Listen to Most Popular Audiobooks in Classics, American Literature

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 Call of the Wild

Author: Jack London

Narrator: Bill Roberts

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-18-09

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 48 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Buck is living the good life in the soft South, when he is snatched and transported to the savagery of the Northland. There, the Klondike gold rush has brought out rough basic instincts of survival in men - and dogs. He adjusts to the gruelling regime of a sled dog, which almost kills him, but he survives to find a new and fulfilling way of life. The Call of the Wild is not only a classic tale, but also an enduring masterpiece of the inescapable laws of nature. Now in unabridged form in a new reading by William Roberts.

Editorial Reviews:

In the great tradition of classic animal stories, Jack London's famous tale is wrenching. From the peril Buck the sled dog faces in the Arctic to the suffering he endures under brutal masters, listening to his adventure is no tame experience. William Roberts has a voice that could have belonged to one of this era's gold panners. He sounds like a grizzled man who would never display overt emotion but who, nonetheless, can tell a captivating yarn. While Roberts doesn't use great character range, he lets London's writing - especially the passages about the mysterious, enchanting call of the wild - ring with its startling beauty.

Members Reviews:

Bill Roberts is the best.

Bill Roberts makes this book. He brings the story to life. Thanks to his narration, you can imagine you are on the ice with the sled dogs.

Wow

Such violence; I was remembering that I read this story as a youth and thought it was no big deal, but now, wow...

Props for a classic story that speaks to not only man's harsh actions but animals as well. Lost of violence and cruelty that is presented as a part of real life. The story is actually bland being a gold rush and sled dog story going here and there, but the interactions and relationships between the characters is what rips at your core and makes it a great listen. Good audio quality.

Good book, good narrator....

London is one of my favorite writers and the narrator does a good job with this audio but personally, I enjoyed reading the book much better.

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: Editha

Author: William Dean Howells

Narrator: Donna Barkman

Format: Unabridged

Length: 33 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-20-08

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

While known primarily as a novelist, Howells' short story Editha (1905) appears in many anthologies of American literature. Editha is a young and very patriotic young landy. Her lover, George, is not quite as enthused about her "my country right or wrong attitude," but she convinces him to join the army to fight a "just" war. The results of this decision are very unexpected and very thought provoking. This is a very powerful story and is more the type of writing one would expect from the Vietnam War era, rather than the end of the Victorian era.

©1905 public domain; (P)1984 Jimcin Recordings

Editorial Reviews:

This short story, written at the beginning of 20th century, is audacious for its time; the plot revolves around radical ideas of patriotism, country, and female power. Almost documentary in its realism, Dean Howell's story is as powerful as any of his better-known novels. The audiobook edition is narrated by Donna Barkman, whose low, resonant articulation perfectly reflects this rather serious, and deeply thought-provoking audiobook. Inspired by American attitudes toward the Spanish-American war, "Editha" is essential listening for anyone with an interest in history, both global and literary.

Members Reviews:

Powerful story

I had never heard of William Dean Howells but the description of the story made it sound interesting. Was it ever! Turned out to be a very powerful story on the horror of war and the danger of blind patriotism. Very well done and well read. It actually had two surprise endings and the final one packed quite an emotional punch.

Critical listening

What made the experience of listening to Editha the most enjoyable?

Audio versus print form.

What did you like best about this story?

That it was available as an audiobook for completion of my University English course assignment.

What does Donna Barkman bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Emphasis.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I am pleased that selections from Norton's Anthology of Literature are available as audiobooks for completion of University assignments.

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 Financier

Author: Theodore Dreiser

Narrator: Geoffrey Blaisdell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-01-08

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 109 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The first in a "trilogy of desire", The Financier tells the story of the ruthlessly dominating broker Frank Cowperwood as he climbs the ladder of success, his adoring mistress championing his every move.

Based on the life of flamboyant finance captain C. T. Yerkes, Theodore Dreiser's cutting portrayal of the unscrupulous magnate Cowperwood embodies the idea that behind every great fortune there is a crime.

Members Reviews:

Outstanding classic, great narrator

Geoffrey Blaisdell, the narrator, brings Dreiser's characters and 1870's Philadelphia setting alive in this compelling study of a maverick stock operator.

