four series of The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (2002-2010) for BBC Radio 4 as well as appearing in their adaptation of Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency in 2007. In 2009 he starred as Norris' brother, Ramsay Clegg, in Coronation Street. Andrew Sachs audiobook career is extensive and includes many children's titles, such as Judith Kerr's Mog series.

Members Reviews:

amazing

Would you listen to Silas Marner again? Why?

The story is simply beautiful. Andrew Sachs is perfect, not only in reading it, but in actual playing the different characters, with different voices and even accents.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Silas Marner?

With no doubt, the moment Silas finds the child in the very spot where he had last seen his stolen money.

What does Andrew Sachs bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

the subtle ironies in many of the villagers tones, which, English not being my mother tongue, I would not have guessed by reading it myself.

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

Not quite, but It made me think a lot about human relations. Or rather, about how relations make us human.

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Title: Utopia

Author: Thomas More

Narrator: James Adams

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-29-08

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 273 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The name of this fictitious place, Utopia, coined by More, passed into general usage and has been applied to all such ideal fictions, fantasies, and blueprints for the future, including works by Rabelais, Francis Bacon, Samuel Butler, and several by H. G. Wells, including his A Modern Utopia.

Members Reviews:

More's unobtainable vision of the ideal society

After reading Hilary Mantel's amazing first two Booker-prizing winning books of her Henry VIII trilogy ('Wolf Hall' and 'Bring Up the Bodies'), I felt I needed to actually bust into Thomas More's 'Utopia'. How could I consider myself educated and not have at least tasted a bit of More's utopian ideal, his veiled criticisms of European culture and values, and his unobtainable vision of the ideal society.

At times 'Utopia' seems overdone/overripe, like even More wasn't buying his own brand of guiding, noble principles. Still, 'Utopia' works because it is playful and ironic. I'm not sure I would view it as great (to me it doesn't measure up to either Plato's 'The Republic' or Swift's 'Gulliver's Travels'), but I do believe the interaction between More's brand of political idealism with Cromwell's ruthless pragmatism, ended up creating in England something really GREAT.

Good story, average reading

What did you love best about Utopia?

Its is an interesting look into creating a perfect society and some of the ideas sound valid but certainly do require some discussion. I think some fundamental aspects of human nature make Utopia an impossibility - well worth listening and discussing.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of James Adams?

Simon Vance would have done this book fabulously - Mr Adams fails to bring any distinction between any of the characters and tends to run them together which makes following the text a little tricky. Buy the book - but from another reader.

Understanding the impact of 'Utopia' on fiction

Would you consider the audio edition of Utopia to be better than the print version?

Not better, the print version is essential to the study of the text; but audible is very good way take in the information contained in the original narrative.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

To understand where modern Utopian concepts originated

What does James Adams bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Adams has a tone which is clear, easy to listen to and understand.

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

No, I knew what to expect having read the book before. I used this edition to study the topic in more depth and make use of the time I spend driving.

Any additional comments?

Audible books are great to use as a backup to the written text. They are particularly good to help with recollection. They afford you almost total recall of a narrative.

Fascinating look at the 16th Century

Utopia offers an interesting critical look at live in the 16th century on the one hand as well as proposing an idea for an ideal civilization.

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Title: Kim

Author: Rudyard Kipling

Narrator: Sam Dastor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-16-08

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 350 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Exclusively from Audible

Kipling's masterpiece Kim is his final and most famous work and one of the first and greatest espionage stories ever written. It explores the life of Kimball O'Hara, an Irish orphan who spends his childhood as a vagrant in Lahore. When he befriends an aged Tibetan lama his life is transformed as he is requested to accompany him on a mysterious quest to find the legendary River of the Arrow and achieve Enlightenment. The pilgrimage will take them across the vast continent, across rivers, and up the Himalayas.

While Kim wishes to take part in the imperialistic Great Game, learning espionage from the British secret service, he feels spiritually bound to the lama. Kim has a difficult choice to make: his companion or his country?

A rich and colourful depiction of India's exotic landscape and culture in the imperialistic world of the late 19th century, this audiobook celebrates their friendship and explores a young man's quest for identity.

Rudyard Kipling was an English journalist, short-story writer, poet, and novelist who was the first English language author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Some of his most memorable works include The Jungle Book and Just So Stories.

In 1998 Kim was ranked at Number 78 on the Modern Library's list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. In 2003 it was listed on the BBC's The Big Read poll of the UK's 'best-loved novel'.

