Get the Most Popular Audiobooks in Classics, British Literature Top Rated

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Marble Faun (Dramatised)

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Narrator: NBC Theater

Format: Abridged

Length: 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-18-10

Publisher: Saland Publishing

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Marble Faun (1860) was the last of the four major romances by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Writing on the eve of the American Civil War, Hawthorne set his story in a fantastical Italy. The romance mixes elements of a fable, pastoral, gothic novel, and travel guide. The climax comes less than halfway through the story, and Hawthorne intentionally fails to answer many of the reader's questions about the characters and the plot.

Members Reviews:

Charm but no substance

I've a soft spot for these old American radio plays but this is a lousy tale and the music between scenes is deafening. I know it says abridged but it misses out huge swathes of the novel.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Vicar of Wakefield

Author: Oliver Goldsmith

Narrator: Walter Covell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-07-10

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 10 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Called by Lord Byron, "The most exquisite of all romances in miniature," The Vicar of Wakefield is the story of a simple reverend who, losing his fortune, moves his family to a new part of the country and tries to live according to his beliefs. He and his family make an Arcadian picture of affectionate accord. That is, until the idyll is rudely disturbed by a notorious seducer. The book is a classic comedy of manners and a satire on the moralistic tales of the period. But the satire was done so well and so transparently that many people of the time took it quite seriously.

Members Reviews:

An Important Book In The Development Of The English Novel

Goldsmith's novel while somewhat archaic is a fascinating hybrid of a confessional novel with an almost Shakespearian plot. Narrated in the first person the Vicar's reflections are a mix of naiveté and spiritual depth as life and people that he and his loving family come into contact with take advantage of them and calamity follows calamity. In short and hopefully without spoiling the plot the Vicar and his family are driven into destitution through their trusting of unscrupulous characters. One daughter is deceived and the other abducted. There are literary devices used that reminded me very much of Shakespeare including mistaken identities and an ending that is incredibly improbable and yet satisfying in the way things are wrapped up with a communal scene.

I read this out of curiosity and there are passages where it was tempting to put it aside but having finished the relatively short novel I admit to enjoying it very much overall.

The Vicar of Wakefield

The reading of The Vicar of Wakefield was very difficult, but it became more interesting and easier to read as the story progressed. Byh the time I finished the story, I did like it.

I enjoyed this book

I enjoyed this book, although I will admit there are some mildly goofy scenes that really take away from the moral. Still enjoyable, though.

Way to go Vicar!

This is a classic novel and is quite worth reading. The vicar never gets everything he wants,but who does?

The ultimate 18th century novel

One of the first and almost the best. This book features humor, pathos, heart, excitement and realism in the complete study of human nature that it portrays. Much of the thread apparently based on real life incidents in Goldsmith's colorful, bumpy life. This is the kind of book you sob upon finishing, it's goodness floods you. If you have to read just three 18th century novel, choose this one, The History of Sir Charles Grandison and Camilla.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Martin Chuzzlewit

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Paul Scofield

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-24-09

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Moving from comic absurdity to the darkest corners of human nature, 'Martin Chuzzlewit' is a study in greed, selfishness and hypocrisy; and contains some of Dickens's most memorable characters - from the villainous Seth Pecksniff and Jonas Chuzzlewit to the selfless Tom Pinch, the 'jolly' Mark Tapley, and the drunken nurse and midwife Sarah Gamp - considered by many to be Dickens's finest comic creation.

Members Reviews:

TV and Movies versions were good, but the book is better. . .

One of my co-workers encouraged me to read this since I have only seen the TV/Movie versions. It was a quick read and very enjoyable. Fortunately, the TV/Movie versions weren't too far off the mark. Regardless, there were facets of the story that you would only get through the book, which is why reading the book will always be my favorite option.

BAH! HUMBUG!! "God bless Us, Every One"

A Christmas Carol is a beloved Christmas favorite. Nothing says Christmas like favorite Christmas stories. This timeless tale has been told in many versions. Iâve seen the movie and play but Iâve never read the book. I thought it was about time to finally read this tale.

The illustrations throughout the book were fun to look at. Not common to find illustrations in books today unless they are children stories.

Lots of great quotes come from this story but the most famous is BAH! HUMBUG! followed by:

"God bless Us, Every One!"

