Download New Releases Full Audiobooks in Classics, British Literature

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Title: Jane Eyre

Subtitle: A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatization

Author: Charlotte Bronte

Narrator: Amanda Hale, Tom Burke

Format: Original Recording

Length: 2 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-05-16

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Ltd.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 112 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Amanda Hale and Tom Burke star in a brand new BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Charlotte Brontë's most beloved novel, adapted by Rachel Joyce.

Orphan Jane learns at an early age that self-control is the surest means of retaining self-respect in adversity. It is a lesson that serves her well in the years ahead as she endures the misery of life with her cruel, uncaring aunt, followed by the harsh regime at Lowood Institution, a charity school for poor children.

After taking the post of governess at Thornfield Hall, she meets the master of the house, the brooding, enigmatic Edward Rochester, and finds herself falling in love with him. It seems as if happiness may finally be within her grasp - but a series of strange events leads her to believe that Rochester is concealing a dark secret. When the truth is revealed, the heartbroken Jane will need all her inner strength and resilience to face up to it....

Dramatised for radio by best-selling novelist Rachel Joyce (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry), this iconic love story stars Amanda Hale as Jane and Tom Burke as Rochester. Suffused with romance, passion, mystery and danger, it is a spellbinding tale that is as real and relevant today as when it was first published in 1847.

Duration: 2 hours 30 mins approx.

Members Reviews:

Great performance but very quick

Jane Eyre is one of my favorites but I completely appreciate the need to abridge it for a full cast performance. That being said I think too much was taken out, giving it an incredibly rushed feel.

At Last! Jane Eyre Made Palatable

One of the most curious facts in all of English literature is that in the late 1700s, possibly as early as 1787, when she was just a wickedly intelligent teenager, Jane Austen began satirizing the Bronte sisters, who would not be born until many decades later. Austen's Juvenilia, particularly Love and Freindship [sic], and her more mature work Northanger Abbey, stand collectively as a glorious spoof of all that Charlotte Bronte would write about with deadly earnestness sixty years later in Jane Eyre: Gothic horror, blood and gore, mists and moors, screams and terrors in the night, madwomen locked away in attics, swoonings and faintings galore. Bronte, who romanticized suffering to the highest possible degree in her personal life as well as her writing (who else but a Bronte could manage to die of morning sickness while pregnant?), presents Jane Eyre as a Romantic sufferer extraordinaire. Jane is humorless, beaten down by fate and her own moody fits of passion at every turn, until finally Rochester, her love object, is so much more beaten down than she is that she can finally consent to be his wife. The whole thing is so completely without humor or any consciousness of its own absurdity that it works ONLY if you look at it with Jane Austen's winking eye, imagining how fun it would be to satirize.

This production succeeds in doing just that. The story is so perfectly distilled to its essential Gothic-horror elements, complete with amazing sound effects, that it would make the perfect Halloween listen. The script is perfect, the acting impeccable, the production values and editing flawless. I never thought I'd say this of ANY production of Jane Eyre, but I'm sure I'll listen many more times. Highly recommend.

love it every time i listen! tom burke is perfect.

love it! tom burke is the perfect mr.

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Title: Three Men in a Boat [Classic Tales Edition]

Subtitle: To Say Nothing of the Dog

Author: Jerome K. Jerome

Narrator: B. J. Harrison

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-23-16

Publisher: B.J. Harrison

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 42 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Three friends, one dog, one boat, one river. What could go wrong? Plenty.

Even when the sailing is smooth, the stories never stop in Jerome K. Jerome's comic novel. Plaster fishes, dead water rats, near-death escapes, and many, many jocose anecdotes create a colorful narrative of holiday life on the river. For once three hypochondriacs self-diagnose themselves as "clearly overworked", the rest practically writes itself!

Members Reviews:

pleasant

Nice, comical, well written story...just not my cup of tea. Those who are not addicted to stories with action will probably enjoy.

A Classic, Funny Tale

If you could sum up Three Men in a Boat [Classic Tales Edition] in three words, what would they be?

