Listen to Best Sellers Audiobooks in Classics, British Literature Best Sellers

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Title: The Mayor of Casterbridge

Author: Thomas Hardy

Narrator: Martin Shaw

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-22-08

Publisher: CSA Word

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

An interesting novel due to its depiction of a violent love/hate relationship between two men, this story highlights the strains of competition in pre-industrial rural society. Michael Henchard attains the position of town mayor, but the lies that lead him there leave the door open to a dramatic newcomer to expose his fundamental flaws.

© and (P)2007 CSA Telltapes Ltd

Members Reviews:

Maybe if I read it voluntarily...

Had to read this for my English class, and it was easier to slog through than P&P, but not by much. These kind of literary "masterpieces" do amaze me with their complexity, but they force a style of reading that is the antithesis of enjoyable: slow, meticulous, and constantly searching for big ideas. I personally enjoy Crime and Punishment more, placing this at a rather distant second for my required readings so far.

Selfcenteredness

A tale of how one person can impact so many lives through selfcenteredness. This classic novel is difficult to put down. A must read.

A Tragic Mayor

To my surprise, I found the book riveting. The characters are extremely vivid, and Hardy pulls off a tragic novel about a hero who is probably most memorable because of his flaws. Michael Henchard is, in many respects, contemptible, but in others, always honorable - a contradiction in terms, and like a true tragic hero, larger than life - noble but with an immoderate disposition. Thankfully, I read this on Kindle because there were many, many words I was unfamiliar with, and having a dictionary at hand was an enormous advantage. The story is engaging, moving, and quite wonderful in my opinion.

GREAT Edition!!

This 1964 Heritage Club Edition is a treasure! The hardcover is appropriately decorated with motiffs of Casterbridge. The wood engravings by Agnes Miller Parker are wonderful and unique! Of course, the story reads like a tragedy - Henchard is certainly his own worst enemy. On the other hand, Thomas Hardy's prose is certainly wonderful reading, unlike many 20th century so-called literary authors. Hardy's descriptive analyses of places and characters are exquisite, including the historical aspect of the English countryside near Casterbridge. The secondary characters are varied, some solid and some weak in spirit. Henchard seems to use them all to his detriment and the detriment of others. Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae give the story balance and in the end are winners despite Henchard's downward spiral.

This review is not in any way a descriptive review of the book's story line. However, there are hopes that your interest has been peeked and that you will give this book a complete reading. Also, there are DVD's of this story which can be accessed on Amazon. This writer watched a DVD initially and then read the book. After doing so I believe that reading the book first would be a better choice.

The two edged sword

We see Henchard's pride and stubbornness, and the amazing results he encounters. Hardy portrays a scene with four characters, each with their own agenda. One can easily visualize the humor and tension, as two rivals attempt to be competitive and civilized.

I enjoy Hardy's style as he makes a sweeping statement, and by deft strokes fine tunes the scene. Definitely a bittersweet story.

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Title: Silas Marner

Author: George Eliot

Narrator: Geraldine James

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-22-08

Publisher: CSA Word

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Silas Marner, a weaver, is cast out from his religious community and arrives in Raveloe, where he is feared because of his mysterious nature and brooding manner. When he is left an unwanted child to care for, his love for the child grows, and the unlikely pair find that kindness from the community towards them does too.

© and (P)2007 CSA Telltapes Ltd

Members Reviews:

"Hope for the Hopeless . . ."

This was a fine story and novel, almost a novella as it is not lengthy. This is a story about a weaver and the weaving trade in days gone by.

It is a story about a steady personality (the protagonist) who overcomes devastating adversity and personal cruelty under small favourable circumstances which are both unpredictable for the reader and could be true to life. This novel, could be based on a true story for its detail and convincing authenticity of trade and character development. The storyline lent itself well to being dramatized with Sir Ben Kingsley playing "Silas"

in the 1980's BBC production which adheres well to the intention expressed in the novel by George Eliot

The paperback by George Elliot makes a fine gift for a young person starting life.

not just for high school students

Most of my friends read Silas Marner in high school English and still shudder, but my high school marched to a different drummer (or none) and I had never read it. No one would pretend that it is one of George Eilot's masterpieces -- it's no Middlemarch, not by a long shot. But even in its much smaller way, it has all the germs of her intelligence, literary style, and human compassion, even when tainted by a certain predictability and triteness of plot. It also has Eliot's greatest weakness, which is that she seems to lose interest in the central situation she creates once it has been fully developed, and as in many of her (greater) books, rushes to the end once it is in sight.

