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 Pupil

Author: Henry James

Narrator: Donna Barkman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-07-12

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Pupil is an excellent tale from James' middle period. Pemberton, a young American with an Oxford education and but little money, takes a job tutoring Morgan Moreen, the 12-year old son of an American couple living in Europe in a style above their income. The family of the pupil is both comic and unfortunate, and the child himself is vividly drawn. The pupil's parents waffle about paying Pemberton the salary to which they'd agreed in their view, he should be satisfied by his life with them, and by the joy of tutoring young Morgan? Alternately charmed and put off by the family, Pemberton is left to choose between his attachment to his young pupil and his need to make a living.

Members Reviews:

Too "read" too quickly...

A little rushed?

A little less interpreted than I'm used to...

Wonderful mastery of the language, style, character psychology, overall "finesse" and exquisite weaving of a suspenseful hidden reality behind the façade of "normal" of bourgeois life...

Henry James is always a notch above most else. ;)

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 Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 1

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Narrator: Nicholas Stikoski

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-06-12

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A collection of classic works by Edgar Allan Poe, American author, poet, editor, and literary critic. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.

Editorial Reviews:

Poe invented modern suspense. Each emotion that draws and assails human spirit is found in his work. You cannot read a horror novel or see a tragic operatic production without seeing Poe in the shadows. Whether in sing-song rhyme or austere prose, Poe tells pithy and terrifying tales. His writings evoke the Greek tragedies. Poes narrators are dangerously unreliable. No characters sanity or decency can be taken at face value. Narrator Nicholas Stikoski reads Poe with utter sincerity. His curious but normal tone convinces you to trust what you hear, until the supernatural weirdness kicks in. Despite knowing the bait and switch, listeners will be lured by the certainty in Stikoski's voice to believe in dire and fantastic characters and events.

Members Reviews:

Poor narration hurts these Poe classics

What did you like best about The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 1? What did you like least?

What's not to like about Edgar Allen Poe? These are classic stories with a wide range of appeal. The narrator was so disappointing to me that I have not been able to finish listening to the sories.

What did you like best about this story?

Poe is not all death and murder. His stories range from clever satire, humor, mystery, and early forms of science fiction. There is no other figure in literature like him.

How could the performance have been better?

The biggest problem I have with the narrator is that he makes a loud inhaling sound before he begins a new sentence. By the end of the first story, his breathing noises had become so distracting that I was not even hearing the words anymore. He is not fluent either, often breaking a sentence with a long pause where there is no punctuation to justify it. And finally, he speaks in a subdued, quiet monotone. He does not seem to understand that not all of Poe's writing needs to be spoken with a kind of quiet gravity. Much of Poe's work calls for a tongue-in-cheek delivery. The least he could do is try to inject a little life into it.

Do you think The Works of Edgar Allan Poe, Volume 1 needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I am glad to see more volumes of Poe's work with different narrators.

Any additional comments?

It's too bad that Vincent Price isn't around to give his voice to these stories. After watching his performances in the old movie adaptations of Poe's work, it is obvious that he not only understood the mechanics of the story, but he relished each delicious line.

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: Bernice Bobs Her Hair (Bright Young Things)

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Narrator: Laurel Lefkow

Format: Original Recording

Length: 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-01-12

Publisher: BBC Worldwide Limited

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The dowdy Bernice becomes a 'society vampire' after guidance from her popular cousin Marjorie. But when the new party girl Bernice begins to threaten her cousin's own popularity, Marjorie lays a fiendish trap for her gullible cousin.

Here is a story celebrating the riotous, cocktail-swilling, 'Bright Young Things' of the interwar years. Laurel Lefkow reads F Scott Fitzgerald's classic Jazz Age tale set in 1920s California, in which revenge comes in the shape of a daring new hairstyle.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Beautiful and the Damned, Tender is the Night, and The Great Gatsby, is regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest writers. His stories epitomised the Jazz Age, which he defined as a 'generation grown up to find all gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken'. Abridgment by Richard Hamilton. Produced by Justine Willett.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

I enjoyed all the stories! I haven't liked all of Fitzgerald's writings, but I did like these stories.

Five Stars

He's the best writer ever.

Great Short Stories

The characters find themselves in dilemmas and conundrums with a moral twist. I found them quick and fun reads. F. Scott Fitzgerald still rules.