Everything Goes Wrong

Who was your favorite character and why?

You get to be the most familiar with "J", the one telling the story. As such, he became my favorite. I felt the other two were there just to provide him with partners in this misadventure.

Which character as performed by B. J. Harrison was your favorite?

Jerome, or "J", the one telling the story.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

There were numerous moments in this book that had me laughing out loud.

Any additional comments?

The antics of the three young men and the dog can be downright hilarious as just about everything goes wrong. Along the way they also share stories about things that happened to family, friends or friends of friends. The story add even more amusing dimensions to this funny tale.

If you are looking for a fairly short funny classic, this one is for you.

P G Wodehouse it's NOT

My husband and I take many car trips and love to listen to books - we've listened to every P G Wodehouse we could find and were totally charmed. Three Men and a Boat left us cold. After the ridiculous train scene where not even the engineer knew where the train was going, we gave up and didn't finish listening. If you've listened to and loved P G Wodehouse, I would recommend giving Three Men and a Boat a pass.

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Title: The Turn of the Screw

Author: Henry James

Narrator: Emma Thompson, Richard Armitage - introduction

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-15-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 2078 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy winner Emma Thompson lends her immense talent and experienced voice to Henry James' Gothic ghost tale, The Turn of the Screw.

When a governess is hired to care for two children at a British country estate, she begins to sense an otherworldly presence around the grounds. Are they really ghosts she's seeing? Or is something far more sinister at work?

Having performed in films based on some of the greatest works in literature - including Sense and Sensibility, Howards End, Much Ado About Nothing, and Henry V - Thompson is no stranger to the classics, and she lends a graceful eloquence to this moody, macabre story. Joined by listener favorite Richard Armitage, who performs the prologue, Thompson reinvigorates this psychological thriller of life, death, evil, and the unknown.

Critic Reviews:

"[Narrator] Emma Thompson gives the performance we expect from an Oscar winner. Most listeners don't think of Henry James as a passionate writer, but passion is there, and Thompson brings it out - and adds some of her own.... Thompson's reading will teach new listeners how to read the text - and perhaps James in general - and to understand why he's considered a genius." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Great, but Mightn't be the Best on Audible

I really, really love "The Turn of the Screw," so this is my third version from Audible, and it's hard to judge as is, as opposed to judging in comparison to the other two that I have.

Let's take as is:

Emma Thompson is fabulous, really brings her acting chops to play, and what can you say? The woman is a powerhouse!

But, and this is where you'll have to judge for yourself, she reads as an older woman. I realize that the story is of an older woman looking back, so I understand why this might be appropriate for the book, but the character at the time is a very, very young woman. She is at a loss, wondering, at times she's near out of her mind, so that is why I prefer the Penelope Rawlins version. Because, even though Ms. Thompson delivers a masterful narrative, the dialogue, the interactions sometimes ring false with her more mature tones, with her poise. The character lacks poise at that age, so it's quite odd to hear such control.

Further, one of the joys of the story is that you never quite know what's real--it's up to the reader to decide for him or herself what is doing the haunting: Evil? or the governess as the conduit, the interpreter of what she "sees." If you lean one way or the other, the end is such that, chances are, you'll still wind up leaning that way. It's every man for himself and I know of two no such people who wind up in entire agreement about what exactly is determining the story here. And that's a delight! It makes for wonderful discussions afterward.

But Ms. Thompson's delivery kind of makes it seem as though there actually is only one way of seeing the whole story, which takes a lot of the fun out of it. The dedication of the governess to seeing one end comes off as rather harsh, strident, monstrous even--it doesn't leave much room for questioning. ...bummer...

Still, gotta love it! A governess overly beguiled and bewitched. Ghosts. Perhaps. Young souls hanging in the balance.

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Title: Excellent Women

Author: Barbara Pym

Narrator: Jayne Entwistle

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-15-16

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 981 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Excellent Women is one of Barbara Pym's richest and most amusing high comedies. This is Barbara Pym's world at its funniest.