Narrator Biography

Three-time Olivier Award winner actor Alex Jennings has had an extensive career with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. His recent stage performances have included Willy Wonka in 2014's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical and Professor Henry Higgins in the 2016 Australian 60th Anniversary production of My Fair Lady. In 2006 he played Prince Charles opposite Helen Mirren in The Queen and has had other roles in films such as Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Babel (2006) and The Lady in the Van (2015). His television work has included the BBC TV series Cranford (2007) and long running legal drama Silk (2011-2014). In 2016 he featured in the Netflix series The Crown and the ITV series Victoria. He has narrated many audiobooks including Attention All Shipping by Charlie Connelly, which in 2008 was chosen as one of the top 40 audiobooks of all time.

Members Reviews:

Astonishing

WIth a scope as broad as the world and as narrow as a single boy, Kipling creates a masterful work. Though we associate him with jingoism and colonial oppression, "Kim" illustrates the author's ambivalence in a way that dashed my preconceptions about him. Unless I'm sorely mistaken, Kim's wisdom and humanity really blossom in his interactions with the natives of India. His innate guile - what catapults him to importance in the "Great Game" - is an act, and only effective because so many odd and wonderful characters willingly put their trust in him. Even the minor characters Kipling draws most broadly and closest to stereotype possess an ineluctable complexity.

The narrator alone would rate five stars.

Books that are Firm Favourites

Would you consider the audio edition of Kim to be better than the print version?

I first met Kim at High School. It was a setbook for our English Literature class. That was over 60 years ago!! I have carried that book around the world with me - I travel quite a lot - and read it on planes and trains.

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Title: Gulliver's Travels

Author: Jonathan Swift

Narrator: David Thorn

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-22-07

Publisher: Alcazar AudioWorks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 184 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Set and written in 1726, This is a marvelously imaginative tale of the four voyages of Lemuel Gulliver. He finds himself shipwrecked and the prisoner of captors ranging in size from 6 inches tall to 60 feet tall and of various other persuasions. But this is just the beginning of a story written, strangely enough to satirize the foolishness and vices of modern men as they were perceived at the time. No one, young or old, can ever forget the Lilliputians and the Yahoos that starred in these wonderful and riveting stories of long ago.

Jonathan Swift (16671745) was an Irish novelist, satirist, poet and political essayist. From a very literary family, his uncle married the daughter of a godson of William Shakespeare, Swift was very well educated, receiving an MA from Oxford University and a Doctorate in Divinity from Trinity College in Dublin.

An ordained priest in the Established Church of Ireland, Swift began writing satire, inspired by his misery in his profession. Politically active, Swift incurred the enmity of enough British nobles, that his career as a minister was over. Swift began writing novels, while also writing political pamphlets promoting Irish causes.

Swift's best known work, Gulliver's Travels is filled with satiric references to his current events, and was an immediate hit, written anonymously, it had to be smuggled into Ireland. The Queen was not amused.

Critic Reviews:

"A masterwork of irony...that contains both a dark and bitter meaning and a joyous, extraordinary creativity of imagination. That's why it has lived for so long." (Malcom Bradbury)

"Swift is such a creature of paradox. His prose was like himself, by turns savage, tidy, playful, and ironic. He was a comic genius." (The Economist)

Members Reviews:

Excellent reading, some recording goofs

I'm not here to review the novel but to review the reading and recording of it as it's presented here. The reader's English accent is delightful, though, if you're not reading along with the text version, he does slur some words together when he is reading a part quickly. He also doesn't read the text word-for-word at times (substitutions, word order inversions, skipped words) but, so far, not too much and not to affect meaning (much). There are several recording goofs, where the reader rereads words and sentences, but not often. Overall, I've enjoyed reading along with this reader/performer. He does a fine job bringing Cpt. Gulliver to life.

Terrific Narration, Very interesting story

Written about 300 years ago this story has aged very well and Gulliver's adventures are event today very entertaining. Gulliver's Travels was meant to mock the hordes of books about adventurous travels released at the time which often exaggerated the dangers faced and the belitteled the intellect of the natives encountered. And so Gulliver meets giants, tiny people, horses which rule over men and people living on a floating island. In addition to the entertainment value these episodes hold it is also very interesting to see how critical Jonathan Swift was of English society and values.

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Title: Our Mutual Friend

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: David Timson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 36 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-15-07

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 775 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A mysterious boatman on the Thames, a drowned heir, a dustman and his wife, and a host of other Dickens characters populate this novel of relationships between the classes, money, greed, and love. The 58 characters are presented with remarkable clarity by David Timson.

