Listen to Top 100 Audiobooks in Classics, British 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: Dracula (Dramatized)

Author: Bram Stoker

Narrator: Jason Damron

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-09-11

Publisher: BN Publishing

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 26 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The classic vampire story by Bram Stoker revolves around a struggle between good and evil, tradition and modernity, and lust versus chastity. The author didnt invent vampires, but his novel has so captured the publics imagination that he is rightly considered their popularizer. Listen and you will meet not only the Count himself, but heroes Jonathan Harker and Abraham Van Helsing, plus an array of madmen, psychiatrists, and fair maidens who cross paths with the fanged menace.

Members Reviews:

good story, but get the multicast version

I suppose the narrator was acceptable, but I found him boring to listen to. I switched to the multi cast version and loved that one.

Well Done.

Great performance of a classic story, length is enough to give you pause, but trust me, you will be wishing for a longer car trip or quiet night to keep listening.

Abysmal sound dynamics

This being one of my favorites, I may be more critical than others, but I found this version disappointing. For one thing,it seems to have been recorded on the basis it would be listened to with headphones,because the decibel level swings from barely audible to ear-shattering from one minute to the next. However, the worst for me was the dreadful rendering of Van Helsing. The character, as presented, has no emotional range at all, even when the emotion is described in the narrative. He rants like a Nazi caricature from Hogan's Heroes.

Call me fussy, but I expect a lot more from performance described as a "dramatization.

Meeehh...

What made the experience of listening to Dracula (Dramatized) the most enjoyable?

Dracular is one of my favorite classics. I enjoy the story, but this version is not for me.

What did you like best about this story?

Overall the story was okay (as far as I could bare)

What three words best describe Jason Damrons voice?

Everything was going great, I was enjoying the story and the different characters, until I heard the VAN HELSING character. It was so irretating ( So LOUD and ANNOYING!!!). Eventually I eneded up with a headache and couldn't bare it anymore. He ruin the whole story with his damn never ending monologues. Ugh!

Also, this man's voice imitating a woman's voice sounds like a tranny. NO!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not at all.

Any additional comments?

Save yourself a headache.

Van Helsing.......

We all know the story, Bram Stokers classic, this audiobook is advertised as (dramatized) in brackets. This appears to mean somebody has bought a dozen or so sound effects from Ebay, wolf howling, dog barking, door creaking etc which they use at the beginning of the audiobook, then they got bored or forgot to push the buttons. It's a great story, but for me the voice of Van Helsing was very annoying, I understood he was a Dutch doctor, but he sounds like the Swedish Chef from the Muppets on acid, and makes just about as much sense, but see what you think.

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 Room in the Tower: An E.F. Benson Ghost Story

Author: E. F. Benson

Narrator: Greg Wagland

Format: Unabridged

Length: 35 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-15-11

Publisher: Magpie Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A recurrent dream you have goes on for years and years. Well, actually, its not a dream, it is, most assuredly a nightmare. Every night in sleep, you encounter the same people, you hold the same conversations, you witness the same disturbing sights and invariably you wake up in a muck sweat, screaming, believing yourself to be in the room in the tower. But its just a nightmare, nothing to it, nothing remotely tangible, until This is the premise of E. F. Bensons celebrated ghost story, The Room in the Tower. E. F. Benson is well known for his Mapp and Lucia novels but his ghost and supernatural stories are marvellous jewels, combining elegant writing and moments of blood-curdling horror. Here Greg Wagland narrates one of the best of them, for Magpie Audio.

Members Reviews:

BLOODIED CREEPY !

Yes; this is definitely one to give you nightmares if your of that way inclined. I always visualise in my mind these stories as if it is a play or film conjuring up some awful scenes and images on this one!

It is bloody. So off for a cup of soothing hot chocolate and to look at some nice images in a book before I nod off !

superb!

love this story - i listen to it over and over again! greg wagland is a great narrator, he evokes the period beautifully. he's so restrained in his reading, which is just right for these edwardian ghost stories that are very understated.

wasn't very good

i did not enjoy this book was hard to follow with a dissapointing ending would not reccomend this to listen to

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: Beasts And Super Beasts

Subtitle: 36 Short Stories By Saki

Author: Hector Hugh Munro

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-24-11

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A glittering collection of 36 short stories by Edwardian satirist Hector Hugh Munro, who wrote under the pseudonym "Saki". Beasts And Super-Beasts includes many of Saki's best loved tales, exemplifying his witty and multi-layered storytelling, satirizing the habits and morals of British society of his day.

