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Title: The Scarlet Letter

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Narrator: Annie Wauters

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-18-04

Publisher: Findaway World

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 72 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A young Puritan woman gives birth to an illegitimate child in 17th-century New England and must endure public condemnation and the burden of a terrible secret.

(P)Commuter's Library

Members Reviews:

Review of The Scarlet Letter

Excellent audio rendation of the book. It was entertaining, thought provoking and insightful. Totally enjoyed this recording.

How not to read a book

Annie Wauters, the reader, over-dramatizes events and over-characterizes voices. Must she lower her voice to a grating rasp to depict Roger Chillingsworth, or raise it to a squeeky falsetto for Pearl? A tiresome listen.

Skip the first 1:39:00 of this book

The first hour and thirty-nine minutes of this book is a painfully boring introduction by the author, just rambling on about his life and how he came across a scarlet letter while working in a customs house and decided to write a story about it. I kept listening because I figured the intro wouldn't be very long, but I was wrong. The only valuable piece of info from the intro is that the book is based on a true story. (It would have taken him the equivalent of 3 minutes to explain that!) Do yourself a favor and skip ahead! The story was OK, but not as good as I had hoped. (The intro may have left a bad taste in my mouth.)

Obviously Worth my While

Believe it or not I missed reading this in high school. So now after several decades of exposure to the lessons, morals, and imagery this classic has gifted the public domain, I found the actual event of finally reading the book to be somewhat anticlimactic. To my surprise, I already had the essential plot down; I was already aware of the great hypocracy of the Puritans, and I already knew that poor Hester Prynne was a victim of said society. So while I can't be critical of this novel, I do come away from it wondering why we choke our poor 9th graders with it so that they never dare read another Hawthorne novel in their lives. Hawthorne's other stories can be so much easier to grasp and still convey many and most of the same important lessons. The narration was fine, though irritating in spots as he tended to the overdramatic interpretation of some of the characters' speech. I wonder if "reading" this again via a different narrator would have left me with a better impression of the book itself.

Classic Good Listening

I agree that the first 1 hour and 39 minutes was a waste of time. Wish I would have read other comments before I started listening to boring introduction.

Skip the introduction...and forward to 1 hour and 39 minutes and listen to the first chapter.

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Title: The Awakening

Author: Kate Chopin

Narrator: Liza Ross

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-04-03

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is the moving and powerful story of Edna Pontellier, a beautiful young wife and mother who discovers her true feelings and identity through her love for Robert Lebrun, and in so doing challenges the bourgeois assumptions of her day. First published in 1899 in America, it prompted shock and outrage, but has since come to be recognized as a modern classic.

Editorial Reviews:

Haunting music introduces Chopin's novella, written in 1899, and Liza Ross narrates this once incendiary title with appropriate grace and charm. Considered shocking and vulgar in its time, the story revolves around Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother who rejects her husband and children and indulges in an adulterous affair with the son of a friend. Ross offers a whispery, intimate portrait of a woman who eschews the company of other women and defies social conventions. Her soft Southern lilt sweetly conveys Edna's seeming compliance to the norms of society but subtly reveals the steel beneath her velvet tones

Members Reviews:

Very Disappointed

I gave up on this book after about an hour. The narrator was annoying, and I began to wonder if the book was abridged. It's already a short work, but this version seemed so compressed that it reminded me of some of the disastrous abridged versions I have accidentally downloaded previously. What a disappointment this was!

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Title: The Bat

Author: Mary Roberts Rinehart

Narrator: Shelly Frasier

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-08-03

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The spirited and headstrong spinster is not easily fazed until one stormy night when she stumbles on a corpse. She musters all her nerves to play the vicious killer's deadly game and confront the Bat once and for all. The Bat, which draws from The Circular Staircase but adds some new plot complexities - namely the villainous Bat - shows Rinehart at the height of her career and is considered her greatest work.