© and (P) Naxos Rights International

Critic Reviews:

"With a cast of characters that covers the whole spectrum of London life, Dickens weaves a tapestry of tales that are by turn funny, moving and tragic." (School Library Journal)

"David Timson makes the cavalcade of contemporary types compellingly real." (The Times, London)

"The fact that Dickens is always thought of as a caricaturist, although he was constantly trying to be something else, is perhaps the surest mark of his genius." (George Orwell)

Members Reviews:

A Masterpiece

I have "read" many excellent Audible books, and this is hands down the best one so far. Dickens' beautiful language, intricately woven story lines, insightful observations and vivdly unique characters are tremendously enhanced by David Timson's masterful narration. His pacing is impeccable; never once did I feel he was going too fast or slow. His nuanced interpretation brought the printed words to life. In addition, the sound quality was excellent and consistent throughout the entire 36 hours.

Be aware that some of Dickens' Victorian-era idioms and expressions can be obscure. I found it impossible to fully comprehend them all. In some instances, his descriptions of scenes and/or thoughts are not completely understandable -- but if you just keep listening and let the narrative wash over you, a fascinating picture of the scene develops in your mind.

If you hang in there to the end, you will be rewarded with deep, touching scenes, subtle but enjoyably comedic vignettes, unforgettable characters, a multi-level struggle of good vs evil, and an eminently satisfying ending. A masterpiece on several levels.

Minor quibble: Near the end of Part 5, there is a place in the recording where the equivalent of about two pages of text is abruptly and obviously cut off. I re-downloaded the file and still encountered the issue. After looking up and reading the missing text on Amazon's "Search the Book" feature, I picked up the story again with no harm done.

Terrific

They're all here: schemers and scoundrels, benefactors and ne'er-do-wells, innocents and criminals, in a rich pageant of colorful Victorian characters and complicated, intertwined plots. Our Mutual Friend is wonderfully well written -- much better than Oliver Twist or A Tale of Two Cities. Here, Dickens' social satire is at it's very best. His criticism of the abysmal conditions of the poor in 19th century England, contrasted with the ease and luxury of the rich, is delivered in a touching and entertaining way, and never feels heavy-handed or didactic.

I usually detest dramatic readings of novels. They mostly fail. This is the exception, a real gem. A superb actor, David Timson creates a different voice for each character and makes the book shimmer. Dickens himself gave readings of his work and Our Mutual Friend seems made for performance.

Drift off occasionally and lose track of the plot? No matter. Dickens' marvelous language and Timson's amazing performance make it a pleasure to repeat a passage. And it doesn't really matter. This is a Victorian novel.

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Title: Nicholas Nickleby

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 31 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-15-07

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 932 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

From the dungeon-like Yorkshire boys' boarding school run by the cruel Wackford Squeers to the high-spirited stage of Vincent Crummles' extraordinary acting troupe, Nicholas Nickleby is a triumph of the imagination, bursting with color, humor, and poignant social commentary.

Members Reviews:

A knockout!

Thirty-one hours of pure unalloyed pleasure. The reader is a genius.

Amazing

This book is so little known and should be on the best seller list!!! It is riveting. If you are a fan of classic 19th century literature, you will love it. Nicholas and his sister overcome incredible odds set against them by their unscrupulous Uncle to grow and thrive after losing their father and all financial support. They are devoted to their mother, who is silly and absurd. Touching love stories abound, and the princes rescue the damsels in distress. This is truly a great and enjoyable book with happy endings for the good guys and justice for the bad guys.

Fave Dickens

This is my favorite of all the Dickens novels, and Nicholas is my favorite of all Dickens heroes! I do love David Copperfield, of course, but Nicholas has my heart. I realize the characters Dickens creates are pretty, schmaltzy, is that the word?, but I love them, and I wish I could meet somebody like Nicholas Nickleby. Though the end is, of course, predictable, it is the happily-ever-after ending I always love from Dickens.

Yup, a delight

Robert is right-on. Sheer delight. The reader makes this wonderful book even more alive than on the page. If you like early Dickens, this audiobook is a must.

A classic story and a great listen

I liked this audio book very much. The narration was excellent, with very consistent characterisations throughout.

The story is a classic, and although, in my opinion, it doesn't have the depth and humour of David Copperfield, it is a very engaging story on many levels.

I don't hesitate recommending this audiobook to anyone who wants to dip their toe into a Dickens novel, and I'd recommend also listening to David Copperfield (Unabridged)at some time after this for a complete Charles Dickens experience

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Title: Persuasion

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Juliet Stevenson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-08-07

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3398 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Anne Elliot has grieved for seven years over the loss of her first love, Captain Frederick Wentworth. But events conspire to unravel the knots of deceit and misunderstanding in this beguiling and gently comic story of love and fidelity.

