Download Top 100 Full Audiobooks in Classics, British Literature

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Title: Mathilda

Author: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Narrator: Sarah Douglas

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-08-15

Publisher: Spokenworld Audio & Ladbroke Audio Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The second novel from Mary Shelley, written in 1819-20 but not published in full until 1959. The story deals with common romantic themes but also incest and suicide. Narrating from her deathbed, Mathilda tells the story of her unnamed fathers confession of incestuous love for her, followed by his suicide by drowning; her relationship with a gifted young poet called Woodville fails to reverse Mathildas emotional withdrawal or prevent her lonely death.

The act of writing this short novel distracted Mary Shelley from her grief after the deaths of her one-year-old daughter ,Clara, at Venice in September 1818 and her three-year-old son, William, in June 1819 in Rome. These losses plunged Mary Shelley into a depression that distanced her emotionally and sexually from Percy Shelley and left her, as he put it, 'on the hearth of pale despair'.

The story may be seen as a metaphor for what happens when a woman, ignorant of all consequences, follows her own heart while dependent on her male benefactor.

Members Reviews:

The description says this ebook was"professionally proof read" to ensure ...

The description says this ebook was"professionally proof read" to ensure accuracy, etc.

I don't know who these "professionals" are but they must have just a first grade education.

I have been a reader for over 50 years. I have read many, many books, classics, non-fiction, fiction and personally I am made sick to death of reading these messy, sloppy ebooks, full of misspelling, grammatical errors..well, anything one could do wrong in writing you will find in this book and very many other ebooks from Amazon. It ruins the whole reading experience.

Dreary and disappointing

This tale is more typical of the melodramatic women's fiction of the day than the brilliant and clever Frankenstein, one of the greatest novels of the century. Although it does have a surprising and lurid twist, this book is ultimately mundane and disappointing. Given how unconventional her Frankenstein was, I kept waiting for some plot element to redeem the story, but it never came.

If you have pleanty of patience, remarkable for someone so young.

In all fairness I read her other things and it is no doubt the style of her time to never reach the point.

"I was a creature cursed and set apart by nature"

Although the dark and turbid mindset of the heroine of this tale gives us an impression of the author's own feelings at this time (her son had recently died), as a work of literature I found this terribly over-the-top and melodramatic.

Matilda's mother dies shortly after her birth, and her distraught father goes abroad. For the next sixteen years the girl grows up in the care of a cold-natured aunt until finally, to her joy, her father returns.

(spoiler alert) After a few deliriously happy months in his company, he suddenly and inexplicably changes, becoming harsh and abrupt. When Matilda demands he tell her why, he at last reveals that he is in love with her. And here the whole thing just became ridiculous to me. Both parties decide they must never again meet; her father goes on to commit suicide.

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Title: The Ball and the Cross

Author: G. K. Chesterton

Narrator: Gildart Jackson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-30-15

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 60 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Evan MacIan is a tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed Scottish Highlander and a devout Roman Catholic. James Turnbull is a short, red-haired, gray-eyed Lowlander and a devout but naïve atheist. The two meet when MacIan smashes the window of the street office where Turnbull publishes an atheist journal. This act of rage occurs when MacIan sees posted on the shop's window a sheet that blasphemes the Virgin Mary, presumably implying she was an adulteress who gave birth to an illegitimate Jesus.

When MacIan challenges Turnbull to a duel to the death, Turnbull is overjoyed. For 20 years, no one paid the slightest attention to his Bible bashing. Now at last someone is taking him seriously!

Members Reviews:

Thoughtful and Thrilling

This is an excellent story about two guys who can't seem to kill one another. It is really a blast from the past with some 1905 rhetoric which can startle modern sensibilities, but draws you back in with a real tale of sympathetic characters and complex questions. I was enthralled and often moved by the dramatic storytelling and vivid imagery which pack the pages of the whole thing. The performanfe was top notch, too. Can't recommend this book enough.

Brilliant book

Chesterson is a master of paradox. From the main character not being able to explain why he broke the atheists window for blasphemy against the Virgin Mary when they won't let him talk about Religion. To the people wanting to let the atheist and the catholic fight a duel for a ladies honor but not for their beliefs.