Standalone

As great to read vs as to watch as a production.

We've enjoyed many kinds of productions of this classic Scrooge story. The original makes us 'rise to the occasion' - or at least gets us to mentally take the time to step back in that era. Life was so different, so the real factor is (I think) a little richer, than already assembled viewables. Emotional, and the older language adds some incentive to digging into the story.

A must read!

Dickens has always intimidated me. Somehow, I made my way through high school and college without having to read one of his novels. Finally, a few weeks before Christmas, I decided to give this a try when I learned it is relatively short. I figured if it took some work, at least it wouldn't take all that long. I'm sorry I waited so long. It was impossible for me to separate this from the many versions of A Christmas Carol I've seen over the years. I loved it. I enjoyed the glimpse into the time and place of the story. The story and theme are, of course, legendary.

Don't be intimidated. This is a book everyone should read at least once.

Classic I Know

I have tried this one before and was distracted within the first five chapters but with the advise of a colleague I am going to attempt this one again. I am late 30's and sometimes have a tough time focusing for long spans of time unless the story is captivating from the get go, you have to appreciate writing for the sake of verb-age and description to get into this. So, because it is a classic and I think the classics should be read - I'll give it another go but not looking forward to it despite the wonderful reviews. Hated Pride and Prejudice too - just depends on personal taste I suppose. Loved The Divine Comedy....

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Dombey and Son

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: David Timson

Format: Abridged

Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-18-09

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Dombey and Son is vintage Dickens and explores the classic themes of betrayal, cruelty, and deceit. The novel follows the fortunes of Dombey, a businessman par excellence, who craves a son to inherit his enterprises. His family, and especially his daughter, the sweet and good-natured Florence, bear the brunt of his frustrations.

Editorial Reviews:

Narrator and Dickens expert David Timson becomes a partner with the great novelist to bring to life this classic tale about a shipping magnate and his family and business interests. With his appealing voice and understanding of the story, Timson handles the accents and dramatic scenes with a thoroughly professional performance, but its his sensitivity to the portrayals of the individuals that makes this listening experience extraordinary. Timsons talented and well-versed interpretation is a study rich in fascinating detail and engaging drama.

Members Reviews:

brilliantly read by Frederick Davidson

A tremendous work of art, brilliantly read by Frederick Davidson. This is so moving, it will stay with you for weeks. The characterizations are unique and thrillingly wrought. Satisfying on every level. May be even better than Copperfield and Nickelby. The trials of the youngsters are much more subtle and intellectually interesting than the normal hunger, cold and want. This is a psychological masterpiece.

Fully illustrated

This OUP Kindle edition of Dickens is precisely what they all should be (but sometimes aren't): excellent introduction & notes, and all of the original Phiz illustrations (even if reproduced on too small a scale, such that details are badly smudged). Besides, DOMBEY was the Inimitable's breakthrough novel--see the Leavises' DICKENS THE NOVELIST for some of the reasons why--and now one can search the text, and the critical apparatus, with kindling ease.

Another Dickens Masterpiece

Dombey and Sons is one of Dickens' best! A real page turner! The insight into human nature that Dickens possesses comes shining through, and is still relevant today.

Disc error

Dickens is above criticism, however the disc isn't . The first CD of the set that we received has 3 tracks from a completely different CD presentation right after the first track, then it picks up again with Dombey & Son on track 4. We are hoping that is the end of the errors.

Typical Dickens...very satisfying

'Dombey and Son' is another of Dickens' good guy/bad guy books with a very satisfying denouement. It's the sad story of an unappreciated little girl growing up with a cold father but finding solace in a woman who loves her but needs to resolve things in her own way, while her beloved little brother basks, in life as well as death, in the adoration of his father. A heart-wrenching, tear-jerking book, again, typical of Dickens.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Jane Lapotaire

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-31-09

Publisher: Audio Holdings, LLC

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Jane Lapotaire reads one of the greatest of all English novels, a finely etched satire about the scatterbrained Mrs. Bennett whose aim in life is to see her five daughters married. Meet Jane Austen's rich and varied characters: the proud Mr. Darcy; the pompous parson; Mr. Collins, who seeks the most advantageous match for himself; good-humored Mr. Bingley; and of course the two eldest Bennett daughters, Jane and Elizabeth.

