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Title: Two Tales from Stephen Crane: The Open Boat and an Episode of War

Author: Stephen Crane

Narrator: Richard Rohan, Christopher Graybill

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 10 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-28-11

Publisher: Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Stephen Crane was an American novelist, poet, and journalist. Crane is noted for his early employment of naturalism, a literary style in which characters face realistically portrayed and often bleak circumstances, but Crane added impressionistic imagery and biblical symbolism to the austere realism. Here are two of his most famous stories: "The Open Boat", and "An Episode of War",

Richard Rohan is a stage and film actor, as well as an award-winning narrator. He has recorded over 100 audiobooks and has received critical acclaim for many of his performances. Christopher Graybill has performed numerous audiobooks, ranging from classic Westerns to science fiction, as well as hundreds of commericals and corporate audio narrations.

Members Reviews:

Das Boot à la Crane

The Open Boat is viewed by many as Stephen Crane's finest work -- better than Red Badge of Courage. It presents a theme which depicts nature struggling against man but ends where nature is depicted as indifferent to man's fate -- a short work that encapsulates the naturalism of the literary period.

Audible offers three of Crane's best short stories, including Open Boat, in a different offering narrated by Deaver Brown. It is a good introduction to Crane's short stories; and Brown offers some excellent insights into Crane and his work, but his narration is too folksy and amateurish for my personal taste. The deep mellifluous voice of Richard Rohan in this recording provides a more satisfying audio experience of the work.

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Title: Great American Short Stories

Author: Mark Twain

Narrator: William Holden, Van Johnson, Ronald Coleman, Edna Best, Frank Lovejoy

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-28-10

Publisher: Saland Publishing

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A collection of classic American short stories, including 'The Old Man's Bride' by Timothy Shay Arthur (read by Van Johnson), 'The Virginian' by Owen Wister (William Holden), 'The Turn of the Screw' by Henry James (Ronald Colman and Edna Best) and 'The Man That Corrupted Handleyburg' by Mark Twain (Frank Lovejoy).

Members Reviews:

Great anthology! I remember it vividly from high school ...

Great anthology! I remember it vividly from high school and want now to re-read some of the stories--especially the superb final short story, "In Greenwich There Are Many Gravelled Walks," by the now little-known writer Hortense Calisher.

The Stegners, Mary and Wallace

Since I think Wallace Stegner is an all time great writer, I naturally was interested to see his selections of best and favorite short stories. They did not disappoint!

Great writers, little known works and intriguing discoveries to those who pursue these wonderful tidbits.

And it is a challenge to have a beginning, middle and ending for a brief work. These are sucessful and tightly packed.

Enjoy

Quick delivery and great quality used book

Very broad collection of short stories. We actually used this book in a high school Lit class. Quick delivery and great quality used book.

Great price and fast shipping

Great price and fast shipping. What more is there to say. This book was required for my high school children's English class.

Book contents are wonderful.

The contents of this book are outstanding, but I would rather have a hard bound edition. The pages are coming apart from the binding. We still use it for our homeschooling.

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Title: The Best of Edgar Allan Poe

Author: Edgar Allan Poe

Narrator: Todd McLaren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-23-10

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The name Edgar Allan Poe conjures up thoughts of hearts beating long after their owners are dead, of disease and plague amid wealth, and of love that extends beyond the grave. The richness of Poe's writing, however, includes much more than horror, loss, and death. Poe's stories teem with irony and black humor, in addition to plot twists and surprise endings. Living by their own rules and charged with passion, Poe's characters are instantly recognizable---even though we may be appalled by their actions, we understand their motivations.

This collection contains eleven of Poe's best stories. They are "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Cask of Amontillado," "The Premature Burial," "Ligeia," "The Black Cat," "The Oval Portrait," "Berenice," "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar," and "The System of Dr. Tarr and Prof. Fether."

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Best.

cds

I bought this for my granddaughter and she was please as it is in perfect condition and has stories on it that she wanted.

I was ok... the guy read a little fast though.

When he read the poetry, it seemed he was reading so fast that - before I could think about what he was saying he said something else. You should get this if you're not really interested in the entertainment value over just listening to some Poe and visualising his stories. It's "generic," yet good listening.

Best, still the best

Edgar Allan Poe is the Nietzsche of literature world

I loved it!

I had to read it for class. But, I really enjoyed it

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Title: The Pearl

Author: John Steinbeck

Narrator: Pepe Balderrama

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-08-10

Publisher: Hachette Audio UK

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 25 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A classic novella about the fallacy of the American dream, THE PEARL is Steinbeck's flawless parable about wealth and the evil it can bring. When Kino, a poor Mexican pearl-diver, finds a magnificent pearl - 'the Pearl of the World' - he believes that all his dreams can come true. He will marry his wife in the church wearing fine new clothes, their infant son will never want for anything - least of all the medicine so recently denied to him - and the boy might one day go to school, learn to read and write. But Kino's vision of a bright future blinds him to the greed and fear the pearl arouses in his neighbours and in himself, and his shining dream begins to blacken and twist...