Still, no person who wishes to be thought literate in English literature should not have read Silas Marner. For whatever shortcomings it may have, it's a page turner by a literary master.

It's a classic!

I very much enjoyed this classic book. I was never required to read it in school, so had no preconceived opinion about it. It was a sad tale with a happy ending of the "and they lived happily ever after type." The only reasoning I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of all the detail. Like a lot of classics, there was so much detail that I neither wanted nor understood. For the most part, I just skimmed over it. Nevertheless, I found it a good story, well worth the time to read.

Sorry I didn't read it earlier

I was supposed to read this book in 9th grade but didn't. Fudged my way through. Now, fifty-four years later, I regret not doing my assignments. Eliot accurately captures the lifestyle and culture of 19th century rural England. She also clearly demonstrates the unconscious loss a hoarder and a loner sustains. Is there a moral here? Perhaps more of a reminder to us of where gold really lies.

An outstanding story.

This is a fabulous story. I have read it many times in a regular edition. This edition is very large with small print. It is like a large sheet of paper. I bought it for my granddaughter and she still has not read the book due to the size I imagine. Sad for her and for me.

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Title: A Christmas Carol [Freshwater Seas Version]

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Susie Berneis, Robert Bethune, Tom Underwood

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-19-07

Publisher: Freshwater Seas

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This presentation of the beloved tale tells the classic story of the long night Ebenezer Scrooge spent with the ghosts of Christmas, the lessons it taught him, the change it made in his life, and the joy it brought to him and all who knew him. It tells the story the way Dickens wrote it, including scenes and descriptions other versions skip over.On this recording, the story is not merely read, it comes to life with voices and music. It is fully performed by The Voices of Freshwater Seas, a large group of skilled actors, and underscored with arrangements of over a dozen different seasonal songs and carols. It's also enhanced with both seasonal and ghostly sound effects.

Two narrators trade voices back and forth in the beginning, then one voice performs the passages in which Scrooge communes with the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. The other performs the parts in which things are going on in the real world - or at least the real world as you and I know it! All the major speaking roles are performed by a full cast of wonderful voices for all the characters. You're sure to get a kick out of them!

In addition, there is also a full musical underscoring from The Tintinnabulum Project, performed with many kinds of melodic percussion. The bells of Christmas, and the chimes as well, have never rung out so sweetly as they do here, enriching and accompanying Dickens' words.

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Title: David Copperfield

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Paul Scofield

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-13-07

Publisher: Phoenix Books

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

In David Copperfield, ghosts and other supernatural phenomena are invoked in relation to a range of male characters and situations. David is haunted by the memories of people and places he's been before. It is in the character of Uriah Heep, however, and in David's perception of and relationship with him, when the story is at its most supernatural.

Members Reviews:

Five Stars

Great story, great cast of characters, I plan on looking at it again, love these kinds of good stories.

I can see why this was Charles Dickens personal favorite.

I find the Kindle to be the perfect way to connect with the age old classics (especially when used in the text to speech mode).

In this story young David starts his life six months after the death of his father. His mother is of good character who unfortunately falls under the spell of the charms of a harsh man Murdstone who has an equally despicable sister. Young David is then forced from his home, loving mother and faithful nurse when he is sent first to a harsh boarding school and then to factory work in London. Despite this ill treatment as well as many others, Copperfield remains good nurtured.

Dickens always wrote well rounded characters who often encountered true to life difficulty and abuse from those serving their own bent. Often these characters will meet their just deserts by the stories end. How the main characters learn from these trials is something lacking from much of today's fiction.

Beautiful, flawed

Over long by about 70000 words, David Copperfield nonetheless packs a number of punches along the way. Best line in the book: 'Janet! Donkeys!' Funny, exciting, heartbreaking, plodding, boring, thrilling -- this is the stuff of life in all it's facets.

No quibbles. This is a wonderful version of the novel.

A beautiful filmed telling of this brilliant novel, possibly the best by Dickens thanks to its many believable characters (the flat vs. round discussion aside) and slowly building, suspenseful plot that manages to be both tragic and comic. Armstrong is perfect as Lady Dedlock, but Esther and Jarndyce and Guppy and Woodcourt and Miss Flyte etc. are also exactly as imagined! If you haven't already watched *all* of this rendition of Bleak House, we are jealous that you have it ahead of you!

A timeless classic

David Copperfield is a narrative piece written in the voice of an autobiography that takes you on a colorful journey with the title character, beginning with his harrowing birth and childhood. He instantly attaches you to himself by his earnestness and genuine nature. The fascinating characters that surround his story keep the reader enganged throughout the tale. The character development is so complete that you will close the book feeling like you have a new set of associations and are better for it.