Mildred Lathbury is a clergyman's daughter and a mild-mannered spinster in 1950s England. She is one of those excellent women - the smart, supportive, repressed women whom men take for granted. As Mildred gets embroiled in the lives of her new neighbors - anthropologist Helena Napier; Helen's handsome, dashing husband, Rocky; and Julian Malory, the vicar next door - the novel presents a series of snapshots of human life as actually, and pluckily, lived in a vanishing world of manners and repressed desires.

Members Reviews:

Still Waters Run Deep

I love Barbara Pym's novels and have hoped for ages that they might show up here on Audible. Insightful, amusing and skillfully written. A complete treat. To me Entwistle's narration was perfectly timed. Pym's stories are so balanced and such well thought out slices of life that I find them comforting and stabilizing in an odd way. If your world has turned topsy-turvy there is nothing like curling up with one of her beautiful books to set everything right. I join other reviewers in their praise and hope that the rest of the Pym collection become available here soon. Wonderful. Hurry up Audible!

At long last...Barbara Pym!

Every year I have begged Audible to acquire the works of Barbara Pym, one of the most delightful and intelligent writers to ever entertain a reader, after a fruitless but ever hopeful search. Suddenly, she is here! Though "Excellent Women" is not my very favorite, it most certainly is a complete gem. I cannot recommend it to you strongly enough. Despite having read the paperback yearly, and listened to my aging cassettes twice yearly, I have already listened to this twice since acquiring it this week. Please give Excellent Women a try! And I will add that it is beautifully narrated. Thank you so very much Audible, for finally offering Barbara Pym!

Treasure of Intelligence and Sly Wit

Barbara Pym has long been a favorite of mine - I have all her books, and am so happy to see Audible finally offering one of the best of them, "Excellent Women".

Pym is not to everyone's taste. This is a book where very little happens, but a lot is going on! Many people compare her to Jane Austen, and I think that's fair. "Excellent Women" and other Pym novels take the reader back to another era - post WWII England, where there are a lot of 'spinsters-of-a-certain-age' living seemingly petty and uninspired lives in their neighborhoods and villages.

Because they are unlikely ever to marry, consider themselves gentile, and find no chance for a career path in a "man's world", these women find not much to do but gossip, devote themselves to good causes, and be very involved in Church functions. Yet, make no mistake, Barbara Pym has great respect for "Excellent Women" and portrays them with keen intelligence and sly wit. Like Jane Austen's characters and Jane Marple, these seemingly pointless and often forgotten women are fine and often brutal observers who know a thing or two about fundamental human nature!

If you appreciate a good sense of the ridiculous and an author whose intelligence and wit sneak up on you, give "Excellent Women" a try.

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Title: Kidnapped

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Narrator: David Rintoul

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-19-16

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

When the naive David Balfour sets out on his quest for a long-lost relative, a terrifying chain of events is set in motion. He is plunged into a world of infamy and violence from which there seems no escape - until, that is, he meets the enigmatic and valiant Highlander, Alan Breck....

Kidnapped is a captivating novel set around Scottish events of the 18th century, most notably the Appin murder, the case of a highlander who was wrongly implicated in the shooting of a government official.

Members Reviews:

great story

I thoroughly enjoyed the tale and loved the way it was presented. The characters seemed to come to life and the language was fascinating.

Kidnapped

I loved this book! I love R.L Stevenson's books. He writes fantastic adventures. Treasure Island was such a gem that I craved more of his high adventure, swashbuckling tales. The story is excellent. The characters are so well done. You feel the friendship between David and Alen by the end. Also the narration of he book and the narrator himself is awesome. He brings the story alive in setting that I wasn't used to (Scottish Highlands) and does the voices so well.

Rather Wonderful

Very satisfying voice by the narrator. Lots of interesting geography and history. Very dramatic. excellent.

Great tale and well read

Really loved the story, characters and narrative. Well read with good accents for the different characters.

