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Title: F. Scott Fitzgerald Stories

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Narrator: Kimberly Schraf

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-18-04

Publisher: Findaway World

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

"Bernice Bobs Her Hair" and "The Jelly-Bean": Two of Fitzgerald's finest stories of the Jazz Age. The first tells of a young woman who doesn't fit in her cousin's social life, and the second of love and social class.

(P)Commuter's Library

Members Reviews:

Read by Kimberly Schraf

Powells Books indicates that the title designated by this ISBN is read by Kimberly Schraf and that its "Media Run Time" is 120 (presumably minutes).

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Title: To Build a Fire

Subtitle: The Best of Jack London, Volume 1

Author: Jack London

Narrator: Jim Gallant

Format: Abridged

Length: 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-29-04

Publisher: Ziggurat Productions

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Grand musical themes with flowing melodies and dynamic rhythms support the story. Intense, stunning atmospheres of dark, sonic textures abound. Drums and percussion fill the background as rich, symphonic movements rise and fall, teleporting the listener to a foreign yet strangely familiar land. A compelling and captivating listening experience, both dramatic and introspective...and ultimately inescapable!

Members Reviews:

Outstanding!

A great story made even better by a wonderful narration by Jim Gallant. Excellent all around.

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Title: Ben Hur

Author: Lew Wallace

Narrator: Jim Killavey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 22 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-20-03

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 104 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Ben-Hur could be said to be the first American blockbuster. When it was published in 1880, it sold over two million copies and was translated into numerous languages. It combines all the best elements of popular classic, epic, and action stories against a background of authoritative historical detail. The pace and immediacy of Ben-Hur was the basis of its appeal to filmmakers - Charlton Heston's portrayal of the title role became one of the classics of the cinema. Wallace's original novel has been largely forgotten now, but as this reading shows, the story, together with the sweeping rhythm of the writer's prose, make it ideally suited to audio.

©(P)1988 Jimcin Recordings

Editorial Reviews:

Ben-Hur is one of the most influential Christian novels and was written some 79 years before the famous chariot-racing Charlton Heston film.

Narrator Jim Killavey unfolds with easy grace the epic story of Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince falsely imprisoned by his onetime childhood friend, Messala, a Roman officer. Ben-Hur survives a long and brutal stay as a slave in the galleys and returns to Jerusalem, vowing revenge on the man who destroyed him. But the developing events of a local man named Jesus lead Ben-Hur to rethink everything he thought he knew about right, wrong, justice, and forgiveness.

If youve enjoyed the movie but have never enjoyed the audiobook, nows the time to give yourself that gift.

Members Reviews:

Use the sample

I always listen to the sample reading before downloading the book. I don't want any big surprises. I've come across some "big name" readers who, for one reason or another did not sound very good - so I didn't get those books. Try before you buy!

In the case of Ben Hur, ok, I'm from New England, so the slight Yankee accent was rather comforting. And, accent or not, I thought the reading itself was very well done and the book quite inspiring. A big "thumbs up" from me.

Story Transcends Narration

Indeed, it is true that the narrator has a Bostonian accent, and that his narration is not the best out there. At first I found it mildly annoying. Once the story got rolling, however, I no longer cared about the accent or the delivery of the narration, for the the story and the characters in this incredible book transcend any lack of excellence in narration. This is a book for the ages, a magnificently written, sweeping tale of friendship, love, pain, revenge, and redemption. Lew Wallace's writing is equal to that of the greatest literary figures in history, and his storytelling is subordinate to none. If you have but one audiobook to hear in the next year, let this be the one. You will not regret it. Additionally, I should mention that while the movie "Ben Hur" was without a doubt one of the greatest ever made, the book, as is usually the case, is far better than the film. There is a ton of material in the book that is not in the film, probably for many reasons, that makes the book a much more rewarding experience than the film.

An Enduring Classic...

If you liked THE ROBE, this is another great book for you. If you are jaded on the "modern" vulgarity and a lot of just plain bad writing, here is a novelized history elegant and well-written.

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Title: The Most Dangerous Game

Author: Richard Connell

Narrator: Reg Green, Jim Gallant, full cast

Format: Abridged

Length: 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-07-03

Publisher: Ziggurat Productions

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 22 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Experience first-hand as classic literature dramatically transforms into the world of your imagination like never before! A grand soundtrack, spectacular sound effects, and a marvelous cast transport the audience to a far-off land of intrigue and nail-biting suspense. A compelling and captivating listening experience, theatrical and introspective, and ultimately...inescapable!

