Download the Best Full Audiobooks in Classics, American Literature

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Title: The Complete Little Women Series: Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men, Jo's Boys (4 books in one)

Author: Louisa May Alcott

Narrator: Catherine O'Brien

Format: Unabridged

Length: 37 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-29-14

Publisher: Kimberley Lynn Reese

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 129 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (18321888).

The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. The novel follows the lives of four sisters Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March and is loosely based on the author's childhood experiences with her three sisters. The first volume, Little Women, was an immediate commercial and critical success, prompting the composition of the book's second volume, entitled Good Wives, which was also successful. Both books were first published as a single volume entitled Little Women in 1880. Alcott followed Little Women with two sequels, also featuring the March sisters: Little Men (1871) and Jo's Boys (1886).

Little Women was a fiction novel for girls that veered from the normal writings for children, especially girls, at the time. Little Women has three major themes: domesticity, work, and true love. All of them are interdependent and each is necessary to the achievement of a heroine's individual identity.

Little Women itself has been read as a romance or as a quest, or both. It has been read as a family drama that validates virtue over wealth. Little Women has been read as a means of escaping that life by women who knew its gender constraints only too well. Alcott combines many conventions of the sentimental novel with crucial ingredients of Romantic children's fiction, creating a new form of which Little Women is a unique model. Elbert argued that within Little Women can be found the first vision of the American Girl and that her multiple aspects are embodied in the differing March sisters.

Little Men, or Life at Plumfield with Jo's Boys is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott, first published in 1871. The novel reprises characters from Little Women and is considered by some the second book of an unofficial Little Women trilogy, which is completed with Alcott's 1886 novel Jo's Boys, and How They Turned Out: A Sequel to "Little Men". Little Men tells the story of Jo Bhaer and the children at Plumfield Estate School. The book was inspired by the death of Alcott's brother-in-law, which reveals itself in one of the last chapters, when a beloved character from Little Women passes away.

Members Reviews:

poorly edited recording

What did you love best about The Complete Little Women Series: Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men, Jo's Boys (4 books in one)?

It was nice to have the whole series together. Each book independent would lose much. Indeed, the end of Little Women would frustrate much more isolated from the rest of the series.

What did you like best about this story?

This was full of moral and practical instruction for life and parenting.

What three words best describe Catherine O'Briens performance?

unedited

Any additional comments?

Editing Problems:

- averages 1 repeated sentence per chapter.

- Several points where the editing was forgotten as you can here a clicking and restart of a sentence.

- a few jumped sentences as a result of the editing

It wasn't terrible, but it was not smooth.

Also, O'Brien's character voices were difficult to differentiate quite often.

Very poor editing....

Unfortunately, there were quite a lot of technical errors and editing misses.

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Title: Mastery of Life

Subtitle: The Self-Help Classics of Ralph Waldo Emerson

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Narrator: Mitch Horowitz

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-02-14

Publisher: Gildan Media, LLC

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 71 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The great writings of American transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) are not some distant ponderings on life they are works of the highest practicality, intended to supply guidance and daily help. Emersons ideas arose from his simple observations of human existence, with all its pitfalls and possibilities.

Reading and listening to Emerson brings the wisdom of the ages down to earth. This collection is drawn from his most practical and best-loved works. Each points you toward better and fuller ways of living.

Contact me for any questions: [email protected]

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Title: The House of Mirth

Author: Edith Wharton

Narrator: Emma Messenger

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-18-13

Publisher: Trout Lake Media

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 247 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In 1905 New York City, Lily Bart is a young, witty and beautiful socialite. Through a series of unfortunate events, she learns of the bitter consequences for a single woman without wealth, living in an uncaring society.

Members Reviews:

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

I thought this book was okay, well worth the 95 cents that I paid. I am not sure why so many other reviewers disliked the narrator. This is the second book that I've listened to which she has narrated and I found her perfectly adequate.

Excellent, but Quite Dated

This is an excellently written novel about a young woman falling from the height of 1900s New York society. It is a well delivered story but it is difficult now days to feel too sorry for the character actually having to learn a skill and get a job (due to her own silliness) instead of living off of inherited wealth or marriage into such wealth. This is an unflattering expose of 1900 New York, which was likely controversial at the time, but now just seems quaint.