Terrific performance

One of the most entertaining of Chesterton's novels, wonderfully read here. It is a rollicking, hilarious adventure. Highly recommended.

One of a kind

Any additional comments?

Surprising, clever, funny, and divinely thought provoking. Chesterton saw things about the world that we are still blind to. I highly recommend.

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Title: Northanger Abbey

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Lynn Redgrave

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-17-15

Publisher: silksoundbooks Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 39 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is Jane Austen's lighthearted lesson in what you get for reading too many gothic novels. It is a mark of the astonishing talent of the woman, however, that even a flippant swipe at the trashy reading of the day turned out to be an elegant if extremely funny classic.

Catherine Morland is another one of those Austen girls who, in spite of her gloriously ironic portrait as a romantic heroine in training, ends up being someone whose story you'd follow to the end of the world, or at least until the end of the book. And the villains and suitors of the piece somehow acquire those extra 16 layers that Austen cannot help herself from writing.

This is as blithe and merry a piece of gothic horror as youll get, and at the same time as you're grinning at the terrifying manuscript Catherine finds in her bedroom turning out to be the laundry lists, youll be delighting in the sheer brilliance of the first of Jane Austen's great novels.

Members Reviews:

Lynne Redgrave slays!

She does such an amazing job with both the make and female voices. Mr. Thorpe was my favorite of her voices (even though he's an abominable character)!

Redgrave's spirited voice enlivens the reading.

Enjoyed Austen's early voice, particularly in her witty delivery. Vanessa Redgrave's performance swept me away.

Disappointed

As a huge fan of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice I was very disappointed with Northanger Abbey. Lynn Redgrave gave an incredible performance. I would surely read another book with her narration . But the storyline of this book kept me waiting and hoping for a more captivating storyline.

Love me some Jane!

Jane Austen has been a favorite author of mine since I was in junior high! this is a great narration of the unabridged version. The narrator does a wonderful job altering her voice for characters and bringing you into the story!

Bath as a marriage market...

Catherine Morland, the daughter of a clergyman, the fourth in a total of ten children, is seventeen years old and lives in Fullerton, a village in Wiltshire. She makes her first visit to Bath with Mr and Mrs Allens, her parents' friends and neighbors...

How she makes new acquaintances and gets a suiter, and how it comes to the usual conclusion after some adventures, is all the action to be expected.

The reading is superb: The dialogues are easy to follow as Lynn Redgrave rendering of the different voices is perfectly executed and convincing.

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Title: Lady Chatterley's Lover

Author: D H Lawrence

Narrator: Samantha Bond

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-17-15

Publisher: silksoundbooks Limited

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 49 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The story of Lady Chatterley and her love for her husband's gamekeeper outraged the sensibilities of Edwardian England. Lawrence had already been dismissed as a purveyor of the obscene for the attitudes to sex that he had shown in The Rainbow, which had been fiercely suppressed on its publication in 1915. Chatterley, written in several versions around 1928 in Italy in the final part of Lawrence's life, was a deliberate choice on the author's part to address sex head on, describe the act and its pleasures in detail and put forward his belief that mankind had lost touch with its pagan and natural roots, its link to the earth and therefore its strength.

Lady Chatterley's Lover was banned from publication in Britain until 1960, when the radical new publishing house Penguin Books brought out a paperback edition and was immediately taken to court for obscenity. The trial that followed became one of the marking posts for the '60s' 'revolution', with arguments for the beauty of Lawrence's descriptions of love and sex finally conquering the prudish sensibilities that Lawrence so despised and leading to a landmark legal ruling in Penguin's favour. For all the campaigning and crusading that has accompanied Lady Chatterley's Lover, it remains in essence a beautiful description of a true and lasting passion.

Members Reviews:

Amazing reader of classic great novel

I am not sure there could be a better reader than this great actor, and the writing it's DH Lawrence so it's brilliant.

Samantha makes Lady Chatterley come alive

If you could sum up Lady Chatterley's Lover in three words, what would they be?

Classic Erotica doubled in intensity by Samatha Bonds seductive voice. Listen with someone you love.

Leave it to Lawrence to make sex tedious

First, a warning: if you want to read it for the "dirty" parts, you will probably be disappointed. I found many of the sex scenes to be unnecessarily crude and not at all erotic and maybe that was Lawrence's point: that ordinary people aren't particularly sexy when it comes to sex. None of the lovers seemed to be particularly creative.

