Download the Best Full Audiobooks in Classics, American Literature

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Title: Walden

Subtitle: Life in the Woods

Author: Henry David Thoreau

Narrator: Alec Sand

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-24-09

Publisher: Trout Lake Media

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 701 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Thoreau's classic account of the solitary life, describing his attempts to simplify his life and sort out his priorities by living alone in a cabin beside Walden Pond for nearly two years, is one of the most influential books ever written. The bible of the environmental movement, Walden vividly portrays Thoreau's reverence for nature, and his understanding of the idea that nature is made up of crucially interrelated parts.

(P)2006 Trout Lake Media

Members Reviews:

Energetic but choppy presentation

I found the reading choppy, read as though the text were arranged in blank verse, such that the reader had to break the flow of the reading every so many syllables, regardless of whatever punctuation marks or grammatical context were provided by the author. There were also a couple of repetitions and a number of mispronunciations. All this did not stop me from enjoying the reading, it is such a great book.

Excellent book and narration

With only 1 minute of the preview available and with a couple 1 star reviews I was a little hesitant to buy this version. But with the Summer Sale a book like this for under $5 was too tempting to resist. So I bought it and I am very glad I did.

Firstly I could not tell you if the narrator embodies Thoreau's nature or persona. Nor could anyone else for that matter. He died in 1862. It is silly to say what they were.

Furthermore, I don't hear the choppiness, blank verse type reading mentioned. Neither have I yet noticed any mispronunciations or repeats. That doesn't mean there aren't any, it just means that it is not riddled with them.

What I do hear is a very natural way of telling a story. For the first time listening to an audiobook I feel like I am in a room with the author who is telling me the story instead of line being read from a book. It is this conversational interpretation that makes this reading so intimate, so natural, so engaging. And isn't that the feeling one should get by listening to Walden? For me it works. Highly recommended.

SHAKES the Ground, Sun & the Wilderness within.

I rarely read books twice, but I already feel the need to come sit by the shores of this book again and again. Expansive and infinitely quotable, Walden is one of those books that shakes not just the ground you are standing on, but seems to shake the Sun as well. Certainly there are parts of this book that are unrealistic, a little bit crankish, and even a little too self-aware. However, it is also beautiful, magnificent, and compelling in Thoreau's desire to see man seek the greater, more compelling wilderness within.

Substandard Narration

The narration is simply terrible to say the very least!

The narrator pauses after every 5 or 6 words, when he should be flowing, producing a very choppy read; he mispronounces words; he re-reads in an attempt to correct himself and emphasises content at the wrong times.

I cannot comment objectively on the content itself, as the substandard narration is so overwhelming that everything else falls by the wayside.

I stopped halfway through as I just could not stand listening to more!!!

home remedy for existential angst

Home remedy for existential angst -- that pretty much covers it.

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Title: On the Road

Author: Jack Kerouac

Narrator: David Carradine

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-15-09

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 127 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

On the Road is the classic story of two such characters: Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, who set off on an odyssey through mid-century underground America, fueled by jazz, sex, drugs, mystical philosophy, and a limitless passion for experience.

Members Reviews:

David Carradine's voice is Sal Paradise.

I have read this book several times. I still cried when Carradine read the last lines. Perfect.

Highly Recommended for anyone at a life crossroads or in a midlife crisis!!!

"Memories and dreams are intermixed in this mad universe." ---Jack Kerouac

"I have nothing to offer anyone except my own confusion." ---Jack Kerouac

Abridged

This is an abridged version but I do like the narrator. Remember you can return any book.

not the full book

for whatever reason this is not full book and thats very misleading as its the first book that comes up when you search for the book

Not the full book

No where near the full thing. It skips a huge amount of detail, posts made no sense.

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Title: Native Son

Author: Richard Wright

Narrator: Peter Francis James

Format: Unabridged

Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-28-09

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 874 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America.

Members Reviews:

Simply a classic

Native Son is an expertly-written thriller about crime and race and misguided ambition, read by one of the best narrators I have ever heard. It is, however, a very difficult book to listen to, as it deals hyper-realistically with the tragic life of a young black man who has all the potential in the world and ends up throwing it away because of the hate, ignorance, and prejudice that society has instilled in him. I have almost never come across such a believable protagonist; Bigger Thomas' story is the story of many, many angry young men out there in the world. The book struggles with issues of individual vs. societal responsibility, racism, interpersonal relations, and the moral nature of humanity, and never gives the reader any easy answers.

