Where to Listen to Audiobooks in Classics, British Literature Popular Authors

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Title: Kidnapped

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Narrator: James Macpherson

Format: Abridged

Length: 1 hr and 9 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-07-06

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 2.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Set in the tumultuous times of the Jacobite rebellion, Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped is a classic adventure story that has enthralled generations.

Members Reviews:

Classic

A first time read. I was enthralled with the travelogue as much as the plot. I have read a little of the Scots rebellion and their support of the bad king ... This brought home the feelings of the people, always in danger, afraid of reprisals, impotent to change things. A book for today.

Interesting adventure story

This was a great book to read while listening to an audio version. I enjoyed the adventure of it, though I have to admit, I often got lost in the language and dialect and spurts of Latin spoken by certain characters.

It seemed to end abruptly in my opinion. Perhaps I will read it again in the future and appreciate it more.

Required reading for all young readers.

This is a classic. I had it as a child. I read it to my children, and I bought this copy to read to my grandchildren. Of course it is predictable to me. To a first time reader (or listener) it great.

This is very confusing. The description seems to present ...

This is very confusing. The description seems to present this as an unedited and unabridged version; however, there is a chapter at the beginning of the book that is confusing. I could not determine if this was an unabridged version, mashup or the original. I had to order a different copy...

A Ripping Good Yarn

A classic. My family enjoyed reading this book aloud together, and we've also enjoyed various movie and mini-series versions. A great exciting adventure full of Scottish flavor.

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Title: Almayer's Folly

Author: Joseph Conrad

Narrator: Geoffrey Howard

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-17-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 17 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Set in Malaya, Almayer's Folly is Joseph Conrad's first novel. In it, he charts the decline of a Dutch merchant after a 25-year struggle against overwhelming odds. Though married to a bitter and hateful Malayan wife, Almayer refuses to accept the financial ruin which he has precipitated. Instead, he dreams of fantastic wealth and a return to the civilization of his youth, accompanied by his loving daughter, Nina. But when Nina turns away from his elusive fantasies to the stark reality of her native lover, Almayer must face his inevitable destruction.

(P)1996 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Members Reviews:

Obsession, alienation, failure and forgetting.

Not my favorite Conrad, not even second tier, but it is still worth the listen. This was Conrad's debut novel and you can see flashes of his big themes (not yet mature) swirling in the deep water of his words.

'Almayer's Folly' reminded me of a gloomy, obsessive Melville novella or an alienated E. M. Forester story. It is one of those novels that if you love Conrad, you will want to read eventually (I'd read Heart of Darkness, Nostromo, Lord Jim, and Typhoon first). If your only exposure to Conrad is 'Heart of Darkness' and you aren't quite sure you liked that ... I'd skip this one.

fantastic

it is hard to imagine this as a first novel of any writer. i enjoyed it so much. the reader is very professional. he reads a bit fast, and it took me a few minutes to catch up with him. in the beginning of the book you see Almayer waiting for someone, and then the book goes back in time to give background information. it lags a bit there, but that does not last long and then the book moves forward. so much love, so much hatred in such a short novel. the main character is a man, but the book is really about three women and what they do for love.

the book is not as verbose as something like The Heart of Darkness, nor as filled with metaphor or what you might call "artistic touches". it is a pretty straight forward story set in a dark world. it is amazing how he can create those dark worlds. the entire book has a kind of darkness spread out over it, yet it was not in the least depressing. it was a great read and i will listen to it again, probably many times.

somewhere in the middle of the book is a description of a young slave woman. conrad s compassion and understanding of her emotions and her ignorance is astounding. i had to listen to it again before moving on.

Dark and stimulating

This was Joseph Conrad's first published book and it bears many of the hallmarks of his later fiction: alienation of European man in the East; the unbridgeable racial and cultural divides; the calsh between illusion and reality; and the brooding backdrop of the jungle and the sea. Not a happy book, but a powerful read: another chance to marvel at the fluency and power of Conrad's prose. I enjoyed it but then Conrad is possibly my favourite classical author! Well narrated too. If you do like this book, try "Lord Jim", "Nostromo" and "Heart of Darkness".