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Title: Anna Karenina

Author: Leo Tolstoy

Narrator: Saskia Wickham

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-25-07

Publisher: Hodder Headline Limited

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Regarded by many as the world's greatest novel, this is the classic story of Anna Karenina, "grande dame of Petersburg society", who forsakes everything - her marriage, her son, and her position in society - for the dashing Count Vronsky, with tragic consequences.

© and (P)1997 Hodder & Stoughton Audiobooks

Members Reviews:

Good book

I feel I'm not qualified to review this book. I'm just a regular guy, not a literature professor, but maybe my comments will be helpful to some. This book is really good. It's all about the characters. Many times while I was reading I wondered how all of this was going to end. It wasn't like a regular story where there's a pretty clear end goal, like get the bad guy, or solve the mystery. It was more like things are just happening and I wonder what's going to happen next. I thought maybe it's just going to stop abruptly, as if Tolstoy would just suddenly be done writing about all these characters, but it really did have a solid ending to conclude everything. Thinking back on the story I remember many ups and downs and tense moments and light hearted moments, it was very enjoyable and pretty easy to read.

One thing that really amazed me was how well Tolstoy could switch between different characters and settings. Everyone had distinct personalities and the way they were all portrayed was with so much compassion and understanding that as a reader I could really see parts of myself in everyone. There was no one character that I related to more than any other. I was able to relate to every single one of them differently. I believe this is the reason Tolstoy is considered a master.

The pace of the book is a little slow for me because I'm a slow reader, but in retrospect I feel like the pace was actually pretty good and it only felt slow because I had absolutely no idea where the story was going. Every chapter had something new happening and the story just strolled right along. Probably like riding a tractor for 50 miles. You've got plenty of time to look at all the flowers and clouds and barns and animals along the way, it takes forever, but it never stops moving.

It helped a lot to have this book on my kindle because towards the end there was more and more french that was easy to translate with the kindle. The port to the kindle was perfect. I saw no strange spacing or oddly misspelled words.

Overall I recommend giving this book a shot. Don't be discouraged by the length. I realize a reader may feel compelled to read this particular book just so they can say that they did. It's got that trophy book status. I feel like that's a bad thing though. If you find yourself a few hundred pages in and are interested in what's going on, then keep going. If however after a few hundred pages you feel like it's a chore to read, then don't bother, it's not going to suddenly become more interesting after any point in the book. It's very consistent, you can trust this author and the translation, the ending won't let you down, there will be no long lulls. What you get in the beginning is what you get through the entire book, it's very steady and very high quality writing.

A true classic!

I rate this as one if the best fiction books I have ever read, and I am a reader. It was very long, but not tedious.

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Title: Tom Jones

Author: Henry Fielding

Narrator: John Sessions

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-25-07

Publisher: Hodder Headline Limited

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Tom Jones is widely regarded as Fielding's greatest novel, a wonderful, picaresque adventure that takes Tom, a foundling, on a hilarious and by turns scandalous journey, rife with amorous encounters that often incur the wrath of those around him.

© and (P)1997 Hodder & Stoughton Audiobooks

Critic Reviews:

"Fielding is generally agreed to be an innovating master of the highest originality....He devised what he described as 'comic epics in prose', which are in effect the first modern novels in English....[Tom Jones] is generally regarded as Fielding's greatest." (The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature)

Members Reviews:

Delightful and entertaining

314. The History of Tom Jones: a foundling by Henry Fielding (Novel-Audible/E Book-Fiction) 5* I read along with the Audible of the novel which I found a highly delightful and entertaining experience.

The narrator, Bill Homewood, who performed the audio version of the work was excellent doing the various characters as well as the invisible narrator (author) of the story. The Synopsis is as follows:

A foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by Mr. Allworthy on his country estate, Tom Jones is deeply in love with the seemingly unattainable Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of the neighboring squireâthough he sometimes succumbs to the charms of the local girls. When Tom is banished to make his own fortune and Sophia follows him to London to escape an arranged marriage, the adventure begins. A vivid Hogarthian panorama of eighteenth-century life, spiced with danger and intrigue, bawdy exuberance and good-natured authorial interjections, Tom Jones is one of the greatest and most ambitious comic novels in English literature.

It is rather brilliant, and there is no lack of shenanigans as we follow Jones through his history and the reader never knows when and where the author will abruptly go off on a tangent, told in a most eloquent manner, end with a flourish and no doubt tossed his quill down and took a bow. I am either taken in by some farce or thoroughly enchanted by this author. As Fielding is rather the loquacious writer this read comes in Audible time at almost 38 hours or roughly 1,000 pages but worth every minute spent on it.