But the most troubling thing I found about the novel was that it seemed extremely ableist. I understand the novel reflects outdated attitudes toward people with disabilities and it is a product of its time, but it is still no less disturbing (or at least it shouldn't be) to a modern audience than racial or ethnic stereotypes. The prevailing attitude throughout seems to be that people with disabilities are not entitled to romantic love if they are not able to engage in "traditional" sexual activity.

What I found most interesting, and perhaps most relevant to contemporary readers, were the characters' discussions of economic theory.

As for the performance, I thought Samantha Bond did well, but there were a few places where you can hear her cough or clear her throat (and it clearly wasn't part of the script) and I wondered why that wasn't edited out in post-production.

Time to read again?

Considering the time within which this book was written, "progressive thinking" and current cultural memes and beliefs, within this beautifully written and wonderfully read love story, one can find insights and comfort that there is little new in the world.

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Title: Ivanhoe

Author: Walter Scott

Narrator: James Cosmo

Format: Unabridged

Length: 19 hrs and 53 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-16-15

Publisher: silksoundbooks Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 24 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is one of Sir Walter Scott's greatest adventures, set amongst the roaring battles of the struggle between the Normans and the Saxons for control of medieval England. It deals with the rivalry between King Richard the Lion-Heart and his brother, John.

We follow the adventures, skirmishes and romances of the hero, Ivanhoe, a Saxon knight loyal to King Richard, as he attempts to survive the England of King John alongside the disguised Richard and, of course, Robin Hood.

Author Sir Walter Scott, first Baronet (1771-1832), was a prolific Scottish historical novelist and poet. His father was a lawyer who had brought himself from the family's rural background into legal eminence in Edinburgh, married a well-born girl and was very anxious that his children should continue his process of advancement for the Scott family.

Scott himself was an early victim of polio, only just surviving by dint of being sent back to what remained of the family seat to live with his grandmother. It was she who introduced him to Scottish folklore and ballads, which were to be so influential in his writing career, with novels such as Ivanhoe, Rob Roy, The Lady of the Lake, Waverley, The Heart of Midlothian and The Bride of Lammermoor.

Members Reviews:

A brilliant rendering of a classic

What did you love best about Ivanhoe?

It gives a better reading of history and culture than dry academic discourse. And within a children's tale there is more nuance and sincerity than most of modern politics.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The swineherd. His honesty moved me and his predicament has a telling similarity to the one of the modern middle class.

What about James Cosmos performance did you like?

His voice. It was not overtly full of fake rural tones, but naturally so. Romantic in the spirit of the book.

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

Cedric's destiny and his struggle to keep his family and his nation alive.

A racist, anti-Semitic yet ripping yarn

Errol Flynn's "The Adventures of Robin Hood" meets Stormfront in this classic by a name known more for pipe tobacco than literature. Still, the combination of conflict (of the flavor of "Friday Night Lights") and speechifying (of the flavor of "Deadwood") and a terrific performance make it an edifying pastime.

Great narration

Not the easiest story to get into (written 200 years ago) but it's the narration that makes it accessible and engaging

Highly recommended

James Cosmo's Ivanhoe

I'm a big fan of Cosmo's acting, but this reading was a bit stilted. Some breathing exercises and longer phrasing required.

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Title: Gulliver's Travels

Author: Jonathan Swift

Narrator: John Tatlock

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-03-15

Publisher: A.R.N. Publications

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 46 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Jonathan Swift's classic novel about the loveable Lemuel Gulliver is one that is taught in high schools around the country, and for good reason. Gulliver, who is a surgeon aboard a ship, thinks that he is about to embark on a run-of-the-mill voyage to different ports. Throughout his journey, however, there are a few events that take place that redirect his ship to unfamiliar islands. Not only are they unfamiliar to him, but they are inhabited by natives who are shaped and sized much differently than he is. His mistaken voyage to the island of Lilliput, for instance, yields an encounter with the miniature Lilliputians, who are only six inches tall. The second voyage, by contrast, causes him to have a run-in with a band of giants, who capture him when the other members of his fleet escape.