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Title: David Copperfield [Audible]

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Richard Armitage

Format: Unabridged

Length: 36 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-09-16

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 1682 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Between his work on the 2014 Audible Audiobook of the Year, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Novel, and his performance of Classic Love Poems, narrator Richard Armitage (The Hobbit, Hannibal) has quickly become a listener favorite. Now, in this defining performance of Charles Dickens' classic David Copperfield, Armitage lends his unique voice and interpretation, truly inhabiting each character and bringing real energy to the life of one of Dickens' most famous characters.

This epic, exuberant novel is one of the greatest coming-of-age stories in literature, chronicling David Copperfield's extraordinary journey through life as he encounters villains, saviors, eccentrics, and grotesques - including the wicked Mr. Murdstone, stouthearted Peggotty, formidable Betsey Trotwood, impecunious Micawber, and the odious Uriah Heep. Dickens' great novel (based, in part, on his own boyhood and which he described as a "favorite child") is a work filled with life, both comic and tragic.

Listen to Richard Armitage bring Dickens' words to life, and you'll understand why Virginia Woolf called David Copperfield "the most perfect of all the Dickens novels".

Members Reviews:

The Armitage Voice"

Where does David Copperfield rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

So far, this is the one I love the most....David Copperfield is one of my favorites anyway, but to have that voice, the voice of Richard Armitage "read it to me", just awesome

Have you listened to any of Richard Armitages other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, they way he reads, the tones, the inflections, the voice changes is just brilliant..

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

I almost did, but I needed to sleep...

Any additional comments?

Just keep them coming with Richard Armitage at the helm.......Thank you to Audible and to "The Armitage" for bringing David Copperfield to life.....

Classic Story with Superb Performance.

What made the experience of listening to David Copperfield [Audible Studios] the most enjoyable?

Richard Armitage's voice was incredible. He brought this book to a new life. His beautiful inflections and characterizations were spot on.

Any additional comments?

You've either read David Copperfield and want to know if it is worth the listen, or you are new to this work. Be not hesitant, this is one of the best performances on Audible. And David Copperfield is just classic. Dicken's has a definite style to him. He's studied for a reason, and that reason is damned good writing. Spend the credit... you'll be cultured as well as entertained.

A PERFECT narration of an English classic!

I find Charles Dickens' novels difficult to read because of his sentence structure and length. Reading David Copperfield was especially difficult for me due to the length of the novel, but the story is so worthwhile that the effort is rewarded.

I listened to this Audible version one or two chapters a day over several weeks. Richard Armitage does an incredible job of narration especially with the character's voices. Listening to him is a joy. There are many excellent narrators of audio books, but the consistent quality of Armitage's work of over 36 hours of David Copperfield ranks this as the best narrated audio book I have ever listened to.

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Title: Dracula

Author: Bram Stoker

Narrator: Peter Batchelor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-14-15

Publisher: Trout Lake Media

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 304 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Although Stoker did not invent the vampire, the novel's influence on the popularity of vampires has been singularly responsible for many theatrical, film, and television interpretations since its publication. Required listening for any fan of the genre!

Members Reviews:

Do not purchase

This version omits one of the key moments of the story. I assume it is edited out for it's lurid nature. It is quite key to the story and it's omission is a travesty.

A very touchy-feely book.

This was still fun and I can see how it started a lot of the genre, but one must remember that this is first and foremost not a horror boo, but a romantic book design for the lurid market of the mostly female readership in the late 19th century. About 1/3 of the book is spent in the characters pledging undying love and loyalty to each other and crying on each other shoulders. Very quick conclusion and short bursts of unexploited action. This book is at best a starting place for the imagination. But still a worthwhile read at one and a half times the reading speed if you're curious about how the vampire thing all started.

Love book, hate reader

This guy is boring. Wasted my money. I'll buy a different version with a different reader.

annoying

some of the readers 'voices' are like fingernails on a chalkboard. could not even finish title without destroying something.

MOMO

Absolutely splendid! I dare say, I'd listen to it all over again. Wonderful just wonderful.

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Title: The Chimes

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Richard Armitage

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-11-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6619 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The magnificent Richard Armitage (Hamlet: King of Denmark: A Novel) performs The Chimes by Charles Dickens.