Very imaginative, fantastic collection of short stories from Fitzgerald

I always enjoy The Great Gatsby, but was a little hesitant about picking up Fitzgerald's short story collection after laboring through This Side of Paradise last year. I figured that this short story collection might be the usual glitz and glamour; however, I was so pleased with many of the unique, imaginative tales Fitzgerald puts together. This collection contains some of the Jazz Era glitz, but also fantasy elements that take place outside this era. Still, they explore many similar themes from other novels (money and wealth, greed, dreams, popularity, prejudice, etc), and provide both social commentary and morals about this time period. They also have that definitive poetic flair typical of Fitzgerald.

Here are some of my favorites:

"Bernice Bobs Her Hair" is reminiscent of a modern high school comedy. Bernice is a socially awkward intellectual and a definite party pooper, so thinks her cousin Majorie. Majorie hatches a plan to take plain Bernice and make her into a socially attractive girl who becomes the center of attention. Majorie comes to represent the revolutionary free thinking, modern girl who pushes her ideas of popularity onto Bernice. As we might expect, Bernice soon becomes the talk of the boys, with Majorie a bit taken back and somewhat envious. When Majorie chides Bernice as a "bluffer" about actually going through with her plan to get her hair bobbed, it plants the seeds to a fantastic finish.

"The Ice Palace" has deep symbolism and amazingly poetic descriptions typical of Fitzgerald. Taking place during the Civil War, the story explores differences between the North and the South, and makes a bigger point to illustrate the importance of home and one's values. Sally Carol, a Southerner, has visions of moving up, and moving past the southern way of life and marrying a Northern man, Harry Bellamy. Harry takes Sally to the north to visit for awhile, but while there, Sally has conflicted thoughts and must decide where her true values lie.

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: Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Short Stories

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Narrator: Vincent Marzello

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-02-11

Publisher: The Copyright Group

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts. His father, a sea captain, died when Nathaniel was 4 and Nathaniel, always a shy child, spent his early years with his Mother and two sisters. Hit on the leg by a ball, doctors could finds nothing wrong, but he went lame and was bedridden for a year. He entered Bowdoin College in 1821, and graduated in 1825.

Hawthorne anonymously published his first work, the novel Fanshawe, in 1828. He continued to publish in various periodicals, which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. The next year, he became engaged to Sophia Peabody, eventually marrying her in 1842. His defining work, The Scarlet Letter, was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. The majority of his works centre on New England and have a Puritan inspiration and outlook, with their inherent evil and sin of humanity. A political appointment took Hawthorne and family to Europe before their return in 1860. Hawthorne died on May 19, 1864, leaving behind his wife and their three children.

This volume centres on his short stories, which are beautifully crafted pieces layered with characters ill at ease with their path through life.

Members Reviews:

disappointed

What would have made Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Short Stories better?

The stories are great but the audio skips in several places.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Reading was good

Any additional comments?

the cover shows Roger Malvin's Burial it is not on the library entry purchased. The Minister's Veil, Young and Goodman Brown are on the download but not listed on the cover.

VERY DISAPPOINTED

There is also no introduction or title for each of the short stories.

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 Very Best Classic Short Stories

Author: Kate Chopin, Franz Kafka, Saki, Katherine Mansfield

Narrator: Emma Topping

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-18-11

Publisher: Saland Publishing

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A collection of some of the greatest short stories ever written, including works by Kate Chopin, Franz Kafka, Saki, and Katherine Mansfield. Includes: 'A Pair of Silk Stockings', 'A Hunger Artist', 'The Yellow Paint', 'The Model Millionaire', 'The Singing Lesson', 'The Ambitious Guest', 'Tobermory', 'Up in the Gallery', 'Wakefield', and 'The Quince Tree'.

Members Reviews:

No Story Dividers?

What disappointed you about The Very Best Classic Short Stories?

Who doesn't know that in a book of many parts you at least give chapter breaks? this one doesn't even provide breaks between short stories - it goes seamlessly from one chapter to the next then one story to the next without even taking a pause in breath.

Would you recommend The Very Best Classic Short Stories to your friends? Why or why not?

No. Boring

How could the performance have been better?

Performance was OK, but the lack of a break between chapters or even stories made it all monotonous.

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

Not for me.

Any additional comments?

Nope

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 Yellow Wallpaper

Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-10-11

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

First published in 1892, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's semi-autobiographical story The Yellow Wallpaper is her best known work. Written from the perspective of a woman suffering post-partum psychosis, it draws the listener into a world which is both terrifying and fascinating, where strange events occur and where even the wallpaper takes on a sinister and creepy significance.