Editorial Reviews:

The creator of Batman, Bob Kane, has cited the title character in this novel from Americas first great mystery writer, Mary Roberts Rinehart, as the inspiration for the "caped crusader".

The Bat, co-written by Avery Hopwood in 1920, is about an unidentified criminal genius who has stolen over a million dollars and left a trail of murder victims. When wealthy spinster Cornelia Van Gorder arrives in her country house, she discovers that The Bat is rumored to be in the area. Soon, mysterious people begin showing up in her house.

Shelly Frasier brings a theatrical flair to her performance as she accentuates the fun in Rineharts colorful characters and hardboiled prose.

Members Reviews:

Good radio drama

This is a book more appropriate for listening than reading since it sounds very much like the play which gave it birth. The reader does justice to the tale which unfolds much as would one of the hour radio suspense dramas of the thirties through the fifties. To get the most from this sort of book one must suspend one's twenty first century sensibilities and return to the days when imagination alone provided pictures for the mind as one heard stories of buried treasure, secret rooms, loving juveniles and heroic old ladies.

Since these days I most enjoy the bloodless mystery or detective story wherein bodies are simply props for the story not gory messes to be dissected, this book was quite satisfying as was the reader. Those who prefer modern variants of the hard boiled school or heroes and heroines who are no better, but just tougher, than the bad guys, should go elsewhere as should those who can't abide stereotyped characters who bemoan their fate and fall to pieces (loudly) in crisis. Drop some of your modern cynicism and sophistication and you will get a good couple of evenings from this book.

The bat

Boy this story had me hooked from the beginning. Suspense, plot twist, young love and murder. What's not to like? I kept having to remind myself that this book was written at a time when female characters were treated condescendingly and had no grit. Cornelia was fabulous, though. She was full of grit and wealthy enough to get life on her terms.

Almost tedious to listen, but a great ending!

This is so interwoven, it borders on confusion. Listen to the book in one pod of time. Upon further reflection, it really is well written. Well developed characters.

THE BAT

Loved it when I first read in print (50 years ago) and love it still, listening to it. Any chance of more Mary Roberts Reinhardt audio books? As many have already said, she's almost as witty as Dorothy L Sayers, and has far more style than Agatha Christie. This is genuine vintage stuff.

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Title: The Wings of the Dove

Author: Henry James

Narrator: William Hope

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-27-00

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Milly Theale is a young, beautiful, and fabulously wealthy American. When she arrives in London and meets the equally beautiful but impoverished Kate Croy, they form an intimate friendship. But nothing is as it seems; materialism, romance, self-delusion, and ultimately fatal illness, insidiously contaminate the glamorous social whirl.

© and (P)1997 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

Editorial Reviews:

William Hope uses his voice well to give varied voices to men and women, both British and American and of various ages, in this novel of transatlantic complications between an ailing American heiress and the passionate British couple driven to use her. Hope's Brits, especially Mrs. Lowder, tend to caricature. Still, he has command of James's complex sentences, and his pacing, accenting, and emphasis often make them clearer to hear than they are to read, an achievement that is considerable.

Members Reviews:

Depth

One of two of my favorite Henry James stories. He has written with such power and depth of understanding of the times.

Encompassing! He paints with language like others a brush...This book requires the readers strictest attention and is well worth ones devotion!!

wings of the dove

Henry James at his best. The understatement is wonderful throughout. The plot is thin but the characterisations make up for it.

I loved it, but not the first time through.

Five stars means I loved it, but not the first time through. If I hadn't had some moral obligation to finish it, I doubt I would have. The prose is as dense as The Master gets, and that's jungle-thick. The second time through, I began to see why it has earned the praise it has as one of Henry James's great novels. By the third time through, I thought it was brilliant, and would gladly read it a fourth time, and more. But like most great works of art, it doesn't yield up its rewards easily.