"The She-Wolf", "Laura", "The Boar Pig", "The Brogue", "The Hen", "The Open Window", "The Treasure Ship", "The Cobweb", "The Lull", "The Unkindest Blow", "The Romancers", "The Schartz-Metterklume Method", "The Seventh Pullet", "The Blind Spot", "Dusk", "A Touch Of Realism", "Cousin Teresa", "The Yarkand Manner", "The Byzantine Omelette", "The Feast Of Nemesis", "The Dreamer", "The Quince Tree", "The Forbidden Buzzards", "The Stake", "Clovis On Parental Responsibilities", "A Holiday Task", "The Stalled Ox", "The Story Teller", "A Defensive Diamond", "The Elk", "Down Pens", "The Name Day", "The Lumber Room", "Fur", "The Philanthropist And The Happy Cat", "On Approval"

Members Reviews:

reader is obnoxious

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

The stories lack drama, but the reader is a goody two-shoes and hard to listen to, unless you are enamored of NPR.

How could the performance have been better?

better reader

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: Sikes and Nancy

Subtitle: Dickens on Dickens

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Gerald Dickens

Format: Unabridged

Length: 40 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-24-11

Publisher: Create Digital Publishing

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Charles Dickens' most notorious reading from the classic Oliver Twist is performed by his Great Great Grandson Gerald Dickens. Causing ladies in the audience to faint and Dickens himself to collapse, Nancy and Sikes always shocked the audience. The drama and the passion of Nancy's murder are still as powerful and chilling as it was in Charles Dickens' time.

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 Chronicles of Clovis

Author: Hector Hugh Munro

Narrator: Cathy Dobson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 24 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-20-11

Publisher: Red Door Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A masterful collection of 28 short stories by Edwardian satirist Hector Hugh Munro, who wrote under the pseudonym Saki. The Chronicles of Clovis includes many of Sakis best known tales, exemplifying his witty and multi-layered storytelling, satirizing the habits and morals of British society of his day.

Members Reviews:

Saki's always a treat

Would you listen to The Chronicles of Clovis again? Why?

Probably not.

What other book might you compare The Chronicles of Clovis to and why?

Many other very British and very funny authors. Think PG Wodehouse, early Evelyn Waugh, Jerome K. Jerome.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The choice of a female narrator for the male POV character jarred. I think I was spoiled by hearing the Stephen Fry Reads Saki stories first. That set very high expectations. There was nothing wrong with the narration; it was thoroughly professional. It just didn't match up to my expectation. I did listen to the sample, and thought this would not be an issue for me. I was wrong.

Who was the most memorable character of The Chronicles of Clovis and why?

Clovis, of course, as the archly witty POV character, and poor, supplicant Conradin in Srendi Vashtar.

Any additional comments?

I first read these stories probably 40 years ago, and go back to the Saki short stories from time to time over the years. This is literary comfort food.

Great stories, inept casting

I've listened to other Cathy Dobson narrations and she's perfectly well-suited to some literary styles. But not this one.

H.H. Munro (Saki) published this collection of stories in 1912, bringing to life his most memorable character, "Clovis Sangrail." If Clovis is not actually telling the story, the action is seen from his viewpoint. I couldn't get used to a woman's narration of his stories. I felt the same way about Barbara Leigh-Hunt's narration. It's just inept casting, not the fault of the reader herself.

Clovis is such a character! He's rich, elegant, naughty, sophisticated, highly intelligent...the pure distillation of Saki. He demands an actor who is capable of epitomizing all these things and more, with just the right touch. I enjoyed Derek Jacobi, Frederick Davidson, and Alexander Spencer as Clovis.

There are a few stories here that do not appear with any frequency elsewhere: Hermann the Irascible, Filboid Studge, The Story of St. Vespalus, and the Way to the Dairy, etc. On the other hand, they are hardly the best Saki has to offer.

If you're new to Saki, I would look to "The Selected Short Stories of Saki" read by Frederick Davidson and Nadia May. It is quite extensive, gives value for money, and the performances are perfectly suited to the material.

OK BUT

Struggled to finish, the reader voice was not altogether suited to these stories. The stories are OK but rather dated in a way that is unattractive today.

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

Título: La Ventana Abierta [The Open Window]

Autor: Herbert Hugh Monroe

Narrador: Sonolibro

Formato: Unabridged

Duración: 7 mins

Idioma: Español

Fecha de publicación: 05-18-11

Editor: Sonolibro

Calificaciones: 3.5 de 5 de 45 votos

Categorías: Classics, British Literature

Resumen del editor:

Una ventana abierta, a veces parece el punto de comunicación entre un mundo y otro... "La Ventana Abierta".

Framton Nuttel estaba harto del estrés de la gran ciudad, con lo que siguiendo el consejo de su hermana se decidió a pasar unos días en el campo.También siguiendo el consejo de su hermana fue a presentar sus respetos a la señora Sappleton, más por pura cortesía que por otra cosa, ya que no conocía de nada a la familia. Le recibió una jovencita que dijo ser la sobrina de la señora, y que empezó a contarle una historia que le dejó.

Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

Opiniones de los miembros:

Excelente historia

Entretenidos 7 minutos de atención. La música de fondo es innecesaria pero la narración es buena.

Short but entertaining listening!

For those who enjoy short stories, you might want to get this, it certainly distracts you from what you're doing and takes you inside the story, good job!

Inteligentemente graciosa.

Corta, pero muy buena narración, que con sutileza y algo de humor, nos presenta sencillas enseñanzas de la vida.

Un Cuento Muy Ingenioso y Divertido

What about the narrators performance did you like?

I am not a native Spanish speaker. The performers speak fairly rapid Castilian Spanish, but I quickly became accustomed to it and followed the story easily. If your Spanish is intermediate or better, give this a listen. Like most of Saki's (H.H. Munro's) stories, it's very witty.

Any additional comments?

Gracias, Audible, por un cuento muy ingenioso y divertido!

Didn't realize it was in Spanish...

Any additional comments?

Since, I'm definitely not fluent in Spanish, I can't fairly rate this novella.

Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: Two Tales from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: The New Catacomb and The Beetle-Hunter

Author: Arthur Conan Doyle

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-28-11

Publisher: Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (May 22, 1859 - July 7, 1930) was a British author most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, which are generally considered a major innovation in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger. He was a prolific writer whose other works include science-fiction stories, historical novels, plays and romances, poetry, and non-fiction. Here are two of his best stories: "The New Catacomb" and "The Beetle-Hunter".

Narrator Simon Vance is a native of Brighton, England. After graduating from the Brighton School of Music and Drama, and Leeds University, Vance embarked on a lengthy career with the BBC, in addition to narrating for the Talking Book Service of the Royal National Institute for the Blind. Later, he moved his residenhce and narrating career to California. His work has received numerous AudioFile Earphones awards and Audie Award nominations.

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: Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Narrator: Shane Sody

Format: Unabridged

Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-28-10

Publisher: Shane Sody (Sody Audio Books)

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

A once-unique story that has spawned hundreds of imitations, it's characters' names have become part of the English language. This novel was a breakthrough in literature for its time, combining horror, science fiction, and psychology, in exploring the dual nature of its hero and anti-hero and, by implication, the potential in all of us to experience both good and evil in our personalities.

Now you can have this incomparable story read to you. This audio version is completely faithful to Stevenson's novel.

Members Reviews:

Classic

I read this because it's a classic, and I really love reading classics. This story is very short. I think it took me about an hour to read. I knew the basic premise of the story, but beyond that, the entire plot was new to me.

I won't describe the plot because I don't want to spoil anything. However, I love the writing style, and I really like that the story is told by a third party who is friends with Dr. Jekyll.

Overall, I give it four stars because I wish it had been a little longer. It felt a little rushed at the end, but maybe I was just reading too fast because I wanted to know what would happen. I would definitely recommend this book. It's an interesting story especially when Dr. Jekyll explains his reasoning. It's a lot of food for thought.

Strange, but Great!

Well that was odd.

When you start reading a Classic, any Classic, you have to remember that it won't written like the books of today. I don't just mean that the wording will be more difficult, or even the sentence structure, I mean the viewpoint that the story is told from. I had expected this to be told from the point of view of the protagonist, Dr. Jekyll. Instead, it was told from the viewpoint of one of his friends, Mr. Utterson. I liked how it was told that way, you were able to see the other characters' reactions to Dr. Jekyll's strange behavior, and the curiosity to what may have caused it. You also are able to see their feelings toward Mr. Hyde, and how they completely disagree with Jekyll's decision to trust Hyde.

The majority of the story is told this way. Hyde is a hated man, one who people despise at first glance, thought they can never place just why that is. Jekyll is respected and loved, but has begun to act strangely, with a lot of fear and distress. Nobody can quite figure out why this is, or why he spend time with Mr.Hyde, especially after Hyde murders an important man. Gleefully, he murdered him gleefully.

The last two chapters change a bit. The second to last chapter is told as a letter from Lanyon, a friend of both Utterson and Jekyll. It tells of how he did Jekyll a favor, only to discover that Jekyll is Hyde, as Jekyll drank a cure before him. And the last chapter is told from the viewpoint of Dr. Jekyll himself.

Now is when it gets weird.

I had always thought that Jekyll had some mental issue, then read the book. I discovered that he believed that people were commingled of both good and bad, and this fascinated him. Long story short, he creates an elixir which he believes will separate the parts into two different entities. He succeeds, and for a while is able to switch freely between his different personalities. He enjoys evil-doing as Hyde and is guilt free when he returns to being Jekyll. But you can see him going crazy by his words.

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: Middlemarch

Author: George Eliot

Narrator: Carole Boyd

Format: Abridged

Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-24-10

Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

One of the great novels of nineteenth-century England, Middlemarch is concerned with the blighted marriage of a young idealistic woman, but also presents a vivid portrait of England during the 1830s.