This, like An American Tragedy, is well written in a naturalistic style with a likable yet tragically flawed protagonist, but I much preferred An American Tragedy as it was less a story about manners and more about motivations.

The narration was excellent and added much to my enjoyment of this novel.

Although the writing was excellent and the story well written, I cant think of anyone I would highly recommend this book to.

The Novel of Manners = Blech!

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Well-spent? Probably not. I have come to appreciate Edith Wharton but I am not a fan of the Novels of Manners.

Would you be willing to try another book from Edith Wharton? Why or why not?

Yes. I very much liked Ethan Frome and, despite it being a Novel of Manners, the Age of Innocence. Wharton knows what she's doing and I would not give up on her based on my ho-hum take on House of Mirth.

What does Emma Messenger bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

I don't mean this maliciously, but not much. Messenger did a great job with her performance and I liked her portrayals very much. But the narrator, in my opinion, has little ability to improve the book experience but has a lot of power to diminish it. Ms. Messenger delivers a wholly adequate and enjoyable experience.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

None at this time.

amazing storytelling and narration

Wharton is a wonderful storyteller. House of Mirth is full of beautifully written characters and a great understanding of human nature and social dynamics. Narrator Emma Messenger is one of the best I've heard.

know the book is a classic but I'd change the end.

Narrator is wonderful , book is beautiful. I just want a different ending! Worth it though

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Title: Great American Bestsellers: The Books That Shaped America

Author: The Great Courses

Narrator: Professor Peter Conn

Format: Original Recording

Length: 12 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-08-13

Publisher: The Great Courses

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 199 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Best-selling books have played a critical role in influencing the tastes and purchasing habits of American readers for more than 100 years. But there is more to America's great best-selling books than the sales figures they rake in. American bestsellers also offer us ways to appreciate and understand particular periods of American culture.

In this series of 24 lectures you'll enjoy a pointed look at key best-selling works and their places within the greater fabric of American cultural history. Guided by an award-winning teacher, you'll explore representative bestsellers at various stages of American history, from the first book published in the English-speaking New World to the blockbuster authors who dominate the 21st-century publishing industry.

The result is an expert look at the evolution of American culture - its tastes, its hopes, its dreams - through the unique lens of the books that have captivated its readers at various points in American history.

Each of the 22 works discussed - from literary masterpieces (The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn) to enduring self-help books (How to Win Friends and Influence People) - has had a crucial and unique impact on American society.

Studying these representative works will give you a deeper understanding of how American literature can both mirror the events of its time and, in many instances, have a pronounced impact on them. These lectures are your opportunity to see our nation's best-selling books as more than just popular forms of entertainment that have managed to make their authors lots of money, but as stunning microcosms of American cultural history.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Members Reviews:

Looking for the great in great

I thoroughly enjoy the Great Courses series, but found myself a bit disappointed in this one. I was looking for a deeper analysis of what made these books great. Most of the information was information I already knew. There were no great revelations. The professor also spent much time summarising the books, which gave away the book for anyone who would want to read the book if he or she had not done so already. Great creates great expectations, (excuse the pun) and I didn't come away with that great feeling.

Informative and entertaining

I enjoyed these lectures immensely. He tells you a bit about the author, the social conditions when the book came out, and the plot. The books I knew, I learned more about, the ones that I didn't made me want to read them. I wish that this professor had more courses out there. His style was easy and not hard to follow.

I do hate the teaching companies compulsion for canned music and clapping, it's more than a little silly. Rather undignified for this genre.

Engaging, focused on context of the book.

I really enjoyed this, particularly as the lectures focused on the context in which a book was published, which informed why it may have been a bestseller. He also discussed the plots of the books enough that if you had not read it (one went back to the days of the Puritans) you could still understand how it fit in its period of history.

It's final lecture on 'mega-authors' (I don't think that's the word he actually used, but it's how I think of them) was a little depressing.

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Title: Classics of American Literature

Author: The Great Courses

Narrator: Professor Arnold Weinstein

Format: Original Recording

Length: 43 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-08-13

Publisher: The Great Courses

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 223 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

To truly understand the United States of America, you must explore its literary tradition. Now, in this grand collection of 84 fascinating lectures, you'll get the chance to finally become familiar with America's true literary masterpieces (some you may already be familiar with, others you have yet to discover).

