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Title: Ulysses

Author: James Joyce

Narrator: Philippe Duquenoy

Format: Unabridged

Length: 29 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-13-16

Publisher: A.R.N. Publications

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 40 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Ulysses takes us on the journey of two men, Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus, through an hour-by-hour account of their lives for one day. These men cross paths in a series of coincidental events and listeners learn how interconnected they are even though they are not friends.

Dedalus, a teacher, is dissatisfied with life. He spends the morning avoiding mocking friends, listening to a mundane lecture from his superior on life, and walking alone while reflecting on his younger self. Bloom, at the same time, is discovering his wife's affair (although he is having one of his own under a pseudonym), and pursuing an unsuccessful attempt at getting an advertisement ran for a client. Bloom feels like an outsider amongst acquaintances and reminisces on a time when things between he and his wife were good and happy.

Dedalus and Bloom continue to be in the same place at the same time throughout the novel as the story continues into themes of xenophobia, the quest for paternity, heroism in compassion, and many other of life's questions. Ulysses was written to mimic The Odyssey by Homer in a modern day retelling of the poem and has many parallels between the characters and plot events making the novel an epic adventure through two very ordinary lives.

Members Reviews:

SPECTACULAR!

James Joyce is known for his intricate attention to detail within his works, and Ulysses is definitely no exception. Ulysses follows the story of two men, Leopold Bloom and Stephen Dedalus, taking the reader through an hour-by-hour account of each of their lives. This modern heroic quest shows readers know how connected peoples lives can be, even if they are not acquaintances.

When discussing Irish and British literature, Ulysses is a work of literature that should always be included on the discussion. Though at times, it can be dense and difficult to work through because of the many allusions woven through the text, once you get through it, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Ulysses not only shows the interconnectedness of humanity, but it also shows the interconnectedness of English literature.

Phillipe Duquenoy, the narrator of the audio book, has a delightful accent that embraces the reader, and helps with the difficultly of the text. Not only is his English accent a delight to listen to but it greatly contributes to the overall theme and setting of the novel itself. When trying to tackle Ulysses, the audio book might be the best route to follow, as it is less difficult to get lost in the massive amounts of detail provided on a page to page read.

They call this a masterpiece.

Well, I suffered through the whole thing. Mostly out of curiosity and some silly hope that I might find a point to it. The narrators performance is the only positive comment I feel obliged to provide. James Joyce - you were a lunatic.

Disappointing

To begin with I must acknowledge the immense effort needed to record this book.

That said and this being one of the most iconic works of literature in modern times, I do have reservations about this edition.

Firstly, I found that on a large number of occasions the text was misread showing that the reader didn't fully understand what he was reading. This was a major problem to me as I was reading along with it and caused some confusion.

Secondly,

there was a lot of mispronouncing of names. Most noticeably Dedalus( one of the main characters) and Howth, to name a few.

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Title: Jeeves and the Unwanted Guest [Classic Tales Edition]

Author: P. G. Wodehouse

Narrator: B. J. Harrison

Format: Unabridged

Length: 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-09-16

Publisher: B. J. Harrison

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Jeeves stays his hand. Yes, that's right. Even though a particularly well-upholstered friend of Aunt Agatha chucks her bleary-eyed milk sot of a son, Bertie, for a month. Jeeves refuses to rally to the cause. Of course if Bertie would simply throw out the offensive tie and hat, things might be smoothed over soon enough. But Bertie, just this once, has decided to be firm.

Members Reviews:

Best Narrator

of all the PGWoodhouse releases, this is, I feel, the best narrator. Really channels Bertie Wooster's vapid charm in a way few have... rather like Hugh Laurie... whereupon you almost hear the writer grin

Not the best version

Any additional comments?

This is of course, a classic faultless Wodehouse story. However the enjoyment was compromised by the narrator. B.J. Harrison seems a decent enough story teller but the the wrong choice for a Jeeves and Wooster. His accent is completely wrong. I could not place the accent but what is needed here, bearing in mind that the stories are written in the first personas if spoken by Bertie Wooster, is someone speaking in middle class English (Received English) or the English spoken in upper-class Edwardian society. Anything else simply does not work. A much better version appears in Chapter 3 of 'Carry on Jeeves' narrated by Jonathan Cecil under the Chapter heading 'The Unbidden Guest'. True it is more expensive but there are ten chapters here, each a gem of a short story.

good enough

Enjoyable listening apart from an irritating transatlantic twang creeping in occasionally, but not enough to really distractt.

Found the reader off putting

I couldn't tell if the reader was deliberately doing a bad english accent or not - whayever it was it distracted me and put me off the story, sorry.