Members Reviews:

Lots of lessons to learn from this one.

This book was inspired in a Mexican parable, which means that it brings lots of teachings about moral values, and especially, about what wealth can do to us all.

I read this book for a lit class. It is not a happy book, so if this is what you are looking for, turn around and find a happier book. However, if you want to teach someone about money, ethics and moral values, this might be a good place to start.

An all time classic and steinbeck is a legend

yet another Truely brilliant book by a Truely brilliant author. I say READ it and or listen to a well spoken emotive audio listen

Lovely!

Really enjoyed it! A fab illustration of how greed can corrupt integrity! About how dreams and intentions can cross path! A true classic

A gripping parable of fortune and misfortune

I enjoyed this short novella. It definitely has something of the moral story/parable about it - Kino finds a pearl and thinks his luck is in, but sometimes great fortune also brings great misfortune. It also suggests something about how the wealthy plot to hold on to wealth and exclude those lower in the pecking order. The lessons here are as relevant in 2016 as they were in 1947!

I found that in this novella, Steinbeck's descriptive prowess was applied to the characters more than the landscape. The family at the heart of this tale are well drawn - and while in some ways they do remain slightly unknowable, great attention is paid to how they move and their emotional shifts (especially Kino). That comes across as almost cinematic - the actions and threat is also quite dramatic.

I've listened to a lot of Steinbeck now, but I imagine if you are new to his writing and want a flavour of it, this short work would be an excellent introduction.

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Title: Zorro and the Pirate Raiders

Subtitle: A Radio Dramatization

Author: Johnston McCulley, D.J. Arneson

Narrator: Kevin Cirone, Shonna McEachern, Hugh Metzler, The Colonial Radio Players

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-07-10

Publisher: The Colonial Radio Theatre on Brilliance Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 32 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Pirate Raiders, with the villainous Captain Bardoso in command, are employed by the vicious Captain Ramon to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy caballero, hoping to use her to trap Zorro. Battles on land and sea, flashing swords and booming cannon explode before your very ears in this exciting audio production.

©2010 Brilliance Audio (P)2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Members Reviews:

A nice, easy story to listen to....

This reminds me of the movies of the 50s and 60s that I used to go to see when I was a kid. Only you listen to it instead. The action of the main characters is easy to follow the the Colonial Radio Players create their characters so you can tell who is who, making the plot easier to follow. I personally enjoyed the story and have always enjoyed the hero, Zorro and his fight with the evil police. They always portrayed these bad guys as fat, oily and roly poly turds in the movies and Zorro easily defeated them 6 at a time. It was a fun listen. I would give it 4 1/4 stars just for the sheer performance, but like all the Zorro stories, just a little hackneyed, so the story gets 3 1/2 stars.

The plot was kind of meh

I enjoyed the voice-acting, though. Lots of vim and vigour. (I don't really enjoy long conversations about whether to rape a woman right now or force her into marriage and rape her later. However classic that plot.)

More Radio Fun!

Much like with Zorro Rides Again (which I reviewed already, and the two stories take place back-to-back), this is 1940s style melodrama with all the pulp heroics and cliched villainy you could want from a Zorro story. These have all the charm of the old radio episodes or film serials, warts included... which is a selling point for me. I like my Zorro in the classic style.

Just Good Fun

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

If you're looking for intrigue ... better pass. If you're looking for good, old fashioned radio style fun ... you'll enjoy this.

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Title: A Special Providence

Author: Richard Yates

Narrator: Jeff Woodman, Suzanne Toren

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-29-10

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Robert Prentice has spent all his life attempting to escape his mother's stifling presence. His mother, Alice, for her part, struggles with her own demons as she attempts to realize her dreams of prosperity and success as a sculptor.

As Robert goes off to fight in Europe, hoping to become his own man, Richard Yates portrays a soldier in the depths of war striving to live up to his heroic ideals. With haunting clarity, Yates crafts an unforgettable portrait of two people who cannot help but hope for more, even as life challenges them both.

As an added bonus, when you purchase our Audible Modern Vanguard production of Richard Yates' book, you'll also receive an exclusive Jim Atlas interview. This interview where James Atlas interviews Blake Bailey about the life and work of Richard Yates begins as soon as the audiobook ends.