The density of the prose isn't Henry James trying to be difficult. This is an author (probably in many conversations and correspondences with his brother, the great psychologist William James) determined to express the very complicated psychology of complex human beings, a psychology that steps forward and backward and sideways . No character is just one thing: a conniving money-grubber, a social-climbing heiress, a thwarted lover, a very rich American naif. Each of these characters reveals layer upon layer of contradictory motives, second and third thoughts, unexpected generosities. Several of them are troubled by the ethics of their motives, and the final pages will leave you wondering whose ethics will prevail.

But that's as James intended. "I honor George Eliot above all other novelists," he said, "but she tells too much." Henry James, for all his words, makes you, the reader, complete his late novels.

Wings of the Dove

Couldn't finish it.

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Title: The Scarlet Letter

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Narrator: Katinka Wolf

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-26-00

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Scarlet Letter is one of the great classics of American literature. Set in the harsh Puritan environment of the 17th century Boston, it describes the plight of Hester Prynne, an independent-minded woman who stands alone against society. Having given birth to a child after an illicit affair she refuses to name the father and is forced to wear the letter A for Adulteress embroidered on her dress.

Members Reviews:

not so pleased

i think i was ripped off.... i spent 7.83 for two chapters which isn't right

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Title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Dramatized)

Author: L. Frank Baum

Narrator: Erin Bordofsky, Mark Fagundes

Format: Original Recording

Length: 2 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 05-03-00

Publisher: Monterey SoundWorks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The St. Charles Players present a new and unique telling of this classic tale performed in exciting Radio Theatre style! All the richly drawn characters come to spectacularly vivid life.

©1998 Monterey Movie Company, All Rights Reserved

Critic Reviews:

"If your only experience with Baum's fantasy is the Judy Garland film, you ought to spend a couple of hours with this lively full-cast presentation." (AudioFile)

"The children sat riveted." (Parents' Guild to Children's Media)

Members Reviews:

A

All I know is the movie. The performance is good. The mixing is great. Buy it for a kid that loves the movie.

FANTASTIC

This is the second time I have purchased this program. The first was when it was originally released a few years ago on cassette, and it won the Parents Choice Award (which is why I got it). It is faithful to the book, and the music is just amazing, bringing scenes to life and various themes are used to identify characters. Dorothy is wonderful, and thank God she doesn't do a Judy Garland impersonation like another OZ radio drama I heard by another company. The Lion does NOT do Bert Lahr as another reviewer here has stated (I didn't hear one "put 'em up" in the entire show:) and the Scarecrow really does sound like there is straw in his throat (this voice gives him real character and sets him apart - I think a normal voiced actor would not get the imagery across - we can't see him, like we do int he movie). The Tin Man was also a fun character, with his squeaky voice. The Wicked Witch of the West is not the cackling hag from the movie, but is played more like she is in the book (she is only in one chapter in the book and is not as large a role as in the movie), a mean old woman.

What is good here is that all the major voices are very distinctive and you won't find yourself wondering who is who when the story takes off.

Dorothy's entrance into Munchkinland is a beautiful moment in the show, with the music and chorus painting a magical picture, and the entrance into the Emerald City is spectacular. It's a fun production, kids will love it (and adults too).

Five Stars

Great CD

Nod to Yesteryear

As has been noted by others, this rendition follows the books, not the 1939 movie. That said, this is not a "read it line by line" audiobook, it is a splendid performance piece with lively, three dimensional, characters that spark the imagination. My grandmother raised her children during the height of radio popularity which made sharing this all the more special. We decided to try to recreate what an evening, sitting around the family radio, might have been like. So, we shut off the lights and lit oil lamps, popped some popcorn and gathered around to listen and we had a ball.

Wonderful Wizard of Oz: Radio Dramatization is a highly entertaining theatrical rendition of a true classic. I recommend it without reservation. We will be adding the rest of the series to our library.