Professor Weinstein has crafted these lectures to explain why some works become classics while others do not, why some "immortal" works fade from our attention completely, and even why some contemporary works now being ignored or snubbed by critics may be considered immortal one day. One memorable work at a time, you'll see how each of these masterpieces shares the uncompromising uniqueness that invariably marks the entire American literary canon.

From Sleepy Hollow to The Great Gatsby and beyond, you'll journey through more than two centuries of the best writers America has yet produced, bringing out the beauty of their language, the excitement of their stories, and the value in what they say about life, power, love, adventure, and what it means, in every sense, to be American. You'll explore the roles of self-reliance and the "self-made man" in the evolution of American literature; the evolution of the American ghost story, from Poe and Hawthorne to James and Morrison; the epic strain in American literature, from Melville and Whitman to Faulkner and Ellison; the perspectives on nature revealed in poets Whitman, Dickinson, Frost, and Eliot; the tenets of Modernism in the work of Eliot, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and Faulkner; the contributions of O'Neill, Miller, and Williams to American theater; and much more.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Members Reviews:

Incomparable AudiOverview of American Literature

If you love reading or wish you'd taken that American Lit course in college or paid attention when you did, this is a great opportunity to explore and learn in over 43 hours of a conversational look by Ivy League (Brown) professor Arnold Weinstein at American literature going back to Ben Franklin's Autobiography and up to Toni Morrison's "Beloved." The course covers not only narratives (novels novellas and short stories), but also poetry by Whitman, Frost, Eliot and Dickinson (over 11 hours), plays by Eugene O'Neill, Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams (about 4 1/2 hours) and essays/memoirs by Emerson and Thoreau (about 4 1/2 hours). In the area of narratives, Professor Weinstein quite thoroughly examines in over 23 hours of courses, in addition to Ben Franklin and Morrison, the works of Washington Irving, Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Twain, Henry James, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Ellison and a few others.

If you haven't read a lot of these materials, don't be dissuaded from taking the plunge into this fabulous exploration of America through literature. I hadn't read many of the works, particularly the shorter ones, yet Professor Weinstein inspired me to read a lot of them. His teaching method doesn't require you to have read them to enjoy and learn from the course. Significantly too, the Professor doesn't stick solely to the works typically associated with a particular author.

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Title: The Western Literary Canon in Context

Author: The Great Courses

Narrator: Professor John M. Bowers

Format: Original Recording

Length: 18 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-08-13

Publisher: The Great Courses

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 63 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

What exactly is the Western literary canon? Why does it contain certain works and not others? And what do particular works in the Western canon tell us about the development of literature and civilization? Explore these and other thought-provoking lectures with a thorough investigation of more than 30 key works of the Western canon and the critical roles they played - and continue to play - in the development of Western literature. Over the course of 36 lectures, you'll discover the exciting stories behind these classic works and their often surprising connections with one another.

You'll gain invaluable insights into the stories behind these masterpieces and some of the important elements involved in canon formation, including the influence of editors on the New Testament, the influence of culture on Homer's and Virgil's epics, and the influence of education on J.R.R. Tolkien.

You'll also examine the unique connections between each work and its predecessors, allowing you to participate in a riveting literary discussion and examine how history's greatest writers have "talked" with one another, from the way Virgil's Aeneid echoes the Homeric epics the Iliad and the Odyssey to the way John Milton's Paradise Lost is a catalog of the canonic works that precede it, from Plato's "The Apology of Socrates" to William Shakespeare's Hamlet.

A panoramic look at literature, this course is your opportunity to witness a rich literary dialogue and take an amazing journey through thousands of years of literary beauty, grace, and humanity.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

Members Reviews:

Nice set of lectures

This course is well-named. It presents the works in context, especially in context with each other. I enjoyed it, especially the segments on Jane Austen and Tolkien. The professor is clear, engaging and focused.

Great content marred by post-modern self-hatred

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I shouldn't be surprised by now, given how infected the Academy is with the radical chic posturings of post-modernism. Here is a man, of prodigious knowledge, charged with the transmission of our Western cultural memory. And yet he drops, without any hint of critique or self-awareness, the petrie dish of terms which serve to undermine it: "DWEMs, as in Dead White European Males," Greek "sexism", "Eurocentrism," "xenophobia," and "Orientalism." He is so submerged in this decadent mindset that he appears to find these viciously ideological and precisely anti-Western terms as obvious and unproblematic as sunshine. And apparently most of his audience fails even to notice. Well, I did. And I'll pass.