Despite the seemingly unfortunate events that befall him on the high seas, Gulliver learns important lessons throughout the encounters with these strange people. Spread out over four books in total, Swift's classic is written as a parody and satire of the sailor's tales that were popularized years ago. Gulliver's Travels concludes each book with a heart-warming return to his beloved England, and Gulliver is a changed man because of it.

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Title: The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Charlton Griffin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 51 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-26-15

Publisher: Audio Connoisseur

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

All the youthful vigor and exuberance of Charles Dickens is on display in his first two novels. Dickens was only 25 years old upon the completion of his first novel, The Pickwick Papers (1837), and 27 when he finished his second, Oliver Twist (1839). It is in these early novels that we first encounter the energy of his humor, satire, and keen observational powers. Within 10 years, Dickens would be regarded as the literary genius of the Victorian Age. But it all started with these two novels.

The Pickwick Papers is a comic tour de force, its centerpiece being the Pickwickians who travel about London and the surrounding countryside investigating various peculiarities. The amusing characters and hilarious incidents have become literary staples.

Oliver Twist reflects much that is autobiographical in Dickens' life experience. The novel is notable for the authors' realistic portrayal of criminals and their brutal, sordid lives, as well as for exposing the cruel treatment of the many orphans in London in the mid-19th century. In many ways, this tale was the signature depiction of London by Dickens that has become world famous, and which would be the template for the remainder of his long career.

Listeners should be aware that The Pickwick Papers runs 33 hours and 42 minutes, at which point Oliver Twist begins and continues for an additional 17 hours and 31 minutes.

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Title: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

Author: Anne Brontë

Narrator: Piers Wehner, Katy Carmichael

Format: Unabridged

Length: 20 hrs and 29 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-19-15

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 85 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte created a strong, modern heroine who challenged the prevailing morals and politics of the Victorian era.

When Helen Graham shut her bedroom door on her abusive, drunken husband, it was a door-slam heard around the world. Escaping to Wildfell Hall after a loveless marriage, Helen, our mysterious tenant, lives in quiet seclusion, while her reclusive nature quickly becomes the subject of local gossip.

Gilbert Markham, a young farmer, becomes intrigued with Ms. Graham and soon discovers the shocking secrets of her dark past.

Members Reviews:

Beautiful

What a treat! The narrators are perfectly matched to the material, and the material itself is shot through with love and sunlight. Not to say there's no suffering: the novel contains a gripping account of a relationship gone horribly wrong, and of the ravages of alcohol and adultery. But for all that, it doesn't have the tinge of gothic horror that marks other works by members of the Brontë family. If there's a flaw, it's that the male narrator, Gilbert Markham, isn't half as mature as he seems to think he is. He's right when he says he doesn't deserve to be happy. But Helen Huntingdon DOES deserve it. She is a strong, determined woman, an utter contrast to the stereotypical Victorian heroine, and her story is a delight to hear.

Brilliant novel

Even though I was aware that the Bronte sisters were all writers, I had only ever read Charlotte. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel, although at times it was a bit religious in tone. The story is written as a letter or journal in first person of both of the main characters. I definitely would recommend this if you are a fan of any of the Brontes or Jane Austen.

Long, But Not Disappointing

Having read some very disappointingly-ended stories by the Brontes, I was a bit leery of this long tome. I can see this as a drawn-out set of serially stories full enough of angst for any lonely soul. For myself, the narrator was better to listen to at 1.15 speed rather than the slower original. He has a good voice, but seemed a bit effete in the emphases he used in each sentence. Bronte is attempting to write from a male point of view but tends to give her protagonist a clearly female set of reactions. It is still entertaining if you can wade through all this.

Had to stop!

As much as I love the Bronte's- too much filler- I was totally immersed for the entire first quarter- after that it becomes so wordy and goes on so long it becomes extremely frustrating, I hope it ends well but I could not continue .

My favorite Brontë book so far

This story about a very strong, somewhat self-righteous woman is a sparkling gem. Interesting characters.

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Title: Far From the Madding Crowd (Movie Tie-in Edition)

Author: Thomas Hardy

Narrator: Nicholas Guy Smith

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-28-15

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 63 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This story of a proud rural beauty and the three men who court her is the novel that first made Thomas Hardy famous.