The book itself is five stars!

This is a review of the Oxford Classic Kindle edition.

The book itself is one of the greatest novels ever written; this is maybe the third time I've read it. Fielding is a master of irony, by which I mean genuine irony, not the mean sarcasm that often passes for irony these days. Fielding is never mean-spirited. His irony is generous and his humor is benevolent. His characters are three-dimensional, never all good or all bad. Before reading this, I had been re-reading several Dickens novels, and the contrast is enormous. A Dickens villain is a villain to the core, and his heroes (and especially his heroines) are saints. Tom instead is a young man with many faults, but a great heart. Sophia, his beloved, is a genuinely good person, but she's got a certain fiery spirit, and has her moments of doubt and remorse.

I advise you to read every word of this novel. It's divided into books, and the first chapter of each book is an address to the reader, expounding Fielding's theories on literature and on human nature. An impatient reader might be tempted to skip these, but that would mean missing a lot of worthwhile and enjoyable reading.

I have some quibbles with the Kindle edition.

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Title: The Lady of Launay

Author: Anthony Trollope

Narrator: Dianne Burroughs

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-02-06

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This little gem of a novella manages to include a number of the same themes found in the longer novels in a much more compact form. Young Bessie falls in love with a man "above her station" and, although the love is returned, the social implications lead to many trials and tribulations before true love conquers all.

Members Reviews:

A Cinderella Story

This story has an attractive fairy tale quality about it. Perhaps it is due in part to the narrator Dianne Burroughs' style but the story is different in feel from other Trollope stories. The language is different from every Anthony Trollope story I have read. I compare it to those of Lucy Maud Montgomery, Frances Hodson Burnett, Louise May Alcott, Eleanor H. Porter or even perhaps Johanna Spyri. I like the story.

Like ten year old Fanny Price who was brought to Mansfield Park to grow into the woman who captured Edmund Bertram's heart, six year old Bessie Pryor, a penniless orphan was brought to the house of Launay to grow into a lovely woman and can we be surprised at the results? Did the young man of the house have a chance? Could the old woman win this contest? It is a lovely story. I enjoyed it greatly.

Boring Reader, Decent Story

This little novel wasn't Trollope at his best (he's much better at extended tomes with complex plots and detailed characterizations); it's a fairly typical story of lovers being thwarted by a class-conscious mother. But the reader was truly dreadful. She seemed to be focusing so much on pronouncing every single consonant that I doubt she even got the gist of what she was reading. At other times, I felt like I was listening to a children's Story Hour reader--and a bad one at that. She'll definitely go on my list of readers to avoid in the future. Trollope deserves better.

A narrator for undiscriminating pre-schoolers

I will be wary of this narrator, Dianne Burroughs, in future. Her narration of The Lady of Launay is atrocious. I was thankful the book was so short and end the imbecilic word by word dictation. The limited action and internal struggles which Trollope obviously thought out with care demand a fluid and expressive (and urbane) narrator. How does such a poor reading pass production standards?

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Title: SmartPass Audio Education Study Guide to The Mayor of Casterbridge (Dramatised)

Author: Thomas Hardy, Mike Reeves

Narrator: Full-Cast featuring Joan Walker, Harry Myers, Coralyn Sheldon

Format: Abridged

Length: 3 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-14-06

Publisher: SmartPass

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Full-cast performance with comprehensive commentary and analysis for any student to fully understand and appreciate the novel. Hardy's world is brought to life in this vivid drama that sets the scene, tells the tale, and puts the characters on trial using theatre-in-education techniques to examine "the leaden gloom of one who has lost all".

© and (P)2000 SmartPass Ltd.

Critic Reviews:

"Excellent resource." (Special Children magazine)

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Title: Persuasion

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Janet Suzman

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-07-06

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 6 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A presentation from the BBC Radio Collection.

Members Reviews:

It's One Heavy Book

So I just wanted to let others know that this collection is one giant book of all Austen novels combined. You can't tell from the picture, but I was actually expecting (and hoping for) individual books packed in one box like other book collections I have. So I was definitely a bit disappointed when I received this book. And while I am used to reading large books like David McCullough biographies, this compilation is by far the heaviest I have in my possession. I'm not sure I will be able to read this in bed or even hold it up in my arms for any long period of time. So beware. I would have chosen differently if had this information when I was contemplating purchase.