Members Reviews:

Juliet Stevenson is Simply Amazing

Persuasion was the only Jane Austen novel I had not read so I recently decided to remedy that. Juliet Stevenson had cracked me up as the neurotic mother in Bend It Like Beckham, so I was sure I could count on her to bring out the comical side of the story (and Jane Austen always offers up some comedy). But I had no idea Stevenson was such a subtle and talented actress. As the omniscient narrator she sounds sensible, measured, and lovely. She delivers the story while not allowing the listener to get bogged down in Austens sometimes antiquated language. She successfully confers masculinity to the male voices without attempting to impersonate. And the women who are meant to be laughable, such as Annes sister Mary, with them she is ruthless. And its delightful.

In terms of the story this is probably Jane Austens best. Pride and Prejudice will always be my long-standing favorite, having been the first book in my life that I couldn't put down, but Persuasion is Austen's smartest work, and you can sense her own maturity in it (it was her last completed novel). It takes the kind of characters we meet in her other novels and fast-forwards them ten years. These are grown women not girls dealing with love and loss, and learning about second chances.

Need no Persuasion to listen

Juliet Stevenson has a perfect voice to interpret the characters of Persuasion, especially those of the haughty Lord Elliot and his eldest daughter. Having watched her performance as the arrogant vicar's wife in the recent filming of "Emma", I felt that she would provide exactly the right tone. Watching other of her performances in more sympathetic roles also assured me that she would give a strong character to Anne. Very enjoyable.

Download this one, it's the best!!!

If you are trying to decide which of the many version to buy, look no futher, this one cannot be beat. Next to P&P, Persuasion is my favorite Austen book and I've always loved it, but Juliette Stevenson's narration made it even better--she's the audiobook equivalent of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in the BBC production of P&P! Her voice is just a joy to listen to. As soon as the book is over, you'll want to listen to it all over again. What are you waiting for? Download this one!

Beautiful combination

This is among my favorite downloads. It was the perfect combination of story and narrator. Juliet Stevenson has an amazing ability to not just read, but act all the characters, male and female, and to make them come alive before my eyes. I will download all her Jane Austen readings.

Ahh, Jane!

Jane Austen is always a pleasure, and Persuasion is one of my favorites but Juliet Stevenson makes it even better with her excellent reading. I found myself laughing out loud at her characterizations. I'm certain I'll listen to this one again and again.

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Title: Sense & Sensibility

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Susannah Harker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-16-06

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 416 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

When two sisters, Elinor and Marianne, and their mother are left to the financial mercies of John Dashwood and his wife, they find themselves in drastically reduced circumstances.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible Ltd

Members Reviews:

Excellent narration

I chose this version after listening to the audio samples of the many unabridged versions of Sense and Sensibility that Audible offers. I just finished listening to it and I am impressed. Susannah Harker does a fantastic job narrating and the audio quality is excellent as well. If you've only seen the Sense and Sensibility movies, then you need to read the book. The ending is much more fulfilling (as is the entire book) and Jane Austen's writing is full of wit, irony and genius.

You can find a review of the actual book in many places so I won't waste time. I highly recommend this audiobook version though.

A good listen

Except for some overlong pauses between chapters, I thoroughly enjoyed the quality of Susannah Harker's reading and interpretation of the characters. I remember her from the 1995 production of Pride & Prejudice and enjoyed her performance then.

Susannah Harker was amazing...

I listened to the audiobook version of Sense and Sensibility read by Susannah Harker and it was possibly the best audiobook I have ever heard! Yes better than Jim Dale reading Harry Potter (which I also really enjoyed)! If you get a chance to pick up this audiobook version, you should. She is very good at making each character unique and keeping you engaged the whole book. It is unabridged so 14 hours long but well worth it.

Does it get any better than this ?

Although I had read the book many years ago, I bought this audiobook while undergoing chemotherapy. Good choice !! There is nothing more relaxing than listening to the soothing voice of the narrator reading a well-written romance, a classic love story of redemption and the triumph of true love. Romance will never get any better than this.

Graceful, if at times FAST, reading

Susannah Harker performs a gentle but spirited performance; does justice to the voices of the characters by making no one sound ridiculous (or more than they should, anyway!). I exchanged for this version after trying the Juliet Stevenson. I love Stevenson, but she sounded overly heavyhanded in that recording. Harker is extremely even keeled, yet manages to emote quite a lot, especially Lucy Steel's wonderful spite.

My only criticism is that the producers must have sped up some exchanges of dialogue. I doubt it was Harker, because I can't imagine someone reading so fast without needing to draw breath. I imagine compressing the recording time saved money, but it's too bad that about 1 in 4 exchanges go by very, very quickly.