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Title: The Castle of Otranto

Author: Horace Walpole

Narrator: Neville Jason

Format: Abridged

Length: 2 hrs and 34 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-26-06

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 14 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

The Castle of Otranto is regarded as the first Gothic novel. The son of Manfred, Prince of Otranto, is mysteriously killed on his wedding day by a huge helmet. The event leads to a fast-paced story of jealous passion, intrigue, murder, and supernatural phenomena unfolding in an atmosphere of thunderclaps, moonlight, and dark castle walls, mirroring the inner turmoils of the characters themselves. Horace Walpole's tale, an immediate success when it first appeared in 1764, is a classic of its genre.

Editorial Reviews:

The accomplished English actor Neville Jason brings his superb dramatic skills to this classic Gothic novel, generally regarded as the first of its kind. A supernatural gloom hangs over the tale of a haunted castle, a fateful prophecy, a forbidden romance (complete with trysts near a tomb), a secret prince, and more than one murder. This is an abridged version, and a perfect way to experience the deservedly famous title that established so many conventions of the genre. Jason's narration is subtle and smooth, dramatic when called for in moments of passion, but otherwise understated and calm.

Members Reviews:

A Book in Some Ways Ahead of its Time

A book of its time and in some ways before its time, foundational in some ways, it is by no means epic fantasy or great literature. Set in an imaginary Italy - admittedly an early "alternate reality" - the story is a morality play of sorts, introducing odd - dreamlike - elements. Recommended not so much for sheer entertainment as for bringing to the reader some deeper understanding of western fantasy, especially as developed over the last two hundred or so years in the English language. It may very well be considered a four or five star work by some, but others not prepared for it will dismiss it with one or two. So for aficionados to the time or of the genre or of both, it will be a worthwhile read. This reader enjoyed it for what it is.

Omg the intro....

I enjoyed the story, but the intro to this is insane. It is LONG winded and very opinionated. I read through it out of sheer cynical amusement.

Historically significant

I read this novel in a Gothic literature course in college. I recall finding it tedious. I wanted to give it another chance and I enjoyed it much more now that I will not be tested on it. This novel is frequently cited as the first truly gothic novel. The author, Horace Walpole, deserves credit for the mysterious atmosphere, the supernatural apparitions, the will of the spirit world to set right an injustice from the past, the exotic setting (Catholic Italy). If you enjoy the modern gothic writers (for example Ann Rice) and modern movies about zombies and teenage vampires you might find this book tedious as I did in college. The prose style tends to ramble through long, long paragraphs, and the pacing of the plot is uneven. Nevertheless I enjoyed the unexpected plot twists and the supernatural elements. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in the development of the Gothic novel and you like a good read about a haunted castle with a secret.

'Cuz it was on the "should" list.

I went looking for a Gothic romance and, of course, Castle of Otranto kept coming up as a 'must read' and it sounded like the place to start. Knowing it had been written in the 1700's, I was expecting a weighty tome, hundreds of pages long and full of endless sentences and flowery prose.

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Title: Bleak House

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Beatie Edney, Ronald Pickup

Format: Abridged

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-26-06

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 15 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Penguin Classics presents Charles Dickens' epic Bleak House, adapted for downloadable audiobook and read by Ronald Pickup and Beatnie Edney.

As the interminable case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce grinds its way through the Court of Chancery, it draws together a disparate group of people: Ada and Richard Clare, whose inheritance is gradually being devoured by legal costs; Esther Summerson, a ward of court, whose parentage is a source of deepening mystery; the menacing lawyer Tulkinghorn; the determined sleuth Inspector Bucket; and even Jo, the destitute little crossing-sweeper. A savage, but often comic, indictment of a society that is rotten to the core, Bleak House is one of Dickens's most ambitious novels, with a range that extends from the drawing rooms of the aristocracy to the poorest of London slums.