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Title: Charles Dickens: The BBC Radio Drama Collection: Volume Two

Subtitle: Barnaby Rudge, Martin Chuzzlewit & Dombey and Son

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Alex Jennings, Robert Glenister, Simon Cadell

Format: Original Recording

Length: 17 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-04-16

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Ltd.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Thrilling full-cast radio dramatisations of three of Charles Dickens' classic novels. Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned novelists of all time, and this second volume of the dramatised canon of his work includes the gripping historical novel Barnaby Rudge, picaresque comedy Martin Chuzzlewit and bittersweet tale of family relationships Dombey and Son.

'Barnaby Rudge': Against the background of the anti-Catholic riots of the 1780s, young Barnaby Rudge becomes entangled with the fanatical George Gordon and his campaign for 'No Popery'. But mob violence, the burning of Newgate Prison and the shadow of murder put his life in danger....

'Martin Chuzzlewit': Disinherited by his wealthy grandfather because of his love for the beautiful Mary, Martin Chuzzlewit sets sail for America to seek his fortune.

'Dombey and Son': Wealthy Paul Dombey is desperate for a male heir to continue the family business, and neglects his six-year-old daughter Florence. Then, at last, the longed-for son is born - but Dombey's hopes for him go unfulfilled....

With a star cast including Simon Cadell, Bill Nighy, Alex Jennings, Robert Glenister, Geraldine James and Pam Ferris, these BBC radio adaptations bring out all the suspense, adventure, satire and social realism of Dickens' three classic masterpieces. Duration: 19 hours approx.

Members Reviews:

Not quite as listenable as Volume 1.

Barnaby Rudge is the weak link in my view. The other two are well performed and make for enchanting listening.

Perfect Productions

If you like a good old Dickens novel then these Charles Dickens full cast productions will thrill you.

First rate acting make these a joy to listen to especially perfect for the early dark nights running up to Christmas.

Each wonky Dickens character comes to life as the sounds of the Victorian Dickens era draws you in so that you feel you are back in time living the lives the great master intended.

Another great Dickens dramatisation

Very enjoyable listening - bringing three more Dickens novels to life. Excellent, high quality productions. Top rated acting. Recommended!

Not as expected

Would you try another book written by Charles Dickens or narrated by the narrators?

Love Charles Dickens books but this format was a bit bizarre

What other book might you compare Charles Dickens: The BBC Radio Drama Collection: Volume Two to, and why?

Best read the individual books by a sympathetic narrator..

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The cast tried to enliven the stories and achieved just a noisy, disconnected rendition.

Do you think Charles Dickens: The BBC Radio Drama Collection: Volume Two needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Not in this format.

life affirmng

loved it, even though it was a very dark story it was gripping and very life affirming. starting on tale of two cities then bleak house.

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Title: Histories of the Kings of Britain: King Arthur

Author: Geoffrey Monmouth

Narrator: Jack Chekijian

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-26-16

Publisher: Spoken Realms

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This may rightly be considered one of the first published sources of the King Arthur legend. The translation by Sebastian Evans of this selection of Geoffrey of Monmouth's chronicle of ancient British kings differs in several respects from more popular versions of Arthurian tales published centuries later. Notably absent here are the Round Table of knights, the Holy Grail, Guenevere's affair with Sir Lancelot, and the Lady of the Lake. In their place is a pseudohistorical account of Arthur's role in British wars against Saxons and Romans - not a work of chivalrous knights in shining suits of armor encountering maidens and monsters, but rather an attempt to forge a national epic for the British people.

Members Reviews:

Fantastic and Seemingly Accurate

It starts out like it's going to SEEM boring but it gets intense and brutal pretty quick! This portrays a very admirable but NON-Disney perspective of King Arthur that's honestly really refreshing lol

a Great King

wonderful to hear a different version of King Arthur. Nicely done. eazy listening enjoyed it.

Great story

Having listened to Mallory, this is a great source to hear too. One gets a sense of the earlier Briton reality, even if mostly legend. One can see where the imagination was sparked and is still sparked by need, bravery, and tragedy.

Arthur

For a public domain narration it was pretty good. I'm a big Arthur fan and of course this is one of the important stories that add to his legend

Terrible Narraror

I was looking forward to this but couldn't bear listening to the narrator/ I'm returning it.

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Title: The Celtic Twilight

Author: William Butler Yeats

Narrator: Jack Chekijian

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-12-16

Publisher: Spoken Realms

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 25 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

One of the best-known collections of W. B. Yeats' prose, The Celtic Twilight explores the old connection between the Irish people and the magical world of fairies. Yeats, by traveling the land in the early 20th century and talking to the common people about their experiences with the creatures, yielded a colorful overview of Celtic fairy folklore.

Members Reviews:

A compilation of Irish folklore in prose

From the personal notes of the great poet, this short volume highlights the tales told in the early twentieth century by the rural people of Ireland. This is not a genealogy of the Fae, but the sort of pleasant storytelling that people everywhere used to enjoy in the days before TV, mobile phones, and Pokeman Go.