This is what "Wall Street" or "Bonfire of the Vanities" should have been.

If you're looking for insight into the world and minds of the "Masters of the Universe", you'll find that human nature is timeless, and that the American financial and legal systems, which Dreiser describes in detail, haven't changed that much.

The book opens shortly before the US Civil war and ends with the panic of 1873, when financial houses in New York and Philadelphia rose to prominence funding the Union's side of the Civil war and the subsequent railroad boom.

The books character's are strongly drawn and compelling - especially the protagonist, Frank Cowperwood, and his mistress Eileen Butler. Dreiser's prose is a thing of beauty and his eye for detail is unmatched.

I'm proud of Blackstone for reviving this worth book, and hope they will record all three in the series.

READS LIKE 2012 HEADLINES!

Do not be misled by the title. This is a novel. It is about generational families and their ways of surviving when uncontrollable events threaten their ways of life. The book was first published in 1912. It is set in the last quarter of 19th Century. The too big to fail financial houses in that era had names like Cook, Vanderbilt, Gould, Morgan etc.. The newspaper headlines then might have appeared in todays Wall Street Journal. This was the period after the ending of the Civil War and at the beginning of the Great American Expansion to the West; a period marked by unrest, social change and financial turmoil. As always in periods of change, there are great opportunities for the building of great fortunes for those with the required intellect, insight, and discipline and for the fortunes accumulated in the past to melt away as new players and rules enter the game.

The main characters are in Philadelphia with financial contacts in New York City, Boston and other commercial centers on the East Coast. The triggering event for the story was in the great Midwest: The Great Chicago Fire. The destruction of the financial, commercial, transportation and manufacturing districts triggered a financial panic for banks and securities houses from Chicago to Wall Street.

Dreiser uses this setting to develop and illustrate his classic tale of love, money, power, politics, greed, lust, broken homes and prison time for the weak and for the strong. It is the story of an intellectually gifted young man who is rapidly rising in the financial and social worlds and is dealt a staggering blow when he cannot get the resources to allow him to stay afloat during the panic triggered by the Great Chicago Fire. Dreiser shows how in times of crisis the character of people is revealed, whatever their rungs on financial, political and social ladders may be.

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: Typee

Author: Herman Melville

Narrator: John L. Chatty

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-15-08

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 27 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

It was published in 1846, five years before Moby Dick, and was the most popular of the author'sworks during his lifetime. The book is an idyll of four months among primitive South Sea islanders. However, the books also shocked its original audience with a truthful account of Polynesian tribal life, including their very liberal sexual practices. Typee won Melville great fame during his life and remains a favorite today.

Editorial Reviews:

Typee is Herman Melville's first book, a predecessor to Moby Dick, and, in fact, is inspired by the author's own exploration of the Marquesas Islands. Tired of being at sea for many months, the narrator and his friend flee their cargo ship at the first spotting of land. Luckily, they have chosen a beautiful island in the Maquesas, but unluckily, the locals might be cannibals. Audio performer John L. Chatty luxuriates in Melville's elaborate descriptions of the rich setting, from the detailed accounts of the voluptuous Marquesan girls to the imagery of the ship's licentious crew. Chatty's pacing is leisurely and his articulation is excellent, although at moments his voice could use more varied inflection. Overall, adventure fans will find Typee a thrilling audiobook.

Members Reviews:

Both an Adventure and a Lecture

I agree with a previous reviewer's comment that the reader is a little monotonous in his reading voice. It is a bluff male voice such as might be suitable for a sailor, but it lacks range. This problem is perhaps made worse by the fact that Melville launches into some heavily discursive passages in which he berates the unfortunate effects of the so-called "civilized" Europeans on the South Sea natives. These comments were a much-needed corrective at the time of the book's original publication, but they have the effect of taking the reader out of the novel. Typee is really only an adventure novel in the first section and briefly again at the end. In the middle is a long section describing the lifestyle of the Polynesians prior to being heavily impacted by European visitors. It is an idyllic life in which little work is required and the natives, who are feared as barbarous and violent, prove to be mostly benign and hospitable. I wouldn't rate this book as being on par with Moby Dick because the themes are so bluntly stated, as though the narrator had decided to step out of the narrative in order to deliver a lecture. Yet it was fascinating in what it depicts and is still a worthwhile listen.