Despite the violent ends of several of its major characters, Far from the Madding Crowd is the sunniest and least brooding of Hardy's great novels. The strong-minded Bathsheba Everdene - and the devoted shepherd, obsessed farmer, and dashing soldier who vie for her favor - move through a beautifully realized late 19th-century agrarian landscape, still almost untouched by the industrial revolution and the encroachment of modern life.

Members Reviews:

Wonderful performance that brings new life to this classic

Nicholas Guy Smith gives a pitch perfect of Thomas Hardy's masterpiece. He does full justice to the range of voices, personalities, moods and accents. I had not realized before how very funny Hardy can be. There are passages of dialogue, especially among the working men of Bathsheba's farm, that are hilarious. Guy Smith gives them their full measure of entertainment value. Hardy's ability to take a godlike view of a whole scene in one moment, and then to zero in on the poignantly human details of his individual characters, is most impressive and moving. This is one I will listen to more than once.

Great story, wonderful performance!

Loved listening to this story. Hardy captures the idylls and charm (and often mundanity) of countryside living - with all the intrigue and community buzz. Awesome narration too! In fact I got this title mainly because I saw Nicholas Guy Smith had narrated it.

Great book

What a sad tale of love. Way to be persistent Farmer Oak. Great narration by Nicholas Smith.

Movie was better for me

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Not really because I don't believe any of my friends really like an appreciate classic literature the way I do.

Not my cup of tea

Note to self: no more classics. I am not suited to them.

Note to others: my review in no way reflects the quality of the story or the telling of it. Please experience this novel on your own and form your own opinion.

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Title: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass

Subtitle: With an Excerpt from the Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll

Author: Stuart Dodgson Collingwood, Lewis Carroll

Narrator: Alison Larkin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-17-15

Publisher: British Classic Audio and BMA

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 69 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Lewis Carroll's most famous novels, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, are brought to sparkling new life in this unabridged recording by AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator Alison Larkin. An internationally acclaimed comedienne well known for her many voices, Alison Larkin is the perfect vessel to bring Lewis Carroll's classic novels to a new audience. This fresh and hugely entertaining listen from "the English American" joined with Lewis Carroll's surreal genius results in pure, boundless FUN.

The novels are followed by a short excerpt from the Life and Letters of Lewis Carroll, by Carroll's nephew Stuart Dodgson Collingwood.

Members Reviews:

A Match Made in Audio Book Heaven

What made the experience of listening to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass the most enjoyable?

It only takes a miracle. You only have to find an award-winning narrator who is both a brilliant actor AND comedienne. When you have found her-- match her unique experience and multi-talents with a story that has been a best seller for over 150 years! Alison Larkin brings her great many gifts--including an uncanny ability togive a irresistible voice and character to every creature great and small--to this wonderful Anniversary Edition of Lewis Carroll's immortal classic comedy. What new fun enchantment we are able to enjoy in this delightfully funny and dramatic new version. We are also treated to an extra bonus at the end of the reading from a letter written by the original Alice when shewas married later in life and asked how she was able to convince a rather distinguished Oxford Professor Dobson--AKA Lewis Carroll-- to continue telling her stories when he grew tired. The mature Alice recounts: "When he said i will tell you more 'next time' my sisters and I all cried: 'But this IS next time!'" Don't wait for "next time"! This audio book is a great time for anyone who wishes to hear a miraculous match of a uniquely gifted narrator with this most original and captivating tale.

What did you like best about this story?

I was surprised at how a story I loved when I was so young is still so relevant to someone of my rather advanced age. White haired "old" Father William, for example, is asked whether standing on his head: "is quite right?"My yoga-teaching daughter assures me that such a daily exercise is essential. And when the Queen advises us to "believe 6 impossible things before breakfast" I have taken her advice and find the whole day moves much more happily after such an invigorating mental exercise. Not that I can't relate to the sleepy Door Mouse or the Mad Hatter and his rather chaotic tea party! In fact, I find this whole upside down world in which virtually every word is full of so many meanings--rather a home away from home, if you know what I m

Which character as performed by Alison Larkin was your favorite?

I loved the White Rabbit who became a very energetic type of Scottish person.