Would you recommend The Western Literary Canon in Context to your friends? Why or why not?

No. See above. It's a shame, because the man knows his stuff. But his PoMo toss offs poisoned it.

What about Professor John M. Bowerss performance did you like?

His performance was fine, if you edit out the ideology.

Did The Western Literary Canon in Context inspire you to do anything?

Yes, never rent anything from The Great Courses again.

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Title: White Fang

Author: Jack London

Narrator: Peter Husmann

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 06-18-13

Publisher: Trout Lake Media

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 113 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Jack London's classic adventure story about the friendship developed between a Yukon gold hunter and the mixed dog-wolf he rescues from the hands of a man who mistreats him. White Fang is a companion novel and thematic mirror to London's best-known work, The Call of the Wild.

Members Reviews:

Another excellent book by Jack London...

Another excellent book by Jack London with an equally worthy reading performance by Peter Husman. I liked the descriptions of the life inside the indian village with Grey Beaver and the Puppy Pack.

captivating

I read when I was young.

just had to listen to it. awesome story. I recommend

This book was one of the best books I have ever heard

I love this book , white fang is the dog that I have wanted my hole life yet I'm not sure there is a dog with the perfect amount of love hate and more love that white fang. I just LOVE this dog/wolf this book is worth every penny . If you love dogs or/and wolves this is the book for you. THIS BOOK IS AMAZING

Great book but...

I've read the hard copy version of White Fang and loved it. My one problem with this version is that it sometimes jumps back to another part of the book. Other than that, the narator does a great job with this one.

Terrific classic dog story!!!

A wonderful classic story which is a worthy while read (or listen)!! This is a well developed story full of emotion, adventure, while leading to a happy end!!! The grand kiddos loved it as well!!

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Title: To Build a Fire

Author: Jack London

Narrator: Peter Husmann

Format: Unabridged

Length: 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-11-13

Publisher: Trout Lake Media

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 370 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

"He travels fastest who travels alone...but not after the frost has dropped below zero 50 degrees or more." (Yukon Code)

Jack Londons best short story.

Members Reviews:

THE ABSENCE OF SUN

All about this not so bright individual who for some reason, unexplained, is running around in -50 weather. He is consistently getting wet. Every since I read Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, I have a problem taking Jack London very seriously. He was actually a drunk who spend very little time in the wild. As often as this guy got wet, I did not understand why he did not die sooner.

never go alone in -50

Written as only Jack London can...

A man traveling alone across a winter-scape where temps are colder than -50 below.

His legs accidentally go through a soft spot where natural spring waters remain free of ice regardless of temps. Now the emergency! He must start a fire, but his hands are not working, and his legs are starting to freeze.

As I write this review, the midwest has been experiencing record cold temps as cold as -50. School is cancelled and weather advisories go into effect. People are warned to stay indoors.

In this book, his friend warns him not go out alone, but he doesn't listen...

It is not London's best work, but he does manage to capture a certain poignancy.

Narration was fine- Husmann has a classic, crisp tone.

Great classic.

My son and I enjoyed this reading of this classic short story very much. It made our trip to the dentist a great experience.

Shocking!!!

Great story! The end completely caught me off guard. The performance was very well done.

Only Jack Could Write This

One of his great short stories focusing his time in the Yukon.

Peter does a good read and you can feel the cold and need of fire.

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Title: The Great Gatsby

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Narrator: Jake Gyllenhaal

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-09-13

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9551 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Audie Award Finalist, Classic, 2013

F. Scott Fitzgeralds classic American novel of the Roaring Twenties is beloved by generations of readers and stands as his crowning work. This new audio edition, authorized by the Fitzgerald estate, is narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain). Gyllenhaal's performance is a faithful delivery in the voice of Nick Carraway, the Midwesterner turned New York bond salesman, who rents a small house next door to the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. There, he has a firsthand view of Gatsbys lavish West Egg parties - and of his undying love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan.