Part of a series of abridged, vintage recordings taken from the Penguin Archives.

Affordable, collectable, quality productions - perfect for on-the-go listening.

Members Reviews:

Poor narration.

The narrator was so bad I had to buy a different version with another narrator

Dickens might go far

This is only my second Dickens. I preferred Great Expectations. It was a good story but there were too many characters for an audiobook. The performance was very well done. I preferred the female narrator to the male. For some reason a man playing a woman jarrred much more than a woman playing a man.

A Valiant Effort, But Don't Expect "Great"

I've heard a few Dickens works in audio form, and other than "A Christmas Carol" (which many amateurs can bring to life) Dickens' works seem much more tedious in this form than they are in written form. In this narration, Beatie Edney and Ronald Pickup do a very good job, but I found my mind wandering quite a bit, and had to rewind now and again to catch up to the story line and characters. If you hate lawyers like I do, you'll enjoy Dickens sharp satire of the British legal system and its parallels to this day and age in which law suits never seem to die. The book is a classic and definitely worth your time, but not as entertaining as some others I have found.

beware for study

I downloaded this version, as it is the penguin version that I need to study for an enl-lit BA. The text of the book is modernised only very slightly. The story is Well read, however, there are great chunks of text missing from the audio, these will need to be read manually.

Brilliant Dickens

I had watched Bleak house on the television and wanted to read the book to get more from the story but really struggled to read it. I downloaded the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed it and went onto read the book after, I find listening first helped me get into the style of writing more easily.

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Title: Kim

Author: Rudyard Kipling

Narrator: Walter Covell

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-23-06

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 60 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Kipling creates a harmonious picture of India that unites the secular and the spiritual, the life of action and that of contemplation. It is the story of the orphaned son of an Irish soldier, Kimball O'Hara, who spends his childhood as a vagabond, traveling through India with an old Tibetan lama, enthralled by the "roaring whirl" of the country's colorful landscape and by the diversity of its people.

©1982 Jimcin Recordings

Editorial Reviews:

Two great foreign empires wage a hot and cold war for supremacy and wealth in the troubled region stretching from Persia to India to the mountains of Tibet. Along the way, a Buddhist lama seeks enlightenment and enlists the help of a poor, white soldiers child. This is not todays edition of The New York Times, this is Rudyard Kiplings probable masterpiece, 1901s Kim.

The legendary Walter Covell performs Kiplings elegant prose with his natural, swarthy East Coast delivery, and listeners are treated to an epic as palatable to children as it is fascinating to adults. Using "The Great Game" between Russia and the British Empire as its political backdrop, Kim is also a study in love, discipleship, and landscape.

Members Reviews:

A Ripping Yarn

Equal parts travelogue, picaresque adventure and spy novel, this is great story tells how a plucky Irish orphan who has grown up in the Bazaars of India decides to accompany a Tibetan lama on a quest for a sacred river. On the way he becomes embroiled in British spy intrigue with Russia. I liked the narrator and thought he did well with different voices for the various characters. But it's the story that makes this a must hear. YOu will be transported to India of the 19th century with all its different cultures and peoples.

Magical

This recording does more than justice to Kipling's great tale. The voices the narrator is able to assume enriched my experience of a lifetime favorite.

Poor audio

Would you try another book from Rudyard Kipling and/or Walter Covell?

The quality of the audio recording of this book is very poor, very difficult to listen to and understand.

OK

If you need to know what is going on at all times in a book, this tale is not for you. On the other hand Kim does paint an evocative picture of a very particular time and place - the Great Game in India-Pakistan in the late 19th century. The character of Kim is enjoyably described as is that of Mahboub Ali (sp?). The reading is ok although I personally did not like the way that the Lama was made to sound. The recording is very uneven and of relatively low quality.

Try another version

I had always overlooked this classic, thinking of it as a kid's book -- but the novel is great listening - or could be. The sound quality on my download was poor, and I disliked the narrator- he seemed to be sight reading with little interest in many places. I passed up a 4.95 sale version of a less expensive version, mistakening thinking price reflected quality of audiobook, which of course it does not always.