Pay attention to this book

If the people of America had paid true attention to this book when it was published 75 years ago (many read it - a best seller) - I believe we would not have the ongoing human blights of racism, gender discrimination and increasingly gross economic division. It is beautifully narrated and exquisitely written. It is prophetic. Are we ready to listen, read, and pay attention in 2015?

excellent!

Great Narrator!! Switches voices between characters in a very convincing manner. Heartbreaking and terrifying story. Spellbound.

Now I will get the Jeopardy! question

I confess that the motivation behind purchasing this audiobook was so that I had another 20th century classic in my arsenal for Jeopardy! I bought this without researching the plot. I only knew that it was about black v. white and that it is frequently considered one of the must-reads in African American Lit. I think it's good to listen to this story without knowing anything about the plot. It makes the twists and turns more surprising.

The performance by the narrator was fantastic. There were no fake voices or falsettos. It was just the narrator with a powerful voice and he was a perfect match. I'm not sure I would like this book as much if I read it on the page. The audio made it a performance. I buy audiobooks in order to entice myself to go to the gym more. I rely on the book to be interesting enough for me to want to listen and thus go workout. This story delivered.

75% Art, 25% Protest

Native Son, written in 1940, was ahead of its time, and represented an important voice in an age on the brink of change.

The first two books of this novel were quite excellent, a personal story that felt honest and impactful, with well-drawn characters and an exciting plot. The book then proceeds into the third book with a long question and answer dialog, and long monologs, reminiscent of Dostoevsky, but seemed too heavy handed to me. The first two books of this novel, through character and story, made the points better than the exposition of the third book.

Native Son has been criticized as being protest fiction, limiting its artistic value. This is true, but only true of the final book of the novel. The first two books are artistically executed and powerful. Somehow I think the novel would have been more powerful if this ended without third book.

The narration was terrific, clear and subtly powerful.

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Title: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

Author: Jules Verne

Narrator: Jim Killavey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-05-09

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 44 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The story concerns the now famous fictional character Captain Nemo and his submarine, Nautilus, as seen by one of his passengers, Professor Pierre Aronnax. Over the years there have been many film, TV, and theatrical adaptations and variations of the book.

Members Reviews:

Not satisfied

There is a very annoying echo on this recording. If things like that aggravate you I would say don't buy this

It sounds like a scientific report

The writing is written exclusively in passive tense with an unusual amount of unnecessary detail as if we were going to fact check everything being said.

Too descriptive

It describes everything too much. Throughout the book there were parts that were very boring but the end was very interesting.

classic story but the narrator sounds like a robot

This guy sounds like an automated phone robot. He is horrible. I honestly can't give him a good review. The story is timeless.

Poor narration, poor quality of a great book

This is a great classic book of adventure under the sea. Jules Verne had a great imagination and a wonderful foresight of the future. However this was ruined here by this awful narration along with poor audible quality. Also this not, I say not, an unabridged version of the book

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Title: Uncle Tom's Cabin

Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe

Narrator: Richard Allen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-29-08

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 713 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

When Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in 1852, it became an international blockbuster, selling more than 300,000 copies in the United States alone in its first year. Progressive for her time, Harriet Beecher Stowe was one of the earliest writers to offer a shockingly realistic depiction of slavery. Her stirring indictment and portrait of human dignity in the most inhumane circumstances enlightened hundreds of thousands of people by revealing the human costs of slavery, which had until then been cloaked and justified by the racist misperceptions of the time.

Critic Reviews:

"It is a compelling adventure story with richly drawn stories & has earned a place in both literary & American history. " (Barnes & Noble)

Members Reviews:

Wonderful

This is a powerful, moving beautiful book that made a great impact on American history. The narrator does a beautiful job. Highly recommended!

A great listening experience

As with other classics, I first read this book as a teenager. Recently, I decided to purchase it in audiobook format for a "re-read." The story is still terrific and Richard Allen does an absolutely masterful job in the narration.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

I was hesitant to listen to this classic due to its duration, but I was sold by the excellent reviews Richard Allen, its narrator, obtained. Wow! This narrator is arguably the best I've heard, and I have listened to many books. The combination of Uncle Tom's plight, the inspiration that led to its writing, and Richard Allen's reading make this an excellent novel. You won't be disappointed.

More on Richard Allen

This book is classic but I have to give the narrator his due. This guy really brought the story to life. He does women's voices and also sings. I felt like I was being read to by my father.

Thought Provoking

This book took a little getting into but once in it gripped me and made me think not only of the cruelties of slavery but of man's different personalities and his constant ability to find something to differentiate himself from his neighbour.