Editorial Reviews:

This rendition of George Eliots classic has much the feeling of a "Masterpiece Theatre" production. Carole Boyd is a very professional narrator, who never falls into mere reading. Eliot's sweeping novel, which puts a lens to the fictitious English town of Middlemarch. The complex plot takes the listener into various households and lives, revealing scandal, secret longings, and unexpected ties. Boyd maintains a comfortable pace, and the tone she sets creates a mood that is appropriate for the formality of the writing and the times. She enhances the narrative passages through her consistent enthusiasm and ease of language.

Members Reviews:

Abridged / unabridged

Whilst the narration is clear and I was happy with this abridged version, when I downloaded it to my Kindl it shows as unabridged - which caused me a problem when I decided to actually purchase an unabridged version, resulting in my deleting the wrong file.

excellent reading; irritating music

Would you listen to Middlemarch again? Why?

Very good abridged version of a very long, complex novel. Keeps the main story lines and characters and makes me (at any rate) want to reread the whole book again.

Who was your favorite character and why?

All the main characters are believable and beautifully written, especially the women. I'm very fond of Mary Garth, practical and sensible like her parents, and , of course, Dorothea.

It is fascinating to watch her growth from a naive young girl to remarkable young woman.

What about Carole Boyds performance did you like?

She really understands the characters and by subtle changes of tone and speed as well as accents brings out the differences in age, gender and social status.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The last scene wit Dorothea and Rosamond when Dorothea pleads for Dr .Lydgate and Rosamond explains about Will Ladislaw's devotion

Any additional comments?

The intrusive and over-long musical "interludes" prevented my giving this book 5* all round.

A few seconds of gentle piano would be quite enough. Don't need the strings!

Worst of all it is background to several of the most important and emotional scenes and distracts from their impact.

PS

I would love to hear Carol Boyd (or John Castle?) reading Wilkie Collins's "No Name" , another long but brilliant Victorian novel.

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: Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

Author: Hans Christian Andersen

Narrator: Michael Redgrave

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr

Language: English

Release date: 07-22-10

Publisher: Saland Publishing

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Michael Redgrave reads 'The Tinder Box', 'The Emperor's New Clothes', 'The Staunch Tin Soldier', and 'The Emperor's Nightingale'.

Members Reviews:

Fifth grader loves it! Wonderful!

My fifth grader, now 11, is reading this now. She is loving it! It's giving her exposure to and knowledge of these classic tales. So many of these stories have been adapted into plays, movies and musicals that she is familiar with. So, Im thrilled she is now reading the literature from which it all sprung!! Plus, she is learning about Hans Christian Andersen through the annotations. Its so enriching to read these tales in the context of who the author was as a person. She is really into it! She is getting an education on the classics! Superb book for kids in the grades that are suggested in the formal reviews posted in the Amazon description.

Excellent Compilation

Though the illustrations are scarce, the pieces are artistic and interesting. It would be hard to keep the attention of a very young child because it is so text heavy. Often the translation is a little clumsey and doesn't roll off the tounge well...just one more reason to read aloud slowly so that children can understand and comprehend the content.

Rediscovering Hans Christian Andersen

I am way above the recommended age for this book, I picked this up on a whim. My childhood's first memories is reading Andersen fairy tales. They were always the oddball stories that didn't conform to any typical mode: most of them included death (Matchgirl, Little Mermaid), had unconventional heroes (Tin Soldier - what kind of hero has one leg?) weren't all sugar-spice-n-everything-nice, and whimsical in the right place. They were inscrutable and strange to a child, but because of or in spite of that, they stuck with you.

I'm moved to write a review for this children's book for one reason only: the annotation is superb! I never knew that Andersen worked with toy theatre, or there were parallels in his life and The Ugly Duckling, that he came from poverty and never completely overcame the inferiority complex from his low birth. He was the first to adopt a conversational voice in his story-telling, also the first to give human characteristics and voice to inanimate objects. The details with which he embelished his stories is genius and brilliant; re-reading the description of the Little Mermaid's undersea world confirms that. His fairy tales have a literary element: the details, the drama, the dissonance, the untidiness of real life. I don't think I understood all that when I was 8 or 9, but I wish someone had read this book with me when I was 8 or 9, and explained to me the vanguard genius of Andersen.

The stories are beautifully translated, the illustration is fetching, although I don't get the drama-set vibes. There is annotation preceding every tale, and it takes an adult to read and explain this to a young reader. For example, preceding The Little Mermaid, there is a small paragraph dealing with the soul. Young readers will need help with the concept and vocab. I'm happy to have re-discovered Andersen fairy tales through this book, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who grew up with the inscrutable Andersen, adult or child.