Happily, the narration is not in a heavy brogue poorly understood by North American ears. Narrator Jack's performance does not distract from the work, but makes it more like the fireside listens that Yeates recounts.

Masterful and Magical

Would you listen to The Celtic Twilight again? Why?

Yes, I would listen to The Celtic Twilight again because the folktales of fairies, ghosts, witches, and giants are enchanting. These beliefs were so widespread and deep throughout Ireland that I began to believe that they were true. This collection by Yeats of tales from his native Ireland are lovingly retold. For a night of good yarns, listen to this book. These stories were told and passed down, so an audiobook read by Jack Chekijian with his Irish accent approximates how you may have heard the stories in Ireland. This book is a masterpiece. Buy and listen to it today!

Collection of Irish folk tales.

Collection of Irish folk tales rendered by a great poet. Delightful entertainment worth repeated listening.

Great faery tales

Could listen to this over and over again.

Perhaps not great for children less than 13.

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Title: Joy in the Morning

Author: P. G. Wodehouse

Narrator: Jonathan Cecil

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-28-16

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 36 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Trapped in rural Steeple Bumpleigh, a man less stalwart than Bertie Wooster would probably give way at the knees, for among those present are Florence Craye, to whom Bertie had once been engaged; her new fiancé, "Stilton" Cheesewright, who sees Bertie as a snake in the grass; and that biggest blot on the landscape, Edwin the Boy Scout, who is busy doing acts of kindness out of sheer malevolence. All of Bertie's forebodings are fully justified, for in his efforts to oil the wheels of commerce, promote the course of true love, and avoid the consequences of a vendetta, he becomes the prey of all and sundry. In fact only Jeeves can save him.

Members Reviews:

Sheer delight

A classic farce with the ever brilliant and amusing Jeeves. A clever trifle that keeps you smiling at the foibles of human nature.

I want to go to a party in Purgatory with PG!

This review is for every PG Wodehouse book I have listened to narrated by Jonathan Cecil. Joy from start to finish, not just in the morning. If you want to laugh, and laugh, and just forget all your cares - because deep down you feel, you know they are merely surface illusions in a truly delightful, joyful God-given universe - listen to this book, and every other PG Wodehouse book you can get your hands on. Jonathan Cecil seems to have been born to narrate them. Only problem is, I can't bring myself to listen to other Wodehouse novels not narrated by him, so I hope he eventually records them all. Please! Although of course, I WILL eventually listen to every PG Wodehouse book no matter what. And since the plot is secondary to the experience, I can look forward to laughing joyfully until the end as I listen to them over and over again!

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Title: The Mysteries of Udolpho

Author: Ann Radcliffe

Narrator: Karen Cass

Format: Unabridged

Length: 30 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-23-16

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Wildly popular upon its release, The Mysteries of Udolpho is a Gothic novel of undeniable charm and power. The virtuous and loving Emily, the young protagonist, finds herself in the care of her aunt following the death of her father. Her aunt promptly marries the villain Montoni, a cruel and calculating man whose scheming leads him to lock both women in the dark and winding castle of Udolpho. Will they survive to tell of its terrors?

Members Reviews:

Dull, wordy, plodding

Full disclosure -- I have only listened to about a third of the book so far, but I may never finish it. The first 7 hours or so have been dull and slow and swimming in elegant but pointless verbiage. This is a gasbag of a book. I actually burst out laughing at one point -- the word 'blather' came to mind. For the love of God, get on with it! What is this all about and why should I care?

On the plus side, if you enjoy florid descriptions of nature, this is the book for you. If you love descriptions of other people appreciating nature and rhapsodizing to each other about it at great length, you have found Nirvana. Aficionados of stilted dialog will also be gratified. Apparently the gothic part of the book is coming, and with it some signs of life, but I don't think I will be along for the ride.

WARNING! BAD ACCENT ALERT!

What did you like best about The Mysteries of Udolpho? What did you like least?

While Karen Cass does a fine job when using her own voice, she made the ill-advised decision to perform the spoken dialogue parts in a cringe-inducing and amateurish "French" accent, that becomes more and more onerous as the hours pass. And seeing as this is a 30+ hour book, that is onerous indeed. Audible really needs to make it a point to capture a representative passage for their sample narration, as if I had heard the baffling use of cartoonish accents, I would have sought another edition.

What aspect of Karen Casss performance would you have changed?

As above. It is understood the characters are speaking French, there is no need to flog us with inane accents to remind us of this at every spoken dialogue section.

Any additional comments?

I'm not commenting to review the book per se. It's a very long classic gothic novel, proceed at your own risk.