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Title: The House of Mirth

Author: Edith Wharton

Narrator: Wanda McCaddon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-01-08

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 170 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Though her desire for a comfortable life means that she cannot marry for love without money, her resistance to the rules of the social elite endangers her many marriage proposals. As Lily spirals down into debt and dishonor, her story takes on the resonance of classic tragedy.

The House of Mirth is a lucid, disturbing analysis of the stifling limitations imposed upon women of author Edith Wharton's generation. Herself born into Old New York Society, Wharton watched as an entirely new set of people living by new codes of conduct entered the metropolitan scene.

In telling the story of Lily Bart, Wharton recasts the age-old themes of family, marriage, and money in ways that transform the traditional novel of manners into an arrestingly modern tale of one woman's struggle to succeed.

Members Reviews:

Good book, one suggestion...

Very good book. One suggestion for future listeners: If I had it to do over, I might have gone with another narrator. The one for this version has a very girlish quality that I really liked, however her voice was also very gravelly and after awhile, that started to bother me. Just a small issue, but something to consider!

Beautiful People with Ugly Interiors

What constraints women lived under in 1905! Edith Wharton didn't take the easy way out in this chronicle of Lily Barth's rise and fall in society, and the horrible way her 'friends' and the men in her life treated her. It puts all those beautiful mansions in Newport and along the Hudson in perspective.

bittersweet story

how many women today can relate to this story of loves lost to indecision and regret.

Failure to Connect

Would you try another book from Edith Wharton and/or Wanda McCaddon?

Maybe. I give most readers at least one "I didn't like it" story. After all, even my favorite authors have written at least one book I didn't love.

Has The House of Mirth turned you off from other books in this genre?

No. A single story cannot be held up as an example of an entire genre.

Which scene was your favorite?

I can't think of one.

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

The books conclusion created the only reaction I had to this book. I do not wish to offer a spoiler, but I can say that the conclusion was not predictable. That scene made me feel sad.

Any additional comments?

This book has been on my "to read" list for 5-6 months. It is the story of Lily, a young woman in the United States in the late 19th century. She is poor, her parents passed away, and is a financial burden on her family. Her goal is to marry a man with some wealth to relieve her financial situation. There are several men that find their way into her story. There is Lawrence, he loves her, but is to poor to be an acceptable choice. Then there is Simon, a social climber that wants to trade his fortune for Lily's social status. In addition to the choice between love and money in this pair there is also Gus. Gus is a married man who finds himself in lust with Lily and has manipulated her into taking money from him so that he could later claim an obligation. Finally there is George, who appears to be a friend.

With the main characters laid before you I can say that none of these characters appealed to me. I could forge no connection with any of the characters.

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Title: Moby-Dick

Author: Herman Melville

Narrator: Frank Muller

Format: Unabridged

Length: 21 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-27-08

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 3436 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

When Melville's father died in 1832, the young man's financial security went too. For a while he turned to school-mastering and clerking, but failed to make a sustainable income. In 1840 he signed up on the whaler, Acushnet, out of New Bedford, Massachusetts. He was just 21. A whaler's life turned out to be both arduous and dangerous, and in 1842, Melville deserted ship. Out of this experience and a wealth of printed sources, Melville crafted his masterpiece.

Members Reviews:

I Had No Idea Melville Was So Funny

I put off Moby Dick for a long time due to an experience in high school with Billy Budd. I didn't think I wanted to read this one, but was eventually swayed by some friends. Thankfully! Moby Dick's a thrilling adventure story full of depth and gravity and horror. It certainly earns its reputation as an American Classic. What surprised me, though, was how funny Melville is. I didn't realize he had such a sense of humor.

Muller's reading is, of course, a benchmark of excellence. He made this story come alive for me in ways I didn't think it could. I'm so glad I finally decided to give this one a chance.

An American Classic!

The narrator does good job with this epic, though a bit cliche. How else do you characterize the voices of sea dogs other than what you already expect? Otherwise, a gripping and poetic story, full of subdued (and therefore more humorous) jabs at Christian society and the customs of the age. It is sometimes difficult to follow the tangents into deep descriptions of the whale (especially considering how far marine biology has come), but the payoff is in the plethora of one-liners that zing into timelessness. Not having read the book previously, I was amazed at how many references are made to this book in pop culture. Some are obvious, others not so much. Either way, this book has enough to keep you interested to the finish and the narrator keeps the characterizations enlivened so that the result is an entertaining and fecund experience.