Editorial Reviews:

Richard Yatess 1969 novel A Special Providence gets a contemporary update in this version, part of Audibles Modern Vanguard Series, with narration by Suzanne Toren and Jeff Woodman. Yates, who may be best known for his first novel, Revolutionary Road, and the Leo-and-Kate film version it spawned, looks at a very different kind of male-female relationship in Providence: here, he highlights the connection between a mother and son before, during, and after WWII.

The mother is Alice Prentice, a single parent and aspiring artist who believes the world holds more for her than financial struggles and unreliable men; her son, Robert, is a solider struggling to survive the fighting in Europe. As the story shifts back and forth between the characters and to and from different times in their lives, Woodman anchors the story with an understated narration thats rich and emotional. From Roberts facing the front lines of battle to his navigating a conflict with the other enlisted men, Woodman brings a realistic mix of ambition, fear, and youth to the character. Toren chimes in on the womens voices primarily Alice, but also her friends and her sister and brings the right mix of real confidence and false bravado to luckless Alice, whether shes trying to start her own art school or convince herself that Robert will come home.

Much of A Special Providence is reportedly based on Yates own life Roberts war time mimics Yates service, and Alice Prentice is said to be a thinly-disguised take on Yates own mother, Ruth and the sincere narration combined with Yates honest prose makes this an essential listen for fans of the author.

Critic Reviews:

"Soft-spoken in his prose and terrifyingly accurate in his dialogue, Yates renders his characters with such authenticity that you hardly realize what he's done." (The Boston Globe)

"One of America's best-kept secrets.... Keenly insightful, brutally honest...delivering a swift kick to the heart." (The Denver Post)

"Yates writes powerfully and enters completely and effortlessly into the lives of his characters." (The New York Times Book Review)

Members Reviews:

A Special Providence

Fantastic ! Another masterpiece by Richard Yates, He's a genius.I love his characters all so real.Beautiful storyteller.

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Title: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Author: Francis Scott Fitzgerald

Narrator: Shane Sody

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-27-10

Publisher: Shane Sody (Sody Audio Books)

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The man who aged backwards!

This story, a whimsical "fantasy" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, first published in 1921, became (in December 2008) a major motion picture starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. This audiobook is not associated with the Hollywood movie, however; it is entirely faithful to Fitzgerald's original short story. Now you can have this whimsical short story read to you.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Amazing. Lots of great stories. You won't regret it.

A mixed bag.

Most critics have often thought of Fitzgerald's short stories as what he did for money between writing novels and haven't had a high opinion of their worth. Many are, indeed, a poor man's version of O'Henry stories with "twist" endings. About a quarter of the stories here, though, are pure genius with such tales as "the Ice Palace" and "Benjamin Button." If you are a fan of the recent movie, or of Fitzgerald, it is a worthwhile purchase.

A Fantastically Depressing Tale

This short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald is absolutely recommended reading for anyone. Taking a look at the idea that life would be better backwards, Fitzgerald thoroughly dismisses this idea by the end the story, in which Button has lived a long, and very lonely, life. Really points out that life is best lived with others there to take the ride with us. If Fincher's film is anywhere near as good as the story, it will be an amazing one to see.

Entertaining

Certainly F Scott. Fitzgerald enjoyed writing this one. Based on a written line he read about life, Fitzgerald certainly demonstrates his talents. I rate this ony three stars because I felt the piece tired out as it progressed, certainly with intention, but also with over-simplification. I do recommend this be read, but as part of a short story compilation.

short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Enjoying this book so far, I forgot how much I used to enjoy Fitzgerald's stories, it has been a long time since I read him. But I really brought the book to read Benjamin Button, I loved the movie but it was a real stretch from the short story.

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Title: The Scarlet Letter

Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Narrator: Charles Minx

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-18-10

Publisher: Hudson Audio Publishing

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 18 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is considered to be one of the greatest examples of true American literature. Its excellency of topic, characterization, and description has made it a permanent part of our history. Set in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1600s, it describes the life of Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman whose existence is marred by sin. The real genius of the book is found in its description. Hawthorne makes allusion, symbolism, and romanticism work toward one effect, making the reader feel as if she was there, watching it all happen, living through Hester's struggle.

Members Reviews:

Narration is awful!

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

The narration needed to be done by a more skilled actor with a much younger voice. Mr. Minx' voice was far too old sounding and he did not do the female parts at all well. The minister himself was a young man, but did not sound at all young.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Scarlet Letter?

The minister's blatant hypocrisy and calling out for the man who impregnated Hester while she stood on platform with babe in arms to take all the blame herself. Even though it had not been revealed that he was the father of the child, I suspected it and hated him for his not admitting it then and there.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Greatly!

What character would you cut from The Scarlet Letter?

none

Any additional comments?