We truly enjoyed this production

Since there seem to be reviews for two totally different products mixed together here, this review is for the 2 CD Radio Dramatization of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

We sat down and listened to this as a family during lunch a couple of days in a row (myself, my 5 year old daughter, and my sons ages 7 to 13). We all thoroughly enjoyed this presentation.

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Title: Tom Sawyer Abroad

Author: Mark Twain

Narrator: Norman Dietz

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 20 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Two of the greatest heroes in children's literature, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, join forces in this classic tale from master storyteller Mark Twain. Tom and Huck are kidnapped by a mad scientist in a balloon-powered airship who plans to fly around the world then crash in flames - taking the boys with him. But when the madman falls overboard during a storm over the Atlantic Ocean, the youngsters are forced to use all their wits to save themselves from further perils aboard the runaway airship.

(P)1996 by Recorded Books, Inc.; Cover Art ©1996 by Nate Pinnock

Editorial Reviews:

This less well known of Mark Twain's novels is a real find for fans because it includes Tom, Huckleberry Finn, and Jim. Narrator Norman Dietz draws each of the characters with distinction. His Southern drawl and delivery of the grammar of the time add authenticity. The three share many debates as they travel - hearing them make their points is fun. Tom Sawyer seems a know-it-all, at times; however, its as though Twain is speaking to listeners himself. His sometimes cynical views of politics, religion, and the world are humorous and spot-on even for today.

Critic Reviews:

"All of the Tom Sawyer books can be read and enjoyed by children." (Tom Doherty Associates, Inc.)

Members Reviews:

Mark Twain the Genus

Yes, the genius. No one else could or can replicate his way. I have mentioned to friends this reading and they give me the âlook.â Why, I read this when I was a kid. And I say read it again. Mark Twain lives today for us to live another time. Thank you my good friend.

The Complete Tom Sawyer

It is great to have all of these works together.

My childhood all over

It was like reliving my childhood all over again. I especially remember cuddling up on rainy days being riveted to the many adventures.

After msny years............

I read it many years ago in Spanishb and finally found the time to read it English. Both Great!!!!

Excellent service. :)

Excellent! Everything that has been ordered has been great. The arrival times has been on time or even a bit earlier. Complete satisfaction. :)

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Title: The Antelope Wife

Author: Louise Erdrich

Narrator: Louise Erdrich

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: HarperAudio

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 31 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The author of Love Medicine brings an unforgettable novel about the irrevocable patterns set in motion by certain fateful acts.

A soldier deserts the cavalry during a cruel raid on an Ojibwa village to chase a dog bearing on its back a baby on a cradle board strung with breathtaking blue beads. Generations later, a fast-talking trader kidnaps a silent and graceful woman from a powwow. In a haunting re-creation of a native tale, the woman is part antelope. Hunter and hunted change identities, and nothing is ever the same for those involved.

Critic Reviews:

"The Antelope Wife stands as one of [Louise Erdrich's] most powerful and fully imagined novels yet...the book marks a happy return to the elliptical, dreamlike storytelling of Ms. Erdrich's earliest novels." (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)

Members Reviews:

I could not get past the recording of this book.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The audio quality is not good. It sounds like the author read into a cassette player.

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

Frustration! I have enjoyed other works by this author and this recording was not good.

sound is so awful, I could not listen

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

I love Louise Erdrich's works, and was expecting a great experience, but the sound was so awful that I could not stand listening to more than 5 minutes of the novel.

Antelope Wife

I started listening to The Antelope Wife and the audio quality is terrible. Whenever the narrator, Louise Erdrich, pronounces a word with an [s] in it, it is so whistlie it nearly gives me a headache. I thought I could improve the audio quality by choosing a better download audio quality but none is available. I think you should warn listeners that the audio is awful or you might consider trying to upgrade its quality. I think you should refund my money for this particular audiobook as I will not be able to listen to it.

Didn't listen to it.

The audio was so bad I couldn't listen.

The sound quality is awful!!