Pitifully monotone narrator.

This book wasnt for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Anyone with a bad case of insomnia.

Would you recommend Typee to your friends? Why or why not?

No, .kg with this narrator, although I like Melville.

What didnt you like about John L. Chattys performance?

It was devoid of any Passion and completely monotone.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment.

Any additional comments?

It needs another narrator who will do it justice.

Wonderful book, dull recording

Typee is one of the books that I loved as a young lad. It sparked my imagination and captivated me. Unfortunately, Mr. Chatty's breathing pace and reading pace did not match the sentences, sometimes leading to split sentences and even run-together paragraphs. Several times there were mispronunciations.

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: Laddie

Subtitle: A True Blue Story

Author: Gene Stratton-Porter

Narrator: Laurie Klein

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-21-08

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 99 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is a captivating, good-humored look at family life in a small farming community in Indiana in the early 1900s.

©1913 Gene Stratton-Porter; (P)2004 Books in Motion

Members Reviews:

My Favorite Book Growing Up!

The description of this book, given by Audible, gives no hint of what a wonderful book this is. It is told from the viewpoint of a girl who is the youngest of 12 children and who adores her older brother, Laddie. The book is a wonderful portrait of an amazing family full of love and integrity. It is also a love story and a mystery. It beautifully describes farm life in the early 1900s. I have read this book over and over, and shared it with many people. My only complaint is with the woman who reads the book. While she is an excellent reader and does the women's voices really well, when she is reading "Little Sister's" lines she sounds like she is reading to three-year olds. It is way too cutsy and detracts from the story. And for some reason, whenever she reads a man's lines, especially the younger brother, she sounds like Donald Duck. She uses this really weird voice for all the men. It is really anoying. Even though this is told from a child's viewpoint, it really isn't a children's book. I think I read it first when I was 11 or 12 - and that's about the age it would take to really get all the nuances in the book. If you have an older brother you love, you will enjoy this book!

An American Classic

Let me start by saying I am not the target audience for this book. I am a 38 year old male and listened to this book by assignment. Of the books I was assigned this initially was the one I was least excited about. But this ended up being my favorite. The story and writing are excellent. The characters and story are interesting and best of all there are a number of important themes and lessons to read and ponder. This book will take you back to a simpler, and I would argue, better time. I helped me appreciate some of the principals my generation has lost. Unlike other reviewers I thought the narration was good and appreciated the narrator using different inflections to distinguish the characters. This is a true american classic at it's finest and should be required reading. Highly recommended.

A True blue Story

Life in rural Indiana in the early 1900s is the essence of this book. It is told from the viewpoint of Little Sister, the youngest in a farm family of 12 children.

Little Sister, who we never find out her real name, adores her brother Laddie. When she was born, none of the other children wanted another baby except Laddie. He takes her under his wing and helps to raise her with a true and noble spirit like the Crusaders.

The mystery that runs through the story concerns the British family, the Pryors, who live in the community. The father declares there is no God and this sets all the neighbors against them. But something is wrong with the family. There has to be a reason they left England and settled in Indiana. Laddie falls in love with the daughter, Pamela, and sets out to win her.

A beautiful classic.

The narrator leaves much to be desired. This is a beautiful story that would make you laugh and cry and finish it feeling good. I'm not sure why this narrator was chosen. She reads well but the voices she uses . . . especially for Leon, is terrible.

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 Harvester

Author: Gene Stratton-Porter

Narrator: Mary Starkey

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 4 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-21-08

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 43 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This is the charming story of David Langston, a young man in search of the woman of his dreams. She came to him in a vision and he knows he must find her.

©1911 Gene Stratton-Porter; (P)1990 Books in Motion

Members Reviews:

Possibly My Most Unusual Listen Ever

An adult fairy tale? Adult, not as in X-rated, that is; it is as pure and clean as the main character, David Langston, the woodsman. I just kept thinking over and over, "How strange." Which is not to say I didn't like it. I listened all the way through, fascinated by the whole thing. Yes, you could say it was fascinatingly odd yet often beautiful!