Muller is e3xceptional

I have learned to seek out the books read by now deceased Frank Muller, and found Moby-Dick because I thought it would be challenging enough to bring out his best. Indeed it does. I had read the book myself a couple of times, more or less because I thought an educated man needed to. Now that I have heard Muller's interpretation I can see the greatness of the book. No women in it, of course. Muller does women better than any other male reader.... Don't miss this. Also the books he read by Cormac McCarthy. His loss is a great one to the book world.

It's a classic, you just have to accept that.

First, the story. It's been described by enough reviews that I can't add to it, so I'll just say that about a quarter of the story is some of the best action sequences and intricate character interactions you will ever read even compared to modern writers, and about three fourths of the story is exposition about whaling and whales and the culture of 19th century whalers that is fascinating, educational, critical to the story, and not always easy to stay awake through.

Second, the reader. If you've heard Frank Muller read Stephen King, forget that. He is completely different in this. He is vivid, crisp, and quick, and that is a lifesaver in this work.

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Title: The House of Mirth

Author: Edith Wharton

Narrator: Eleanor Bron

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-05-08

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 339 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Exclusively from Audible

Beautiful, sophisticated and endlessly ambitious Lily Bart endeavours to climb the social ladder of New York's elite by securing a good match and living beyond her means.

Now nearing 30 years of age and having rejected several proposals, forever in the hope of finding someone better, her future prospects are threatened.

A damning commentary of 20th-century social order, Edith Wharton's tale established her as one of the greatest British novelists of the 1900s. Taking us on a journey through lavish drawing rooms in grand country houses to cold and menacing boarding houses, Wharton addresses the consequences awaiting those who openly dared to challenge the status quo.

First published in serial form, The House of Mirth contributed significantly to Edith Wharton's already substantial riches. Accustomed to living a life of privilege, Wharton was able to foster her creative talents from a young age.

Working as a published author from the age of 18, Wharton's story is as intriguing and daring as her heroine's. Wedding and then divorcing Edward Wharton, her experience of marriage and consequent heartbreak is usually chronicled in her works.

Never the victim however, Wharton went on to receive multiple awards for her writing, as well as the bravery that she demonstrated during the First World War when she organised hostels for refugees, fund-raised for those in need and reported from battlefield frontlines.

Usually seen in the company of other great authors including Jack London, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jean Cocteau, Wharton became a literary master whose skill and wit is perfectly captured in this enthralling audiobook.

Narrator Biography

Celebrated author and stage, film and television actress, Eleanor Bron, lends her iconic voice to the narration of The House of Mirth.

Best known for her roles in films such as A Little Princess, Bedazzled, Women in Love, Black Beauty and Alfie, Eleanor's career is as varied as it has been successful.

Also not a stranger to the theatre, Bron thrived in classical and modern productions of plays including The Prime of Miss Jean Brody, The Merchant of Venice, Private Lives, All About My Mother and Hedda Gabler.

A celebrated writer, Eleanor has published various titles, including Life and Other Punctures, Double Take and The Pillow Book of Eleanor Bron.

Further audiobook contributions include A Little Princess by Frances Burnett, The Aeneid by Virgil, The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier and Daniel Deronda by George Eliot.

Members Reviews:

Wonderful

I've listened to this book twice and will listen again after a while. I'd be happy to hear Eleanor Bron read the dictionary aloud: to hear her read Edith Wharton is pure bliss.

Like Henry James but more accessible

The novel portrays the New York upper middle class society in the late 19th century. Wharton writes elegantly, and is an acute psychologist and observer of manners. She's also very witty at times--with what you might call a stiletto wit. The reading is excellent, with subtle difference of voice and accent nicely calibrated to the character speaking.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the book. But it made me wonder why writers like Wharton and Henry James devote themselves to writing about people who don't do anything--a class of idlers, in fact, who are terrified that they might have to work for a living.

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Title: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Author: Mark Twain

Narrator: Grover Gardner

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-17-08

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 725 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Just what did boys do in a small Midwestern town during the mid-1800s, a time when there were no televisions, no arcades, and no videos? They whitewashed fences, floated down rivers, traded marbles, formed secret societies, smoked pipes, and, on occasion, managed to attend their own funerals. Yes, they may have been a bit mischievous, but as Aunt Polly said of Tom when she believed him to be dead, "He was the best-hearted boy that ever was." Aunt Polly's sentiments reveal one of the cardinal tenets of Twain's philosophy: In this deceitful and infirm world, innocence can be found only in the heart of a boy.

Members Reviews:

A classic worth listening to!