Members Reviews:

Great bedtime story

This is the kind of story that you play with headphones, in bed and stark blackness, during a rainy night when you want an old-fashion suspense story. Although short and not to the perfection of Poe or a Holmes story, it's better in adventure at least and entertainingly read. I really had fun with this one. Save it for that perfect night.

The Most Dangerous Game

I teach Freshman English and bought this audio file to play in class for my students to follow along in their book. However, I was disappointed when, after purchasing the file, I learned that it is a recording of the two characters speaking to each other and is not the story as it is printed. I will not be able to use it now.

However, for anyone who is purchasing it for story enjoyment, it is recorded very well.

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Title: Seek My Face

Author: John Updike

Narrator: Kathryn Walker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-05-02

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 29 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

John Updike's twentieth novel, like his first, The Poorhouse Fair (1959), takes place in one day, a day that contains much conversation and some rain. The 78-year-old painter Hope Chafetz, who in the course of her eventful life has been Hope Ouderkirk, Hope McCoy, and Hope Holloway, answers questions put to her by a New York interviewer named Kathryn, and recapitulates, throughout the story of her own career, the triumphant, poignant saga of postwar American art. In the evolving relation between the two women, the interviewer and interviewee move in and out of the roles of daughter and mother, therapist and patient, predator and prey, supplicant and idol. The scene is central Vermont; the time is the early spring of 2001.

©2002 by John Updike; (P)2002 Random House Inc., Random House Audio, a Division of Random House Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"The novel achieves a remarkable depth of characterization and a glowing beauty in its articulation of the artistic sensibility." (Booklist)

Members Reviews:

Better than 90% of the pap that passes for writing

Well written beautifully narrated. A very good listen.

Seek My Face

A crashing bore! Certainly not up to Updyke?s usual.

Updike's Warhol and Pollock - masterful

Having produced so much that is so wonderful, now in his late 70's you begin to wonder whether John Updike still has it in him. His regular short story contributions to The New Yorker are a pleasing palliative, but it is a major work like Seek My Face that completely blows away any unnecessary concerns. John Updike is the best living author, this is one of his best works.

A simple story structure which effortlessly focuses on the New York school, drawing, sketching, fixing, painting and snapping away until we have unfolded a huge detailed canvas on which he has made the whole of the late part of last century for us - from the 9th Street exhibition through Willem de Kooning to the campy excesses of Andy Warhol. No tricks, but beautiful heart-warming prose and an ocean of emotions and experience.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

Worth the stretch

The regular mentions of time passing brought me out of the flow of the story, but the ending left me reflecting on how life passes, which was worth the stretch.

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Title: The Dive from Clausen's Pier

Author: Ann Packer

Narrator: Scarlett Johansson

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-12-02

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 171 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Dive from Clausen's Pier reminds us how fragile our lives are and how quickly they can be divided into before and after. It begins with a disaster that could happen in anybody's life, and leaves us to asking what we know about our deepest allegiances. Elegantly written and ferociously paced, emotionally nuanced and morally complex, The Dive from Clausen's Pier marks the emergence of a prodigiously gifted new novelist.

©2002 Ann Packer; (P)2002 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic Reviews:

"This is a densely enveloping book, presented with uncommon assurance for a debut novelist. And it succeeds in raising profound moral issues within the context of ordinary life." (New York Times)

Members Reviews:

Loved it!

If you could sum up The Dive from Clausen's Pier in three words, what would they be?

thoughtful, heart-wrenching, beautiful

What does Scarlett Johansson bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

I felt like her voice perfectly fit the character. You could hear the indecision and uncertainty as she dealt with this new path in her life.

Any additional comments?

I probably would not have read/listened to this book if I hadn't been pulled in by curiosity regarding the narrator. However, I'm so glad I was. I loved this story. It pulled me right in, I felt like it was floating through her life. I felt every pang of worry, guilt, heartache, panic, anxiety, love - all of it. It was wonderful and I was sad when it was over. Scarlett Johansson did a wonderful job.

Interesting but not fascinating!

I found the events and characters in the story quite intrigueing. But not fascinating. I don't know if it's suppose to be done that way but I did find the narrator Scarlett Johansen a bit flat. I felt she could have put more enthusiasm and oomph into the story. I was also disappointed by the ending because if I was the author I would have ended the story differently.