The narration and language are masterful, but it is the way the listener is invited to empathise and almost experience the mental illness first hand which make a lasting impression.

Members Reviews:

THE NARATION WAS TERRIBLE.

What did you like about this audiobook?

IF IT WAS RECORDED YES. BUT NOT THIS PARTICULAR NARATION. THE STORY IS SO UNUSUAL.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

NOT AT ALL. THE READER DID NO JUSTICE TO THIS WONDERFUL STORY.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

NO

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

THERE WAS NO EMOTION, THE NARRATOR WAS DULL AND DETACHED. I WAS DISAPPOINTED.

Do you have any additional comments?

THE FIRST TIME I CAME ACROSS THIS STORY I WAS IN HIGH SHCOOL....OVER 40 YEARS AGO. I LIKED IT SO MUCH I TYPED THE STORY HAD HAD THE STORY FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS. WHEN I GOT MY PC I FOUND IT THERE. I DID NOT SAVE THIS STORY IN TYPED FORM AFTER THAT.

I NEVER READ SUCH AN INTERESTING STORY. IT COULD HAVE BEEN MADE INTO A SHORT NOVELLA.

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 Essential Edgar Allan Poe

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Narrator: Kerry Shale, John Chancer, William Roberts

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-28-11

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Released to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the authors birth in January 1809, this selection of well-loved, chilling tales from the master of the supernatural is a perfect Christmas gift. The short stories include "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Pit and the Pendulum", "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Masque of the Red Death", and "The Fall of the House of Usher". This release also features additional poetry by Poe and a new biography especially written for Naxos AudioBooks by Roy McMillan.

Editorial Reviews:

Released in celebration of the 200th anniversary of Poe's birth, this marvelous recording has all the bells and whistles. Tasteful musical transitions set off three gifted narrators. The language is archaic, as when the hero of "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" boasts that most men "wore windows in their bosoms," but enthusiastic narrations lure us into black places in the heart that seem not to have altered significantly since Poe's time. The package ends with a brief biography. Poe's actual life was almost as frightful as his imaginative one. These are not happy stories, but it is heartening that a man fascinated with the prospect of "The Premature Burial" (1844) should still enthrall us today.

Critic Reviews:

"This marvelous recording has all the bells and whistles. Tasteful musical transitions set off three gifted narrators. The language is archaic, as when the hero of "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" boasts that most men "wore windows in their bosoms," but enthusiastic narrations lure us into black places in the heart that seem not to have altered significantly since Poe's time." (AudioFile)

Members Reviews:

Old memories recalled

If you could sum up The Essential Edgar Allan Poe in three words, what would they be?

Edgar Allen Poe

Any additional comments?

This is a book of short stories by the Mr. Poe. Edgar Allan Poe's writings were mandatory reading when I was in the 9th grade. Some of the stories I could remember the jest, but most were mist or fog. I enjoyed revisiting the stores and having them read to me. (That way I didnt have to struggle through the early English Language.)

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 Dunwitch Horror & The Thing at the Doorstep

Author: H. P. Lovecraft

Narrator: Phil Reynolds

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs

Language: English

Release date: 06-27-11

Publisher: Fantom Films

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 45 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Considered to the be one of most influential American authors, Howard Philip Lovecraft is synonymous with some of the best fantasy and horror fiction of the 20th century, second only to Edgar Allan Poe.

In "The Dunwich Horror" (1928), Wilbur Whateley, the son of a deformed albino mother and an unknown father, matures at an abnormal rate, reaching manhood within a decade. All the while, his sorcerer grandfather indoctrinates him into certain dark rituals and the study of witchcraft.

"The Thing at the Doorstep" was written five years later. Confessing to the killing of his friend Edward Derby, Daniel Upton hopes his account will prove he is not a murderer.

Critic Reviews:

"You need to read him - hes where the darkness starts." (Neil Gaiman)

Members Reviews:

Two Glimpses of Darkness

Two of Lovecraft's most famous mythos stories for a very low price. Just click buy already!

Favorite Narrator For Lovecraft

Love Phil Reynolds for Lovecraft. A match made in heaven. It's now hard for me to listen to anyone else narrate the writing of H.P.

Second story quite compelling.

Where does The Dunwitch Horror & The Thing at the Doorstep rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

One of the best I've listened to. Thing On The Doorstep is my favorite of Lovecraft's stories I've heard so far.

What did you like best about this story?

Well-written with interesting twists.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Narrator was good, clear voice, easy to follow.