After meeting and losing Daisy during the war, Gatsby has made himself fabulously wealthy. Now, he believes that his only way to true happiness is to find his way back into Daisys life, and he uses Nick to try to reach her. What happens when the characters fantasies are confronted with reality makes for a startling conclusion to this iconic masterpiece.

This special audio edition joins the upcoming film - as well as many other movie, radio, theater, and even video-game adaptations - as a fitting tribute to the cultural significance of Fitzgeralds Jazz Age classic, widely regarded as one of the greatest stories ever told.

Editorial Reviews:

Editors Select, April 2013 - I knew I always liked

The Great Gatsby, but having not read it since high school, I couldnt remember exactly why. After listening to Jake Gyllenhaals superb narration, I was reminded of what I found so great about F. Scott Fitzgeralds classic. Gyllenhaal strikes the right chord as, Nick Carraway, who exists within the hyper-privileged world of Long Islands upper crust but manages to avoid becoming jaded and swept up by the materialism of his cousin, Daisy, and the titular Gatsby. Fitzgeralds elegant yet simple prose still holds up, and Gyllenhaal treats it with the utmost respect, allowing the vivid descriptions of mansions, landmarks, and 1920s New York to flow at just the right pace. While ultimately tragic,

The Great Gatsby is full of light and beautiful moments that kindle a nostalgia for the Roaring Twenties, and I was glad to have been reintroduced to a favorite book this way.

Members Reviews:

Simple, Beautiful, and Exquisitely Textured

I am a ravenous reader. I consume books (audio, electronic, and paper) by the pound and byte. I RARELY go back and reread a novel I've read before. It just seems a waste of time, a waste of an opportunity for another book, another story. The Great Gatsby, however, is one of those handful of books, those rare literary jewels, where this rule of thumb is consistently bent and re-broken. For readers of good literature, this novel is like scripture. IT is something you read to enjoy the page, the paragraphs, the sentences, the words. It draws you back. It haunts future books you read. It invades you.

For American Literature, The Great Gatsby stands with 'Moby-Dick' and 'Huckleberry Finn' as a monument of not just literature but the uniquely American experience. It captures the excess, the energy, and the decadence of the 'Lost Generation'. Other Fitzgerald books are amazing, but Gatsby is one of those novels that seems to have surprised everyone, even Fitzgerald.

Finding the right narrator for any book is an art form (often misunderstood, almost always ignored). Certain books require a certain type of reader.

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Title: Uncle Tom's Cabin

Subtitle: Life Among the Lowly

Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe

Narrator: Mary Sarah

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-03-13

Publisher: Trout Lake Media

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 1185 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century and the second best-selling book of that century, following the Bible. It is credited with helping fuel the abolitionist cause in the 1850s. In 1855, three years after it was published, it was called "the most popular novel of our day." A thrilling and important piece of American literature!

Members Reviews:

Excellent Narration

I had tried to get thru the first several chapters of Uncle Tom's Cabin on my own and trying to get the tone and demeanor of the southern vernacular was difficult and distracting for a New England native.

This narrator was so convincing in her reading that I felt like I was there as an observer.

Thanks so much for Audible.

Wooowwwww!

I cringed, laughed, rooted for and cried throughout the book. I'm forever changed. Book was difficult to listen to most times but I'm glad I persevered.

Classic done wrong by reader

I absolutely love this classic work! It is inspiring, well written and true to its time.

I was highly disappointed with the reader and her ability to separate voices. At times I was confused with who was speaking.

Probably still as fresh as in 1850

I think that Harriet Beecher Stowe exquisitely balanced the sensibilities between North & South. The effect was a book in which almost anybody could see the important issues of slavery from different personal perspectives. And what a wonderful example Tom is of a genuine Christian under oppression. Obviously HBS was a wonderfully devout woman herself. Narration was great!

Great story that got lost

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

I am very sorry to say, but I gave up after half of a first chapter. The story seems to be great, as all important though horrifying stories are, but for me it is just "un-listenable".

What didnt you like about Mary Sarahs performance?

The performance is unacceptable. Ms. Sarah reads way too fast, she "swallows" ends of the words, combines words together and her attempts to change voices and imitate accents makes listening even more confusing. I just have general impression of what happened in the fragment I've listened to, majority of it was just lost on me.

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

Unfortunately, in my opinion, this interpretation of Uncle Tom's Cabin is not worth even this little money it costs. It's very disappointing.