EMMA

A lot of water under the bridge since first reading this book many years ago. I do not know why I liked it so much them...possibly I was blinded by adolescents and want everyone to have a loving mate and played match maker myself thinking also I was above others..shame on me!! This book the second time around was so frustrating I could have screamed in parts. How dare Emma feel so superior in her small town and looked for others to make over in her image. How dare she play match maker with every eligible bachelor and made in the area thinking she knew best. Was she a true friend visiting all the families and offering her solicitations as if she were the queen and it being a big gift to shower her presence with others (all of whom she felt were inferior) on a regular basis.

Glad to have revisited this book and will revisit others but don't think they will be by Jane Austen. My book was downloaded onto my Kindle from Amazon.

Its starts off Emma becoming good friends with a girl named Harriet

Emma Woodhouse is a young girl growing up in a family of wealth and high class. Throughout the story, Emma becomes what some would call a matchmaker. Its starts off Emma becoming good friends with a girl named Harriet. Harriet doesnât know her parents therefore she doesnât have money or a high social ranking. Emma attempts to set her up with two different men and both come crashing down miserably. Emma attempts to help everyone Emma falls in love with a man by the name of Frank Churchill. She thinks they will wed, but later on you find out heâs already secretly engaged to a woman by the name of Jane. Emma is devastated by this but begins to reflect upon her feelings. She ends up confessing her love for her brother in law Mr.Knightley who has been guiding her throughout the story and Harriet marries Mr. Martin.

Jane Austenâs writing style was very witty, short, and sweet. She used clever wording that packs a punch in short sentences. The sentences could be unfinished and have dashed, which was used for emphasis on the urgentness and feeling of the character talking. The mood of the story is somewhat ironic. The author seems to have a deep connection with the characters, but likes to show their flaws and insecurities by making fun of them. All the characters seemed believable. I could relate them to people in my life. Their actions and such would be different considering it was written in the 1800s, but if I just changed some things around it made me think of my friends and family. The place was believable. It was based in a tiny town in England called Highbury.

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Title: Bleak House

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Jim Killavey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 39 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-07-06

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 21 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This novel represents the highest point of Dickens' intellectual maturity. Over the years, it has been one of his most popular books, and it was recently turned into a PBS film starring Gillian Anderson.

Critic Reviews:

"Vigorous satire....[with] a host of interesting minor characters." (The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature)

Members Reviews:

Listen to the sample first

From the reviews so far, it looks like this book will be one of those that could generate sharply divided opinions. Few would disagree that it's a great book but some are going to like the reading and some are not. I suppose it's just a matter of taste. My advice - Listen to the sample BEFORE you download the book. Fortunateley, the sample is 10 minutes long - more than enough to let you know if you will enjoy it or not. I listened to the sample and liked what I heard, then got the book and liked it very much. The time to find out if you will like the reading is before you get the book not after. So...my words to the wise are...Don't take my word for it or anyone else's. Let your own ears decide. If you are considering this book, listen to the sample first.

Great Listen

Bleak House is a satire which looks at the extremely complicated legal system in London as it eats away at the minds and talents of the greedy and nearly destroys the lives of many innocent people. Anyone who has been involved in a legal battle even in these modern times will certainly appreciate it.

Listening to BLEAK HOUSE is like going to an immense party where the guests are as varied and colorful a group of people as you will ever meet.

There are over fifty characters in the book so you never know who you may show up next. However, they are all delightful. A thoroughly entertaining and engrossing listen: poignant, suspenseful and unforgettable. A great work from a master storyteller! Well read, too. Five stars!

Wonderful!

Nobody creates characters like Charles Dickens - nobody. As I write this, I am lost in the world of Bleak House and loving it. I find myself looking for excuses, even with the current price of gas, to take long and winding drives so I can listen some more. In a word, although it may not be quite up there with David Copperfield or Oliver Twist, it is vintage Dickens, a little more mature in theme perhaps, but a book suffused with wonderful characters and an engrossing story.

I was surprised but pleased that the reader was American. I have tried listening to readers with English accents and usually given up. I'm sure it may give the reading a certain authenticity but it

also makes it just a little harder for me to understand, and with a 39 hour book, that would add up. This was an intelligent but unobtrusive reading. The narrator changed his voice enough to let you know a different character was speaking - softening it slightly when Ester was speaking, for example - but did not try to "act out" the whole thing. I like that. I want books I listen to get their look and feel from my "mind's eye", just as in reading the printed page, and not to be forced into a certain way of imagining characters by the reader's acting them out too much. All in all, a wonderful book and a very good reading. I give it 5 stars and look forward to downloading more Dickens as soon as I finish the last few chapters of Bleak House. Time for a drive!

Superb Narration

The narrator is simply wonderful.