First, I must address the narration. Mary Starkey seems like a very nice person, but I think she needs more experience narrating, maybe even more feedback or training. Her voice lacked expression and she read extremely fast. This is a very wordy book with much dialogue, which became all jumbled together due to the speed of narration and lack of pauses. It seemed the narrator was in a big hurry and just sped along, often not conveying the emotion or action. This, in addition to mispronouncing many words, words which are really commonplace. Over and over she mispronounced 'ginseng' to sound like 'GIN(hard G)-SING'. This herb played a big role in the story and the word was used over and over again grating on me quite a bit. Most other mispronounced words were used less frequently and not so bothersome. THEN, I never heard so many instances of pages turning and a chair creaking! Uncanny.

As for the story, as I wrote above, it was a fairy tale romance. Written by Gene Stratton-Porter (1863-1924). Her bio says she had 50 million readers and was translated into several languages. In this story, a young woodsman, naturalist type who makes his living off the land harvesting and selling leaves, flowers, roots for their medicinal qualities, debates the need for acquiring a wife. His dog finally tells him the time has come, yet he is somewhat disgruntled about dealing with the intrusion of a wife, until he dreams of the one and only girl he must have. Throughout the story, he refers to her as "the girl of my dreams" or "my dream girl". This is the story of his search for her and what happens when he finds her. The story is plentifully interspersed with descriptions of plants and flowers and birds, lots and lots of references to nature. I would imagine this aspect of the story could be considered to be beautiful, but like the rest of the story, it was sped through by the narrator.

This tale was very childlike and dreamy. Sometimes the author got carried away and it became downright strange, such as the part where the woodsman went on and on about the importance of a man being thoroughly clean.

The Harvester was a truly different listen for me. I don't even know what more I could say about it. I can imagine some listeners absolutely loving it, particularly fans of romance or young girls who dream of romance. I know I would have enjoyed it more with a better narrator, someone who took their time and allowed the listener to enjoy the unfolding of the story and its characters. I am rating it 3 and a half stars.

Really worth hearing

I just finished listening to this last week. I loved, loved it. It's a very romantic story--a bit over the top in some ways--but lovely nontheless.

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: Elmer Gantry

Author: Sinclair Lewis

Narrator: Anthony Heald

Format: Unabridged

Length: 15 hrs and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-06-08

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 471 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The title character starts out as a greedy, shallow, philandering Baptist minister, turns to evangelism, and eventually becomes the leader of a large Methodist congregation. Throughout the novel, Gantry encounters fellow religious hypocrites. Although often exposed as a fraud, Gantry is never fully discredited.

Elmer Gantry is considered a landmark American novel and one of the most penetrating studies of hypocrisy in modern literature. It portrays the evangelistic activity that was common in 1920s America as well as attitudes toward it.

Members Reviews:

Halleluja, Brother Lewis!

This book was the first one by Sinclair Lewis I had ever read, and from the synopsis I was half expecting something along the lines of Faulkner, whom I don't find too thrilling, to put it delicately. What a pleasant surprise! The book is extremely energetic, sarcastic, psychologically credible and just plain fun. A thrilling ride from start to finish. The narrator, Anthony Heald, also delivers an outstanding performance. He has a very pleasant voice and an impressive control of accents: apart from the many American voices, the occasional British accents are 100% convincing, and his German accent would almost convince a native speaker (but not quite).

In short: a wonderful audiobook. Both the author and the narrator are going on my list.

How a book SHOULD be written.

I wish all books could be written this well. The character development was absolutely amazing. Elmer Gantry was lovable and dreadful all at the same time. I want a sequel only to know him again. He was so well developed. So clear and real. The use of language was well thought out, intentional, meaningful, enticing and entertaining. Sinclair Lewis reminds me of John Steinbeck in his clarity. My only complaint -- and I fear this is because I am a child of TV/video games/movies, etc -- is the story was not captivating. Elmer WAS captivating and his character (and the voice of the reader) really carried me through the entire book. The story itself was plain. But it didn't seem to matter much as Elmer and the reader made up for that. I loved it. I would definitely recommend it. I wish all books were written with this much detail, clarity and care. This is a work of art. Not some silly "journal -entry-stream-of-consciousness" garbage that happened to sell a million copies because everyone reads while their on their treadmills and talking on their blackberry.