What does Grover Gardner bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

A couple of my kids were reading Tom Sawyer for a book group, and they were having trouble with some of the slang and antiquated language. I purchased the audiobook for them, and it's much easier to understand this way than to read written words like "yaller" (yellow) and "off'n" (off of).

Audible has quite a few different versions of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I picked this one because Grover Gardner was the narrator. I knew he wasn't bad, and there's nothing worse than a bad narrator. I actually liked his reading of Tom Sawyer better than I like his reading of the Vorkosigan Saga! His voice and inflection are a great fit for the story. If you're not sure which audio version of Tom Sawyer to purchase, I recommend this one.

Any additional comments?

Sometimes classic books feel stiff or slow due to the changes in writing style. Tom Sawyer doesn't. It feels like someone could have written it yesterday. There's plenty of humor in it and a plot that keeps moving... with a few interesting detours. I never read Tom Sawyer in school, and I'm glad I did so now.

Loved it...

My kids and I listened to Tom Sawyer together. Every time we had "dead air" we would all shout "Tom Sawyer" and grab the iPhone and listen. They loved it, I loved it (again--it was a favorite growing up) and we continue to talk about Tom and his shenanigans.

The performance was excellent--loved the accents and the personalities that were expressed by the reader.

Grover Gardner is brilliant

What made the experience of listening to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer the most enjoyable?

Grover Gardner. He is brilliant and brings all the characters alive

Have you listened to any of Grover Gardners other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, I am listening to 'Rise and Fall of Third Reich' where he is equally brilliant.

It's Good to be a Kid Again

Twain said that part of his mission in writing Tom Sawyer was to remind adults what they once were themselves. Score one for Samuel Clemens! The book's now an American classic, and I first encountered it as a kid. Revisiting it years later was a blast. It made me want to call the old gang up so we could become pirates and outlaws and treasure hunters all over again!

Listening to a performance like Grover Gardner's certainly doesn't hurt - he's got a classic voice that's great for reading and broadcasting. Very easy on the ears.

The adventures of Tom Sawyer

Best book ever!!!!!!!!!I really encourage all those young souls who are full or adventure, to read this book.

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Title: Ethan Frome

Author: Edith Wharton

Narrator: Jim Killavey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-15-08

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 54 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Ethan Frome is a 1911 novel by Edith Wharton, set in turn-of-the-century New England, in the fictitious town of Starkfield, Massachusetts. It is the story of a poor farmer, lonely and downtrodden, his wife Zeena, and their pretty and vivacious cousin, Mattie Silver. This is a short but powerful and engrossing drama, and although it is the least characteristic of the author's novels, it has become her most celebrated book.

(P)1988 Jimcin Recordings

Members Reviews:

Sad but Wonderful

I gave it five stars because Wharton is a fabulous writer, but the story is about as grim as one could be. If you are interested in this book it's probably for a class or a book club. I picked this edition of the many available because of the price but I was not disappointed.

Killavey reads in a careful almost plodding manner on the narrative parts but really makes the dialogue come alive. I thought his style of reading fit the narrative quite well, but it might seem too slow for some listeners.

I would never choose this book unless, as it happened, it was a book club selection, but I found it very engaging. I enjoyed it even though the author reveals in the beginning that the ending won't be a happy one. It seems an accurate picture of the hard life on a New England farm back in day, told through the eyes of an engineer from the modern world visiting the area to work on a project about twenty years after the main part of the story.

Great writing...so sad

This is such an well written book. Characters were so helpless.... and realistic for the times. In spite of the sad circumstances I had to finish listening.

Not sure why this is considered Wharton's best...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The story, as is true of many of Wharton's novels and short stories, is well written. EF represents a departure from the author's typical focus on the weathy of New York during the late 1800s. I like the way Wharton captures the feel of New England; I could easily picture the harsh climate, Starkfield, as well as the charcters. The story however, is a bit predictable and lacks the complexiety compared to other works such as House of Mirth and The Age of Innocence.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Not surprised.

Which character as performed by Jim Killavey was your favorite?

Frome's wife, Zeena

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No. It lacks sufficient complexity.

Not totally a waste of time but I'd skip it!

Not entirely as dismal as it had been sold to me, the story never captured my imagination and the ending was somewhat of a disappointment especially because the final repercussions are for the most part self inflicted. The characters are flat and the plot line is rather dull and predictable. Besides, the chronological line of the story is somewhat hard to follow. "I had the story, bit by bit, from various people..." the narrator warns us at the beginning, and quite frankly, am not sure that I fully grasped how and when who learned what. Sadly, the work was so uninteresting that even though the book is very short, I did not care to go back and find out. The narrator doesn't help much either.