You just want to shake her

I made the mistake of buying the abridged version of this book, so didn't care for it much. However, I think if I had read the longer version, I might have slit my wrists. This girl is really annoying. She doesn't know what she wants or who she wants and just glides through life. You just want to smack her.

Decent

This story was decent. Nothing special. The story was a mediocre one. It was special in the beginning, but went nowhere the rest of the book. Moreoever, the narrator's voice was annoying. She sounded bored just reading it. I know this was a best-seller, but I was not impressed.

readers review

I just finished listening to this book. If I had to listen to that annoying voice for any more length time I don't think I would have finished it. Good story weak on plot, unfinished ending

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Title: The Gift of the Magi

Author: O. Henry

Narrator: Jane Alexander

Format: Abridged

Length: 15 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-22-00

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 48 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Gift of the Magi is O. Henry's most famous short story. This classic Christmas story of selflessness and giving is now beautifully retold by Jane Alexander. Set in New York at the turn of the century, the story centers on a young couple that sacrifices their dearest possessions to buy each other Christmas gifts.

© & (P)1987 Bantam Audio Publishing

Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing Group, A Division of Random House, Inc.

Members Reviews:

A classic story, less than fabulous narrator

There are better audio versions of this sweet and ironic classic.

Lovely

Ever wanted to listen to a feel good story. Then this is it. A must listen to at Christmas time. It is the epitome of the spirit of giving. This is something the whole family should enjoy on Christmas eve by the fireside.

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Title: Ambush at Fort Bragg

Author: Tom Wolfe

Narrator: Edward Norton

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-18-00

Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 41 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

For months the wheels of justice have ground to a halt as three soldiers from Fort Bragg have categorically denied that they savagely beat and murdered a member of their company because he was gay. Now, Irv Durtscher, self-proclaimed soul of a soulless industry, is poised to expose the truth. With a fortune in surveillance equipment, he has infiltrated a bar near Fort Bragg, in the hopes that the unwitting soldiers will hang themselves on videotape. What he gets is pure dynamite. But Irv's story won't be complete until he arranges to ambush the three young toughs and show them the footage. What happens when one of New York's media elite confronts the Lords of Testosterone?...not what you think.

Ambush at Fort Bragg is classic Wolfe - a blistering send-up of one man's drive for fame and glory and the outrageous lengths to which the media will go to showcase their version of the truth.

Listen to a conversation with

.

Members Reviews:

Slow Starter

I enjoyed this reading of Ambush at Fort Bragg immensely... once it got going. The story started slowly, but once it started moving, I was entralled. The narcisistic producer, the aging but still attractive talking head, and the young soldiers were believable and well developed characters, considering the brevity of the book.

Edward Norton (Fight Club) is in his element as he portrays the young soldiers from the panhandle. The southern accent is so strong, it nearly requires translation. This is my first experience with Mister Norton as a reader, and I think he did a fine job. He isn't in my top five readers, but the fit for this particular audiobook was very good.

Tom Wolfe has some salient points to make in this novel, and none of them are subtle. He hammers them home with a sledge hammer. My only complaint, and it is minor, is that this story should have gone on beyond its ending. I found myself looking forward to what was about to transpire, so that when the credits were read, I was longing for more.

Worthy listen for Ed Norton fans

While the contents of the actual story were a bit predictable and quite linear, I still found them to be an enjoyable critique on media manipulation and homophobia. That being said, Edward Norton is what sold this for me. He does an amazing job and can certainly nail a southern accent. Recommended mainly for Norton fans.

Good made better by Norton

Would you listen to Ambush at Fort Bragg again? Why?

No, it was good but it's not "inspiring".

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I expected it having read many of Wolfe's books

What about Edward Nortons performance did you like?

I think he is an excellent reader just as he is an excellent actor

Any additional comments?

It' not the most inspiring of Wolfe's books. Nevertheless it has his typical signature in the way the language is used to create rhythm and melody and in the overblown egos that hold the main characters on a leash. It's always wonderful to see how Wolfe manages to make the most improbable actors in the drama deliver the most authentic (even if despicable) speech.

Ambush at Fort Bragg

This definitely is not Tom Wolfe's best work. The story is lacking the Wolfe twist that makes his books so great to read.