This book is fun

Elmer Gantry is a classic without the weighty mindnumbing prose that can accompany the label, "classic." The characters are well developed and interesting and the time listening went by quickly because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. If you are like me and left this book off of your reading list, don't wait a minute more. Be careful, you may loose your religion!

still too relevant!

As wonderful as Burt Lancaster was in the classic movie based on this novel, the film doesn't come close to capturing the social commentary and humour in Elmer Gantry.

I thought this would be dated, even corny, but Elmer could be journeying through some of today's megachurches, or peddling by turns the gospel of prosperity as a televangelist OR the laws of success as a new age guru. He could have been the architect of the ascendancy and co-opting of the religious right in recent U.S.

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 Age of Innocence

Author: Edith Wharton

Narrator: Lorna Raver

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-27-07

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 233 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Newland Archer is about to announce his engagement to the docile May Welland when he meets her cousin, the mysterious, nonconformist Countess Ellen Olenska. Edith Wharton's elegant portrait of desire and betrayal in Old New York earned her the first Pulitzer Prize for literature ever awarded to a woman.

©2007 Public Domain; (P)2006 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Members Reviews:

The Best of Its or Any Day

This is the best. I am an audiobook addict, and it gets no better than this. If you saw the Jeremy Irons movie by Scorsese, it is a very pale copy. Wharton's prose is rich, her characters fully alive, her acute observations succinctly worded, and her multi-generational plot quietly devastating. By the final pages of the last chapter, I had a steady lump in my throat. The reader is masterful in her pacing, clarity and array of voices...almost like listening to the author herself, communicating to us her large-canvas, minutely described vision of a world we will never see again--old New york..

Terrific story, TERRIBLE narrator!

This is one of the best novels ever, but the narrator sounds like she smokes 3 packs a day. The novel says that Madame Olenska has a "faint foreign accent", but the narrator gives her some weirdo Russian-sounding accent, even though Madame was American-born and -raised. It was terribly distracting and annoying. Somebody did a lousy job of editing this in the studio as well. Halfway through a paragraph, the narrator stops, says, "Let me take that again" in her normal voice, then proceeds to read the same paragraph over. There's no excuse for that.

I love this book, and wish I could trade this recording in for a better one. It was awful.

Better Than Austen

This is definitely an old classic worthy of time to isten. I was fearful that it began much like the Jane Austen novels, but it has more meat to grab your interest. The narration was interesting. There was good diferentiation between characters. I did find it odd having a woman narrate a story told by a man.

Perfect Match of Reader and Material

Where does The Age of Innocence rank among all the audiobooks youve listened to so far?

High, it was delightful.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Age of Innocence?

The beautifully ironic tone in which the opening scenes are read.

Which scene was your favorite?

Few or no weaknesses in this novel.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Poor Little Rich Boy Learns to Live

Any additional comments?

The narrator is pitch perfect; everything about her works: her voice, her tone, her speed, her light, deft interpretation of the material. I can't imagine this book being more charming or more fun than when read by Lorna Raver.

MEN AND WOMEN

Edith Whartons The Age of Innocence exposes false notions of equality in America and reflects on the human frailty and strength of men and women. Wharton lived through the turn of the 19th into the 20th century in America. She lived an adult life of luxury in New York, and later in France.

Wharton writes about American society; i.e. she exposes New Yorks upstairs, downstairs snobbery in the early 20th century. In telling the tale, Wharton sharply defines the battle of the sexes, duplicity of romance, and folly of youth.