This classic story is the second in a series of five Christmas books Dickens was commissioned to write - beginning with A Christmas Carol. A haunting tale set on New Year's Eve, The Chimes tells the story of a poor porter named Trotty Veck who has become disheartened by the state of the world - until he is shown a series of fantastical visions that convince him of the good of humanity. Though much different from and certainly a bit darker than A Christmas Carol, the moral message of The Chimes is equally poignant - touting the importance of compassion, goodwill, and the love of friends and family.

The Chimes was followed by The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and finally The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain.

Members Reviews:

Best Version of "The Chimes" on Audible!

Charles Dickens can be a dark, dark soul and "The Chimes" can be a dark, dark story, depending on who narrates it. But with Armitage at the helm, we don't have to worry.

This is one of three versions I have, and trust me: It's the best! (Really! Dickens on Dickens is downright scary!)

Trotty Veck's soul is tested at the turn of year's end: just what are the poor worth? Are they indeed worthy of being "put down" at every turn as those above him say? As he has come to believe?

One night, he is "killed" and comes to see the future and everything that he believes comes to pass through his beloved daughter. Does she deserve it? It's a painful, painful listen, and with any other narrator besides Richard Armitage, it comes off as heavy-handed. With Armitage, however, it's beautiful and heartfelt.

And the prose! God, how Dickens can write! Every bit of squalor and poverty, of filth and suffering is brought through with his choice of words. It's lyricism at its best. It's genius.

Trust me when I say that perhaps you'll be stuffing a dollar into that bell ringer's tin can outside the store this year. Or that you'll be donating food for the hungry.

Please do...! After all, it's what Trotty and Meg would do.

A most beautiful gift

Thank you so much for this gift of a story. It keeps me company as I sit alone with the dogs. It also gives me hope, as I am poor, that the new year could be better than this last.

wonderful audible gift!

Very much enjoyed this complimentary Dickens story. I likely would not have chosen it but am glad to have listened. It's Dickens at his best. reminiscent of Christmas Carol. Thank you!

Thanks, Audible!

This is another version of A Christmas Carol. Well, what I mean is that Dickens uses a similar plot device where Trotter (the hero) travels in time and learns a few key lessons about life like Scrooge with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. It's totally five star IF YOU LIKE DICKENS. If you don't, you will find it verbose and slow-moving. But, I do so I really enjoyed it.

Happy New Year to us all!

I'm a fan, but not this one

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Since this novella has survived the ages I suppose a lot of people liked it but it did not hold my interest. I really tried to follow the story but I kept falling asleep. It was slow moving and the characters were not very interesting.

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Title: Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Rosamund Pike

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-08-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 7659 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

One of Jane Austens most beloved works, Pride and Prejudice, is vividly brought to life by Academy Award nominee Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl). In her bright and energetic performance of this British classic, she expertly captures Austens signature wit and tone. Her attention to detail, her literary background, and her performance in the 2005 feature film version of the novel provide the perfect foundation from which to convey the story of Elizabeth Bennett, her four sisters, and the inimitable Mr. Darcy.

In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennett sisters try to find their way in the repressive strictures of 19th-century society. Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and the experience of falling in love, and she superbly describes a world which, despite being more than two centuries old, still resonates with modern concerns.

Critic Reviews:

"British actress Rosamund Pike is the perfect choice to narrate this novel of manners, and listening to her voice each of the iconic characters is great fun.... Austen's many devotees will savor this first-rate version of her charming novel." (

AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

A perfect narration of a perfect book

Where does Pride and Prejudice rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

This is the second edition of Pride and Prejudice that I purchased - I already have an older version (different narrator) and I am so glad that I saw Rosamund Pike's name and immediately bought this one. It is absolute perfection. It has long been one my favorite books but with her priceless narration if is certainly going to be on of the Beloved ones.

Which character as performed by Rosamund Pike was your favorite?