(P)2009 Audio Holdings, LLC

Members Reviews:

Jane Lapotaire Has a Dream Voice

Would you consider the audio edition of Pride and Prejudice to be better than the print version?

The audio version is better than the written version because I can read it while I drive. And in my mind I can never sound as wonderfully English as Jane Lapotaire.

What did you like best about this story?

What can you say about Miss Austen. Classic.

What about Jane Lapotaires performance did you like?

Jane Lapotaire has such a delicious voice that I forgot to concentrate on the story and just listened to her speak.

Any additional comments?

My only complaint was that it was abridged. What did I miss? Pay Jane Lapotaire more and have her read the whole thing.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Oliver Twist

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Dick Cavett

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-27-09

Publisher: Audio Holdings, LLC

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In this tale, Dickens shows that poverty breeds crime and that the road from the workhouse to Fagin's vicious gang is short and straight.

Members Reviews:

Abridged books are the worst

This is the last abridged book I'm ever going to download. Deeply dissatisfying waste of money.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Poetry of Coleridge

Author: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Narrator: Ralph Richardson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-25-09

Publisher: Saland Publishing

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

One of the founders of the Romantic Movement, Samuel Taylor Coleridge was great friends with William Wordsworth. Here, Sir Ralph Richardson reads a selection of his finest works.

©2008 Saland Publishing; (P)2008 Saland Publishing

Members Reviews:

Great reading but audio book has problems

I loved Ralph Richardson's reading and found this audiobook inspiring. But beware -- this edition has some problems:

1) There seems to be faint static in the background as if the reading were transferred from a reel-to-reel tape.

2) There are no titles so unless you are very familiar with Coolridge, you don't know which poem you are hearing.

3)The pauses between poems are so short that unless you know the poems already or are following along in a text version, you many not know where one poem ends and another starts.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Eve's Ransom

Author: George Gissing

Narrator: Jill Masters

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-23-09

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Eve's Ransom, written in 1895, is the story of a bizarre triangle of love. An educated but unsuccessful man, Hilliard, is trapped in grimy Birmingham until he receives a totally unexpected windfall. He goes in search of a woman whose picture he had seen in his landlady's photo album.

Typical of most of Gissings books the setting is autobiographically faithful and the theme is freedom. The writing is crisp, the narrative swift in this, as H. G. Wells said, "the best and least appreciated of his novels".

Critic Reviews:

"Gissing was not a writer of picaresque tales, or burlesques, or comedies, or political tracts: he was interested in individual human beings, and the fact that he can deal sympathetically with several different sets of motives, and makes a credible story out of the collision between them, makes him exceptional among English writers." (George Orwell)

Members Reviews:

beautiful sentence structure

but the plot was rather stretched. i knew how it would end by the first third of the book. and by the middle i was so irritated by the book i called it up on project gutenberg to see if i was right. i was and did not bother finishing it. Though Gissing could put a sentence together with the best of them, the plot is unbelievable, the characters act in fake ways with no preparation whatsoever from the author.

a note about the reader. she has a nice voice and did the accents fairly well, but the way her sentences continued to drift into monotone was very annoying. a mediocre book needs a great reader to pull it off. while she could do the voices, i often had the feeling i was listening to someone off Librivox. (who i endlessly admire for giving of their time, but who do not attempt to make money off their unprofessional audio recordings.)

if you are looking for something richly written, great plot, great reader...this is only one out of the three. if only dickens had written just a bit more, or gaskell, the brontes, george eliot? the reason Gissing is not mentioned in their company becomes clear in this book. all in my opinion...

Boy Meets Girl Who Meets His Best Friend

This is a story of a boy and girl being slowly sucked into to the murk and grime that is industrial Birmingham, inch by inch losing their souls and humanity. The boy received a windfall which he used for a while, for women, drink and song. He is my kind of guy. His priorities belong to a guy. It is all understandable. What comes next is not. He did the most inexplicable thing even inexplicable to himself. He paid for a trip to Paris for her and her friend and did not ask for anything in return. During the months in Paris, the girl regains her soul and humanity becoming obligated to the boy.