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: Intruder in the Dust

Author: William Faulkner

Narrator: Scott Brick

Format: Unabridged

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-30-07

Publisher: Random House Audio

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 97 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Intruder in the Dust is at once an engrossing murder mystery and an unflinching portrait of racial injustice. Set in Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County, it is the story of Lucas Beauchamp, a black man wrongly arrested for the murder of Vinson Gowrie, a white man. Confronted by the threat of lynching, Lucas sets out to prove his innocence, aided by a white lawyer, Gavin Stephens, and his young nephew, Chick Mallison.

©1948 Random House, Inc.; Copyright renewed 1975 Jill Faulker Summers; (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Members Reviews:

Excellent characterization, fine suspense

Faulkner's style is not easy, so anyone who reads him or listens to him should expect to work a bit. However, there are major rewards for the effort.

The central character in this story, a proud mixed-race man who is charged with murder and assumed to be guilty because he is Afro-american in the South many years ago, is one of the most satisfyingly depicted black male characters in all of American literature. Faulkner's expertise in drawing this man, Lucas Beauchamp, and in depicting his dialect, his speech patterns, is beyond reproach. As you listen, you will see this man in your imagination as clearly as you see yourself in a mirror.

The plot is that of a mystery being solved. Lucas sits patiently in jail as the white roughnecks in the community plot to take him out and lynch him....Lucas is patient and confident because he knows he did not murder the dead white man, and he knows a way to prove it, and he manages to set in motion certain actions that will bring the truth to light...if the actions can be completed (by two boys, one white, one black) before the lynch mob gets Lucas out of jail for the rope and gasoline party they have in mind.

You will wonder after enjoying this fine story if the author of To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired by the tale. Intruder preceded Mockingbird by several years, and the themes and story line and characters are closer to each other than I would be comfortable with had I written Mockingbird.

Intruder is one of Faulkner's most accessible books. You will not be disappointed.

A true classic

This is one of my favorite books, although many do not consider it one of Faulkner's best. Faulkner was gifted with the ability to write memorable quotes of dialogue, and there are some gems here. Reading Faulkner always requires concentration, but it's worth the effort. In this story he takes a very simple plot, occurring over a very short time frame, and creates a fascinating work by exploring what the characters think about themselves and their community. One note of caution: the book is full of a few words that have become racial hot buttons. The story is set in the South in the 1950's. These words don't bother me - I'm not afraid of words, and they are true to the setting of the story - but it's something a reader who is unfamiliar with Faulkner should be aware of.

I really don't like Faulkner, keep tht in mind

[{ "answer" : "Best-

action scenes= best. It's like being in the center of a thunderstorm- there's so much going on at once but you feel so totally alive at that moment even though it should be horrifying

Worst-

Literally everything else. This guy writes 5-page long sentences that are confusing af.

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 Shepherd of the Hills

Author: Harold Bell Wright

Narrator: Jack Sondericker

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-26-07

Publisher: Books in Motion

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 58 votes

Genres: Classics, American Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Strangers aren't well received in the Mutton Hollow neighborhood of the Ozarks. But there was something different about this old gentleman. The cut of his clothes revealed he was obviously from the world beyond the ridges. He carried himself with the unconscious air of one long used to power and influence. His face was marked deeply by pride - pride of birth, of intellect, of culture - but there was more, the countenance of one fairly staggering under a burden of disappointment and grief. No one knew his past, or why he came to the hollow. But his quiet presence was soon to be felt by every family in Mutton Hollow.

(P)2005 Books in Motion

Members Reviews:

a timeless masterpiece

When I was growing up, sometime in the late 50's or early 60's, my father told me the best book he'd ever read was "When a Mans a Man" by Harold Bell Wright. I read it, enjoyed it, don't know that I thought it was the best book I'd ever read but it was a good story. Recently I recommended it to my 21 year old son who read and enjoyed it. As a kid I also read "The Sheperd of the Hills" now some 50 years ago, I also saw the movie starring John Wayne. It was all good. But, reading it again now I was amazed at how much I enjoyed the story, it's a timeless story that anyone can read and think about wanting to lead the same kind of life, away from the city, peaceful, with some meaning. Food for thought for sure. This book is now 104 years old........

They don't write books like this anymore.

A simple story about the value of simplicity. I found it to be old-fashioned in the best possible way.

excellent story

A great telling of the hill people in a refreshingly good light masterfully written and told