Practically all of them. She is a brilliant narrator with magnificent voice and managed to make even Mrs Bennet tolerable - not a small feat in itself. Her Mr Bennet is fantastic (actually I think she did it better than Sutherlend's performance in the 2005 movie) - she managed to subtly underline a hint of malevolence in his humor which I personally think is there and most people do not pay attention to.

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

It made me smile in sheer sensual pleasure all the time I listened to it (could not stop and listened through the night).

Any additional comments?

A wonderful audio book, simply wonderful. I hope this is not the last time I listen to something narrated by Rosamund Pike.

A Truth Universally Acknowledged

This is the fourth Audible version of P&P that I have purchased and listened to, and the first I have bothered to write a review of because it is by far the best. Rosamund Pike mispronounces a very few words, and sometimes goes overboard in her zeal to create separate, distinctive voices for each character, which sometimes (e.g., with Mr. Bingley's married sister Mrs Hurst) results in a female character sounding like a man), but overall is the most adept of all narrators of this beloved classic at allowing Austen's flawless prose to speak for itself. Her reading easily exceeds that of Alison Larkin (the 200th Anniversary Audio Edition), although that one is lively and entertaining, and includes music. The audio quality is far better than that of the version narrated by Lindsay Duncan, which, combined with Duncan's almost whispered Mrs Bennet voice, often makes that version difficult to listen to while driving.

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Title: A Tale of Two Cities

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Andrew Sachs

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-02-15

Publisher: silksoundbooks Limited

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 58 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done...."

With these words and a superb act of bravery and sacrifice, one of the most badly behaved heroes of all time ends Charles Dickens' great tale of the French Revolution.

This is a firework display of a book, a crackling picture of the ravages and excesses of starving, furious men and the astonishing acts of heroism that usually accompany them.

Members Reviews:

One of the best

I have read Tale of Two Cities as well as listened to audio versions of the book. My favorite telling was done by Frank Muller. I found this version quite by accident, just scrolling and "window shopping" if you will. I was drawn to the teling immediately. Andrew Sachs reading is low key and relaxed. It is if he is inviting the narrator to join him in witnessing what he is reading. I strongly urge any who love reading Dickens to listen to Andrew Sachs reading of this great work. It is a good match.m

Fantastic Reader!

I only wish I could have all of Dickens' books read by Andrew Sachs! He expertly transmitted the warmth, gravity, humor, delicacy, chilling evil, affection, horror, grace, subtlety, cleverness, and love that imbues A Tale of Two Cities. Never overdone, pitch perfect!

forgiveness and vengeance

It starts out a bit slow, but all of the the pieces presented in the first half come together over the second half to complete an incredible story of love and forgiveness, hate and vengeance.

Listen to this recording to appreciate Dickens

Would you listen to A Tale of Two Cities again? Why?

Yes. This is the best narration of the ten books on Audible I have listened to. Andrew Sachs is SPECTACULAR at bringing the characters to life (even better than George Guildall). You feel like you are in a London street listening to the conversations of real-life people. Since one of Dickens's great qualities is his ear for language, a narrator like Sachs is essential to making the book enjoyable, or even easier to understand.

What did you like best about this story?

I've read this book several times and taught it regularly over the years. I think what I appreciated this time through were the pacing and the balance, which make this big novel go by surprisingly quickly. Dickens devotes just the right amount of time to each stage of the narration; the story never becomes tedious. All the narrative elements are wrapped up elegantly at the end. The characters are also great. I particularly enjoyed the vengeful revolutionaries.

Have you listened to any of Andrew Sachss other performances before? How does this one compare?

I'm so sorry to hear Sachs has passed away. I would have loved to hear him narrate every other major Dickens novel.

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

Yes.

Now I understand why this is a classic!

What did you love best about A Tale of Two Cities?

The riveting story, & how much I learned about the French Revolution. I never thought I'd enjoy this because I've found Dickens so wordy, but once my ear became attuned to the cadence, I found it easy to listen to & couldn't wait to get back to the story to find out what happened to everyone.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Tale of Two Cities?

The realization of how horribly violent the uprising was against the nobility in France.