Please provide at least one other production of The Scarlet Letter for your listeners to choose from.

Boring

I loved the movie. I liked reading the book. But I did not like listening to the audio book at all.

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Title: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Author: Washington Irving

Narrator: Anthony Heald

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-20-10

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 61 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In the Dutch settlement of Tarry Town, New York, in a secluded glen called Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane arrives to educate the children of the region. This lanky schoolmaster from Connecticut fancies the idea of marrying the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel, the 18-year-old daughter of a wealthy farmer, but there is a problem with his plan. Abraham Brom Bones Van Brunt, the town rowdy, has already set his heart on marrying her.

This romantic rivalry climaxes one autumn night with the appearance of the legendary Headless Horseman, allegedly the ghost of a Hessian trooper who lost his head to a cannonball during the Revolutionary War. Every night he rides through the woods to the scene of the battle in search of his head.

Since this storys first appearance in 1820, generations of readers, young and old, have thrilled to the headless horseman galloping through the haunted woods of Sleepy Hollow. The rollicking tale of Ichabod Crane and his ill-fated courtship of Katrina Van Tassel has become a classic ghost story.

Critic Reviews:

[This storys] unprecedented success allowed Irving to devote himself to a career as a professional author. (

Encyclopedia of Literature)

Members Reviews:

Another Classic

A flawless combination of narration and writing. Anthony Heald brings out the meter, rhythm and nuance of this short but perfect text. Washington Irving would have been pleased.

Love the original

The voice sounds a little like the narrator from Disneys Haunted Mansion. It's a great Halloween listen!

One of my favorites!!

I like to fall asleep listening to it, that's not to say that I do not find it engaging, I do! But the language is so comforting after about the third time around it is so relaxing.

Well Read

One of my favourite stories! It was preformed very well! Beautiful, clean, and the perfect use of inflection.

Excellent Short Story

Any additional comments?

Anthony Heald is one of my favorite Voices to listen to. He has a wonderful rhythm and range of characters. He brings this short story to life for me, I listen to him read it regulary because I know the story well and I can do other things as I listen.

I recommend this for anyone who wants to listen to a classic of Washington Irving.

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Title: Celebrated Jumping Frog & Other Sketches

Author: Mark Twain

Narrator: Robin Field

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-01-10

Publisher: Mission Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is a wild yarn involving a case of mistaken identity, a gambler whod bet on anything, and a very unusual frog named Daniel Webster. First published in The Saturday Press in 1865, the tale was immensely popular, and in 1867 an expanded version was published with 26 additional short stories, told as only Mark Twain could tell them.

Members Reviews:

Twain at his best

This is one of the first of his many books. This will give the reader an enjoyable read. This won't disappoint.

America's Story Teller

How does one assign a rating to Mark Twain? One obvious possibility is to give them all his works five stars. It could easily be argued that they all deserve it. On the other hand, giving them all the same rating would make ratings useless as a comparison between his works. One could look at how Mark Twain would rate his own work, but in the case of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches", published in May of 1867, it seems likely that Twain would have given it one star, given that he bought and destroyed all the plates for it. However, a one star rating would be a crime against literature and completely inappropriate for this collection. Ultimately, I can't see giving this book a rating below three stars, which might appear a bit low, but it does leave appropriate room for higher ratings for those of his works which are superior to this one.

The Oxford Mark Twain series is a wonderful collection. Each book is a facsimile of the first editions of his works (with a few noted exceptions), and the works are supplemented with a "Foreword" by the editor, an "Introduction" from a writer for whom the work had particular impact, and an "Afterword" from a scholar who examines the work in the context of the time and place in which it was written. The editor of the series is Shelley Fisher Fishkin, a professor of American Studies and English and an author of multiple books on Mark Twain. The "Introduction" in this volume is by Roy Blount Jr. and the "Afterword" by Richard Bucci.

In the "Introduction" by Roy Blount Jr., he states that he believes this is Twain's finest book. He indicates that the reason that this is true is because it is the only book which contains writings before Twain met the Honorable Anson Burlingame, and that without this book we wouldn't have any of Twain's later work. It is an interesting argument, but the last part doesn't really hold up because none of the sketches were published here for the first time, and Mark Twain had developed a name for himself before this book was published and probably would have continued writing if it had never been published. That being said, the core of the argument, i.e. that these works were important for the development of Twain as a writer, is certainly valid. The "Introduction" as a whole is humorous at times, but overly long and while Blount makes a joke of the padding he included, it was excessive to my tastes.

The original book is a collection of 27 sketches by Twain which were published in various newspapers around the country. In a couple of cases, the editor merged some of Twain's writings from multiple columns, and in many cases they do not appear under their original titles, but there are no pieces which appear here for the first time.