If you could rename The Dunwitch Horror & The Thing at the Doorstep, what would you call it?

I think the names of the stories are good as they are, I wouldn't rename them.

Any additional comments?

Not to be a spelling Nazi but once again errors in Audible's title make the website look slack. Just saying.

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 Bride Comes to Yellow Sky

Subtitle: A Stephen Crane Story

Author: Stephen Crane

Narrator: Deaver Brown

Format: Unabridged

Length: 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-23-11

Publisher: Simply Media

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is the third of the best Stephen Crane short stories, with "The Open Boat" and "The Blue Hotel" being the other two. The story starts in an interesting way as the older sheriff has gone to another town to marry a not so young and not so beautiful woman who he is obviously devoted to. They have a kind of grown up love not common in American fiction. They are on the train ride back to their new home, the Sheriff's house.

The Sheriff is concerned he didn't let the locals know. But he has a far bigger problem in front of him. Scratchy Wilson, an OK man when sober, but riled up and dangerous when drunk which he is when the Sheriff and his new bride arrive in town. Alcohol here, as in "The Blue Hotel", drives people to dangerous spots. The moment occurs when the Sheriff and the bride come upon Scratch who is pointing his gun at the Sheriff. In traditional westerns, and as in "The Blue Hotel", the scene is set for the Sheriff to die and the bride abandoned. Instead, the Sheriff points out he has no gun, Scratchy considers this through his alcoholic haze, and decides this isn't fair and walks away. Not what one expects. Yet, the danger, immediacy of death at any moment, and the fear remain after Scratchy walks away. A stunning reversal of expectation.

As with "The Blue Hotel", Scratch walking away has all the importance of a key moment in people's lives that Sherwood Anderson describes in Winesburg, Ohio and Edgar Lee Masters in Spoon River, all written within a few years of each other.

Escuche este audio libro completo gratis en https://hotaudiobook.com

Título: El gato negro, El hundimiento de la casa Usher, y El cuervo [The Black Cat, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Raven]

Autor: Edgar Allan Poe

Narrador: Nuria Marin

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 1 hr and 32 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 02-21-11

Editor: NEAR,S.A.

Calificaciones: 4 de 5 de 1 votos

Categorías: Classics, American Literature

Resumen del editor:

Escritor, poeta y crítico estadounidense, más conocido como el primer maestro del relato corto, en especial de terror y misterio. Nació en Boston el 19 de enero de 1809. Sus padres murieron siendo niño y fue criado por John Allan, un rico hombre de negocios de Richmond. En 1836 se casó con su joven sobrina y durante la década siguiente Poe trabajó como redactor para varias revistas en Filadelfia y Nueva York. Su trabajo consistió en buena parte en reseñar libros, escribiendo un significativo número de críticas. Sus ensayos se hicieron famosos por su sarcasmo, ingenio y exposición de pretensiones literarias, resistiendo el paso del tiempo y situándole entre los mejores críticos literarios estadounidenses. Sus teorías sobre la naturaleza de la ficción y, en particular, sus ensayos sobre el cuento, han tenido una influencia duradera en escritores americanos y europeos. En 1847 falleció su mujer y él mismo cayó enfermo. Su adicción al alcohol y su supuesto consumo de drogas, pudo contribuir a su temprana muerte en Baltimore, el 7 de octubre de 1849. EL GATO NEGRO, EL HUNDIMIENTO DE LA CASA USHER, EL CUERVOEL GATO NEGRO: Desde prisión, el protagonista cuenta en primera persona los sucesos que le llevaron a ser condenado a muerte. El alcohol convierte al hombre en un ser irascible y agresivo que paga sus frustraciones con su esposa pero, sobre todo, con su gato Pluto, al que primero extrae un ojo y al que finalmente ahorca. EL HUNDIMIENTO DE LA CASA USHER: En el siglo XIX, un joven apuesto, Philip Winthrop, se presenta en la mansión de los Usher a pedir la mano de su amada, Madeline. Su hermano, Roderick Usher, se opone al matrimonio, alegando que Madeline padece una extraña enfermedad que terminará con su vida. Esa misma noche, hechos sobrecogedores comienzan a ocurrir en torno a la misteriosa y siniestra casa. EL CUERVO: Es una narración en verso, una historia fascinante, magistral. Su diálogo con el cuervo es interesante, acogedor, misterioso. Poe nos permite entrar en una dimensión distinta. Nos mete bajo la sombra del misterio, lo imposible, lo antinatural.

Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.