Unless you like this narrator based on another listern, perhaps you shouldn't risk enjoyment of a truly classic tale (and nice prose) by downloading this version.

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Title: The Mill on the Floss

Author: George Eliot

Narrator: Sara Kestelman

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 6 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-08-06

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Maggie Tulliver has two lovers: Philip Wakem, son of her father's enemy; and Stephen Guest, already promised to her cousin; but the love she wants most in the world is that of her brother Tom. Maggie's struggle against her passionate and sensual nature leads her to a deeper understanding and to eventual tragedy.

(P)1998 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.; ©1998 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

Editorial Reviews:

Sara Kestelman offers an introspective performance of George Eliots 1860 novel about country life, The Mill on the Floss.

Members Reviews:

A moving masterpiece

George Eliot was truly a writer ahead of her time. she definitely knows how to create characters which have soul and substance. Mill on the floss is much more then a mere tragic story; if the reader looks more carefully she or he can see the various social themes that Eliot tackled in this book. Themes I might add that are still around today. The rich against the poor, eg, Edward Tolliver's struggle against Wickem. Sexism, prejudice against people with disabilities, hypocrisy social judgement and morality. All these issues were raised in this story of family love, duty and trajedy. This book though classifyed as classic literature can still teach us a lot about the human condition. Its underlining messages still very much relevant today. I especially found the scene of maggie and Steven in the Inn very poignant. one could truly feel what Maggie was going through at that moment. Another outstanding scene was the one where Tom confronts Philip in the woods and berates him for having the boldness to court his sister. pointing out his deformaty he usues it as a weapon to drive Philip to the ground despite the fact that class wise philip was above Tom. George Eliot (Mary Anne Evens) must be laughing somewhere seeing how her books are still talked about today. Finally, I have to congradulate Naxos on producing another great audiobook. Sara Kestelman does an excellent job at narrating this lovely story.

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Title: Christmas at Thompson Hall & Two Heroines of Plumpington

Author: Anthony Trollope

Narrator: Dianne Burroughs

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 13 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-08-05

Publisher: Jimcin Recordings

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

"Published posthumously in Good Cheer, the Christmas edition of Good Words in 1882, The Two Heroines of Plumplington is both unique and representative of his work. It is unique because it is the only one of his short stories set in Barsetshire; it is representative because it expounds on his favorite theme, the politics of love and society. The story comes after a lifetime spent observing and recording with keenly accurate details the habits of men and women in the ways of the world. He was, as Sadleir has said, socially speaking the wisest of English novelists, and it is that wisdom which makes The Two Heroines of Plumplington the culmination of the comic war waged in the name of social politics. The Two Heroines of Plumplington also gives the lie to the idea that increasing bitterness with life led to the darkening of Anthony Trollope's writing. This is as light and happy a story as they come." (The Trollope Society)

Critic Reviews:

"This [Christmas at Thompson Hall ] is an excellent story, with good characterization, and is a great, great 'page turner'. There are many aspects of this tale I admired." (Robert Wright)

Members Reviews:

Such Good Yarns abd Nicely Narrated

I thoroughly enjoyed both stories. They were so much fun and gave me another insight into this author. Very amusing and thoroughly delightful. Beautifully narrated too.

Bad Trollope

Who knew that Trollope also wrote dull, stupid, unrealistic stories? Not me. I didn't even get to the second story.

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Title: Allan Quatermain

Author: H. Rider Haggard

Narrator: Fred Williams

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-01-05

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 49 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

This sequel to

King Solomon's Mines is filled with the spirit of adventure. Thrilled by rumors of a lost civilization, three Englishmen decide to travel to the heart of Africa with their Zulu guide where they meet with continual peril: an attack by a cruel warrior tribe, the scorch of underground volcanic fires, and an encounter with a huge species of ferocious black crab. Exhausted and depleted of supplies, the men at last arrive at a mysterious city in the highlands of the interior. More problems arise when one of the Englishmen falls in love with one of the twin queens who rule the land.