I think I would really be enjoying the author reading her own work here, if it weren't for the terrible sound quality! It sounds like she's speaking from under a big pile of pillows...or maybe underwater. It's almost unlistenable--the worst sound I've ever heard on an audio book. What was the publisher thinking when they put out this embarrassment--or Audible, for that matter, when they decided to keep selling it, in spite of all the reviews saying that the sound is terrible?

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Title: Self-Reliance

Author: Ralph Waldo Emerson

Narrator: Kurt Andersen, Joyce Bean

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 31 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-25-11

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 241 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Redefining the classic essay, this modern edition of Ralph Waldo Emersons most famous work, Self-Reliance, includes self-reflections from both historical and contemporary luminaries. With quotes from the likes of Henry Ford and Helen Keller to modern-day thought leaders like Jesse Dylan, Steve Pressfield, and Milton Glaser, we're reminded of the relevance of Emersons powerful words today. Emersons words are timeless. Persuasive and convincing, he challenges readers to define their own sense of accomplishment and asks them to measure themselves against their own standards, not those of society. This famous orator has utter faith in individualism and doesnt invoke beyond what is humanly possible, he just believes deeply that each of us is capable of greatness. He asks us to define that greatness for ourselves and to be true to ourselves. At times harsh, at times comforting, Emersons words guide the reader to challenge their own beliefs and sense of self. This modern edition of Self-Reliance is ideal for graduates or those who are in the midst of a career or lifestyle change. Emerson's sage guidance wrapped in modern-day reflections is a great reminder about the potential within us all and that life is what you make of it.

Members Reviews:

Must re listen to this a few time! Classic

Any additional comments?

The first couple times it's hard to get the full message. Re listen for the best results

Brilliant Words but Rushed Narration

Would you consider the audio edition of Self-Reliance to be better than the print version?

No, I think it would be much better to read this in print. I found the narration of this essay to consistently feel rushed, thus trivializing the words being spoken. I actually re-listened to this book at half speed on my iPod so that I could better bask in the words.

Any additional comments?

I still will re-listen to this audiobook because of how powerful Emerson's words are, but I will probably try to eventually find another version with more a contemplative inducing narration.

My First Introduction to Emerson

I didn't read any Ralph Waldo Emerson in school. I'm not sorry I didn't because now I think I can enjoy an appreciate it more. This was a great listen with some very interesting life-analysis. I'm not sure why this work isn't more relevant to and referenced by today's culture.

Kurt Andersen did a fine read. I didn't quite understand the transition into Joyce's part of the book. Was that just expert commentary on parts of the book? Not quite as interesting. I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another book narrated by Mr. Andersen.

Religious

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

A religious person it someone looking to hear about philosophical enlightenment through religion. The narrator narrates engagingly and the author writes in parables.

What do you think your next listen will be?

I wanted something engaging and interesting for my train ride.

Which character as performed by Kurt Andersen and Joyce Bean was your favorite?

Listening to Kurt now I suppose not yet listened to Joyce

You didnt love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It's well written, I enjoy the intellect behind it and philosophical references

Any additional comments?

How is this useful to recent graduates

Food for thought

Although a short work, many areas were repeated with only slight variations.

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Title: The Scarlet Letter

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Narrator: Robert Bethune

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-18-14

Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In 1642, a pregnant Hester Prynne is found guilty of adultery, shunned by her neighbors, and forced to wear a scarlet letter 'A' on her dress. Meanwhile, Hester's husband - long thought to be lost at sea - has returned to Boston under the assumed name 'Roger Chillingworth' and plots to uncover her lover's identity. After her daughter Pearl is born, Hester is frequently visited by both Reverend Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, but always refuses to name her lover. As the years wear on and Pearl grows older, Hester's defiance - and her lover's silence - weighs heavily on the lives of all parties involved.

Members Reviews:

Not for me

It's just not for me. I wasn't a fan of the story or narration. I just cannot get into the storyline