Honor, obligation, gratitude and love in a complex mix are the issues with which Gissing's triangle deals and perhaps seem strange to our modern sensibilities of into bed then onto the next meaningless bed. I understand Hilliard completely. He like Mr. Darcy, met a beautiful woman, recognized her superior qualities then promptly and passionately fell in love, all the while, unlike Darcy, knowing she didn't return his love. Yet, there is an element of purchase in his behavior toward her. Eve is more difficult. Was she an Isabella Thorpe (Northanger Abbey) stringing along one man while trying for a richer? No, I don't think so. Security, fear, gratitude, love and friendship are part of her mix.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe

Subtitle: Exploring C.S. Lewis's Classic Story

Author: Leland Ryken

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-07-09

Publisher: christianaudio.com

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A Reader's Guild Through the Wardrobe helps you examine the story from Lewis's point of view, shedding light on his imagination and use of literary forms. Even further, Mead and Ryken serve as guides through this first Narnia adventure, providing an inside look at characters, settings, and framework. Here is a book that will help you see Narnia as Lucy did - with childlike wonder and anticipation for the adventure that lies ahead.

Leland Ryken is Clyde S. Kilby Professor of English at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illionois. He has written, edited or contributed to (so far) 25books, including The Christian Imagination and Dictonary of Biblical Imagery. Marjorie Lamp Mead has been associate director of the Marion E. Wade Center at Wheaton since 1977. She is editor (with Lyle W. Dorsett) of C. S. Lewis: Letters to Children and managing editor of Seven: An Anglo-American Literary Review.

Members Reviews:

Enjoyable

This is a book to read after you have read Narnia. It is not "Clif Notes." It is helpful in teaching how to read, not just, "The Wardrobe," but other literature as well.

Five Stars

Beautiful.

How to Think About Narnia

It seems difficult to think about the Chronicles of Narnia critically from a literary perspective. I recall being read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (LWW) by my 2nd grade teacher and being entranced by the story. When I finally purchased the Chronicles set for myself I made it a point to purchase the exact same edition from which I was read. Many people, I'm sure, feel this same sort of bond with the books that seem to transcend critical thinking since they grip our hearts so firmly.

A Reader's Guide Through the Wardrobe: Exploring C.S. Lewis' Classic Story challenges us to take a critical look at the first of the Narnian stories. The authors begin by making it clear in the introduction that this guide should be used after initially reading LWW purely for enjoyment. The rest of the book is divided into two parts. Part One contains 18 chapters following each chapter of LWW.

Part One is called the "Guided Tour." Each chapter introduces some aspect of literary device that Lewis utilized, such as foiling, archetypes, foreshadowing. Throughout the chapters reflective quotes from Lewis and Lewis scholars are interspersed to add insight. There are plenty of scattered study questions as well, all of which are geared toward helping the reader think through the different elements in LWW.

Part Two offers extended background information and follows a more typical book format. Chapter 19 looks at how the Chronicles came to be written. Chapter 20 examines the reception of the series, including a number of criticisms that have been leveled against Lewis. The final chapter outlines the Christian elements in LWW. There is also a brief biography of Lewis and appendix on the order by which to read the series at the end.

For the most part, this book pleasantly surprised me. I wasn't sure what to expect out of a reader's guide, since I haven't read one before. It essentially teaches readers how to think about the book, while leaving what to think about it mostly to the reader. The guide was consistently interesting and insightful into both Lewis and literature in general.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: Peter Gray

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 01-05-09

Publisher: RNIB

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard is a series of comic short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle telling of the exploits of an uncomprehending French soldier during the Napoleonic Wars.

Originally published in The Strand magazine between December 1894 and September 1903 the stories satirise both the stereotypical English view of the French, and - by presenting them from Gerard's baffled point of view - English manners and attitudes.

The Stories:

Members Reviews:

A good listen

A pleasant retelling of the exploits of Brigadier Gerard, a retired Hussar from Napolean's Armies. The stories are interesting and amusing. Gerard has a comically high opinion of himself and it is his manner of telling the stories that makes the stories a pleasure to listen to. The reader does a good job giving life to the words of Gerard as well as the many characters Gerard encounters in his adventures. I certainly enjoyed listening to it on an all too long car ride.