(P)1997 Blackstone Audiobooks

Members Reviews:

so-so

This is done in that rather cheap 'flying by the seat of his pants' narration- as if the reader was meeting the text for the first time and begins each sentence not knowing quite how, or when, it is going to end.

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Title: Oliver Twist

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Miriam Margolyes

Format: Unabridged

Length: 18 hrs and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-19-05

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 39 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Hear Dickens' gift for social commentary in this classic story of the poor orphan, Oliver. In this time-tested classic, Dickens aimed to expose the filth of the London underworld as well as attack the inhumanity of the New Poor Law of 1834. This audiobook is a stunning performance by the award-winning Miriam Margolyes, who is considered one of the most knowledgeable and brilliant actors/interpreters of Dickens.

(P)1993 HNP

Critic Reviews:

"Acclaimed Dickens interpreter Miriam Margolyes does an unabridged reading of Oliver Twist that is a revelation. Margolyes forced me to see a book I hadn't read since high school in all its complexity. With her voice, she conveys Dickens' fury at the suffering of children, his seething contempt for well-fed adults, his rage at corrupt officials. Margolyes' performance is so magnificent that she doesn't so much read Dickens as inhabit his people." (USA Today)

Members Reviews:

Excellent!

One of the better audiobooks I've purchased. Ms. Margolyes is a wonderful narrator and she is able to create believable voices for all the characters.

Great story, very bad quality recording

This is a great story and the narrator is very good. Unfortunately, there is a lot of background noise. I did let the Audible.com people know. Hopefully, the quality issue will be resolved.

One of the best narrations on audible

Miriam Margolyes is fabulous in the reading of this great Dicken's novel. If there are ten great audible reads this is one of them!

Audio Newbie

Miriam Margoylis is an amazing reader. It is difficult to believe that it is only one person reading - considering the voices and characatures. As far as Dicken's Oliver Twist - his anti-semitism offended me and found that the book goes on and on and on - probably because it was written in monthly installments and he needed to stretch it. To enjoy the writings and tolerate the cartoonish characters and not dismiss the novel as a children's tale - it is important to remember that his writings were a landmark for his time and his depiction of poorly treated children were meant to and succeeded to incite public reform.

Can't Hear It

Can't review the performance because the tape is barely audible.

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Title: Lady Chatterley's Lover

Author: D.H. Lawrence

Narrator: Emilia Fox

Format: Abridged

Length: 5 hrs and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 06-13-05

Publisher: CSA Word

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 111 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Lady Chatterley's Lover was the subject of one of the most infamous trials of the 20th century when Penguin was prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act. However, with expert witnesses for the defence, including E.M. Forster, Penguin was acquitted and permitted to publish in 1960. The book became a best seller largely on account of explicit scenes of a sexual nature and use of four letter words. However, re-reading again over 40 years later, one realises that although the sex scenes are still graphic even today, the book is about much more than sex. It covers love, class, disability, family relationships, infertility, politics, and that 'bitch-goddess' success.

© and (P)2003 CSA Telltapes Ltd

Members Reviews:

Taboo for a reason

This book caused much stir among readers for a good reason. Creative descriptions but a good plot as well. The author makes us feel for the protagonist and almost cheer for her. I would not recommend letting children read this.

Less is not more...

Although well done and read, the cheat version of DH Lawrence's classic can never stand up to the novel as originally penned.

Boring Book, Shallow Characters

I know this is a classic and I really wanted to like it. But I disliked the main characters. I found them to be shallow and boring and couldn't wait for the book to be over. :(

I don't know

Maybe this book was really explicit and great in its day, but besides the porn scenes and descriptions of anatomy, I don't see what was so literarily great with this novel. I suppose if you are interested in it from the historical viewpoint, if you want to know why this was a highly sought after and critically publicized banned book in the early twentieth century then take a listen.