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Title: King Solomon's Mines

Author: Henry Rider Haggard

Narrator: Alan Munro

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-11-16

Publisher: Trout Lake Media

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 46 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

First published in 1885, with billboards and posters around London announcing "The Most Amazing Book Ever Written". It became an immediate best seller. The genesis of the Lost World literary genre!

The search of an unexplored region of Africa by a group of adventurers, led by Allan Quatermain, for a missing brother, lost while searching for the mythical mines of King Solomon. It is the first English adventure novel set in Africa. The novel has been adapted to film at least six times. The first version premiered in 1937.

Members Reviews:

poor quality

awesome story, performance of audio terrible. sounded muffled hard to distinguish words. spend the money on a more expensive copy.

This narrator is the absolute worst

Great story but the dude that reads it is painful. I couldn't do it! I had to actually buy another version to listen to!

Classic Adventure Story

I usually seek out Mr. Munro when there is a classic to be read. He usually does not disappoint. His voice seems suited for 18th century literature. I know that classic adventure stories can pale in comparison with plot lines and ease of todays authors. But taking the book as it is for its time I enjoyed it very much.

Loved it....

Old fashioned in so many ways, including language, but of course that is the charm. The locutions hearken to a day when language was happily taken much more seriously. The story is of course fanciful also in an old fashioned way, but slips the reader away into a fantasy land like few others. While dated by language and racist pronouncements, it remains a classic, not disconnected from other classics such as Heart of Darkness, and King Leopold's Ghost. I recommend it, even for young boys learning to stretch their imagination.

Baffling narration

What didnt you like about Alan Munros performance?

The most stilted, unnatural narration I've ever endured. Almost like a machine. Utterly distracting and horrible. I will avoid anything narrated by this chap.

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Title: Sense and Sensibility

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Rosalyn Landor

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-27-16

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 23 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Set in Southwest England in the late 1800s, Sense and Sensibility follows the lives of the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne. When inheritance money from their father does not fall their way, the sisters and their mother must move in with distant relatives. Settling in at Barton Park, the Dashwood sisters discover a new life filled with new acquaintances and different suitors. From these new encounters, their lives are forever changed through a series of love, romance, and heartbreaks. Ultimately, the sisters must choose between sense and sensibility while uncovering secrets about their potential suitors and the wealth-inspired motives the society holds.

Members Reviews:

Excellent story and narration

The book is better than the TV series or movie. I highly recommend this book by Jane Austin.

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Title: The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus

Author: Christopher Marlowe

Narrator: full cast

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-23-15

Publisher: Spoken Realms

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 34 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

For this recording of Christopher Marlowe's ground-breaking drama about death and damnation, a special version of the text, which is a selective conflation of the folios of 1604 and 1616, has been used.

Performed by members of the Online Stage.

Cast

Chorus - Elizabeth Klett

Faustus - Peter Tucker

Mephistophilis - Ron Altman

Wagner and Lust - Libby Stephenson

Good Angel and the Duchess of Vanholt - Carol Box

Evil Angel - Lucy Perry

Valdes, Pride, the Cardinal of Lorrain and the Third Scholar - Bob Neufeld

Cornelius, Beelzebub, First Friar and Old Man - Alan Weyman

First Scholar, Covertousness and Ralph - Cate Barratt

Second Scholar, Envy and Emperor Charles V - Marty Kris

Clown, Sloth and Robin - Michele Eaton

Lucifer, Second Friar and the Duke of Vanholt - Joseph Tabler

Wrath, the Pope and Vintner - Phil Benson

Beth Thomas as Gluttony, Third Friar and a Knight

Stage directions read by Denis Daly

© Voices of Today 2015

Members Reviews:

He didn't have to take me to hell

I love reading Christopher Marlowe and I know the classic. Some of the actor are familiar for excellent work. But was it necessary to actually do the recording in hell. This is so bad, you should not be selling it to anyone.

Put none before me...

What made the experience of listening to The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus the most enjoyable?

I liked the cast narration on this version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus?

The ending description of hell fire and Faustus' end was indeed eye opening for us and the poor foolish Dr. The good angels end plea that had he only had turned away before he saw hell's gates open was also very powerful. It shows he really did not have remorse when he was doing what he desired only when he could not fulfill his whims. It is a "I wanted my cake and to eat it as well" human fallacy.

Would you listen to another book narrated by full cast?

Yes, I would.

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

I did listen to it in one sitting.

Bad Recording

How could the performance have been better?

This is a good play. A piece of classic literature. The recording was so bad I couldn't get through the first five minutes. The recording quality is poor. There is no acting or dramatization involved. Instead it's a chopped up recording of people reading the lines.

Any additional comments?

Very poor production

Cut and paste of soundbites which has almost zero in terms of production value - what a pity