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Title: Accordion Crimes

Author: Annie Proulx

Narrator: Edward Herrmann

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-14-00

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 57 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Accordion Crimes opens in 1890 in Sicily as an accordion maker completes his finest instrument and dreams of owning a music store in America. He and his eleven-year-old son, carrying little more than the accordion, voyage to the teeming, violent port of New Orleans. Within a year, the accordion maker is murdered by an anti-Italian lynching mob, but his instrument carries Proulx's story as it falls into the hands of various immigrants who carry it from Iowa to Texas, from Maine to Louisiana, looking for a decent life. The music is their last link with the past, a voice for their fantasies, sorrows, and exuberance, but it too, is forced to change. Proulx's heartbreaking characters and daring storytelling which unite the sections of Accordion Crimes, make it a stunning novel, exhilarating in its scope and originality.

©1996 E. Annie Proulx, All Rights Reserved; (P)1996 Simon & Schuster Inc., All Rights Reserved; AUDIOWORKS Is an Imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio Division, Simon & Schuster Inc.

Members Reviews:

Deeply depressing

I wanted to like this book, I loved The Shipping News, but everytime a new character was introduced you just knew that sooner or later they would die a horrible death, or suffer agonies of defeat. The story was unrelenting. You came to dread meeting each new accordian owner, no matter how clever the introduction into the narrative by the author. On the plus side, I have never read/heard a more vivid and lyrical description of death by spider bite. Herrman is an excellent narrator

accordion crimes

As always, Annie Proulx has created memorable, quirky characters in Accordion Crimes. Her sense of the absudity and randomness of life is right on the mark! The reader does an excellent job of portraying a large series of characters. A real treat!

Great listen!

An excellent webbed story paralleling the history trail of an inanimate object. The tale weaves and connects characters and lives in a most intriguing way. Very enjoyable!

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Title: The Secret Garden

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Narrator: Flo Gibson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-16-99

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 70 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

When Mary Lennox is transplanted from India to England's Misselthwaite Manor, she is utterly miserable. She spends long, lonely hours hiking across the dark Yorkshire moors, or wandering through the gardens of the manor. Then, one afternoon, the wind blows aside a curtain of ivy to reveal the hidden entrance to a previously unknown garden. The secret place takes root in Mary's imagination and the friendless girl becomes determined to find a way into the garden.

(P)1987 by Recorded Books, Inc.; Cover Art ©1992 by Karen Henrickson Sothoron

Editorial Reviews:

Frances Hodgson Burnetts classic is a wonderfully symbolic story about children finding love and happiness through their mutual delight in the magic of nature and in each other. Much of the novel is dialogue spoken in the broad dialect of Yorkshire. American interpreter Gibson is at a distinct disadvantage. Actually, this regional language is so dynamic that it becomes itself a force for character change in the novel. As the two upper-class children open up, their stiff, upper-class speech deliberately changes to that of the relaxed musical country Yorkshire. Gibson is somewhat skilled at British dialects, but her children are too deep-voiced to be pleasing to the ear.

Critic Reviews:

"A blend of power, beauty, vivid interest and honest goodness. Yes, if this is magic, it is good magic." (The New York Times)

Members Reviews:

Amazing narrator

If you had an English grandmother and she whisked you away to a little cottage and read books to you every night, this is how I imagine it would sound. Her voice has a lovely texture, one perfectly suited to this story.

This was one of my favorite books growing up, and I had to reread it this year for a class and I'm very glad I chose this version. It is still captivating. If you're looking for a break from every day life, something different and yet not in the realm of fantasy, this will be an enjoyable journey.

Note: there are some slightly antiquated words and phrases, so this isn't the perfect pick for younger children who want to know what every single word means but are too impatient to discover the meaning through context. If such is the case, hand them something more modern and save this for a year or two so that they will really be able to enjoy it, or find one of the illustrated copies for them now and read it with them.

Absolutely enjoyed!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Secret Garden to be better than the print version?

I hesitate to admit this because I like to think of myself as a traditionalist, but yes! I am a busy homeschool mom and have a new baby and I just don't have time to sit and read like I used to. This audio version allowed me to listen while cleaning, cooking, nursing etc. I really enjoyed it. Also, I couldn't properly imagine the Yorkshire accent as I read, but hearing it added such a rich quaintness and I really thought it was great.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Martha Sowersby (not sure if that's spelled correctly) because she was so kind and warm, wise and happy.