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Tad

Tad Philadelphia, PA, United States Member Since 2005

Shakespeare, Dickens, Homer, Mark Twain, Walt Disney, History.

HELPFUL VOTES
64
ratings
REVIEWS
22
5
FOLLOWERS
FOLLOWING
282
0
  • "Intense and painfully sad"

    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    I avoided this book for a long time: who wants to read a book about a person who's so good everyone around him thinks he's an idiot?

    Boy, was I wrong. This is an intense and brooding novel, filled with Dostoevsky's usual array of deeply conflicted characters and blistering monologues. The idiot himself, Prince Myshkin, is no pushover: maybe he's a bit naive at times, but he insists on treating people as equals and assuming their good intentions until contrary evidence is overwhelming. He suffers from epilepsy, and in the course of the novel has a couple of seizures that dramatically alter the direction of the story.

    Superficially, the novel is about Myshkin's conflicted relationships with two women: Aglaya, the youngest daughter of a distant relative, with whom he is in love; and Anastassya Filippovna, a "fallen woman" who's been fobbed off by her former lover and who seems to be drifting from one self-destructive relationship to another. Myshkin may have loved her once, but now he mainly pities her. Aglaya, who at one point seems willing to marry Myshkin, ultimately breaks off because of his obsession with Anastassya.

    But that's only one small facet of this complex, teeming book. The characters are captivating, the scenes at times almost hypnotic in their intensity. I've only read a few of Dostoevsky's novels, but so far I'm inclined to say this is probably my favorite.

    Robert Whitfield (=Simon Vance) gives a stellar reading. Of particular note is his ability to distinguish the voices of the many women in the book: sometimes the shading is subtle, but I always knew instantly who was talking. Well done, highly recommended.

    More

    The Idiot

    • UNABRIDGED (22 hrs and 33 mins)
    • By Fyodor Dostoevsky
    • Narrated By Robert Whitfield
    Overall
    (284)
    Performance
    (87)
    Story
    (89)

    Prince Myshkin, is thrust into the heart of a society more concerned with wealth, power, and sexual conquest than the ideals of Christianity. Myshkin soon finds himself at the center of a violent love triangle in which a notorious woman and a beautiful young girl become rivals for his affections. Extortion, scandal, and murder follow, testing the wreckage left by human misery to find "man in man."

    Victoria says: "good audio"
  1. The Idiot
  2. .

A Peek at Melinda's Bookshelf

Helpful
Votes
3063
 
UT 152 REVIEWS / 450 ratings Member Since 2009 1150 Followers / Following 7
 
Melinda's greatest hits:
  • Dracula [Audible Edition]

    "The Curtain Falls...Applause, Applause, Bravo"

    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Hearing the final words, "Audible hopes you enjoyed.." it's hard to resist vigorously clapping your hands together and jumping to your feet to whoop out a "Bravo!" While it looks like some reviewers are more familiar with the particulars of each narrator, I must be less fussy; I thought it was a perfect cast that produced a dark gothic atmosphere that Stoker would call worthy of this masterpiece.

    The story is longer than I thought it would be, the flowery speech style of the Victorian era no doubt adding to the length of the journals/diaries of each articulate character, that comprise the tale -- a style that, if you are unprepared for, may be too verbose to your liking (but authentic to the time--think Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats). Where one during that period might say:
    "Dear Madam, by God, your neck! May perhaps I suggest more wreaths of the garlic flowers to be festooned around your lovely neck to prohibit a further attack from this most vile blood-sucking fiendish creature of the night which has befallen upon you most unfairly, dear sweet lady?"
    We today, 100 years later, might say:
    "Huh, vampire bite. Want some garlic (was he sparkly)?"
    You can see how this could take up some pages. But the profuse Victorian vernacular combined with the fine reading puts you in the necessary frame of mind -- where a dark red-eyed character in a cape could creep around a deteriorating castle, summon wolves from the fog, and morph into a bat flapping against a pane of glass. (It was a little amusing listening to the breathy and fragile Lucy and Mina...considering the time frame in which this was written. While Stoker had them helplessly swooning away, across the pond, Susan B. Anthony was gathering her own minions.)
    Bram Stoker truly affected history with this book -- Audible's production was a great homage to a literary icon as well as a fun engaging production, well worth the purchase.

  • The Woman in White

    "Logical approach to a riveting mystery"

    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    An intricate knot tied with precision, and untangled with logic and grace. To begin with there is a mystery, and Collins lays it out with attention to every twist as the story continues to be told by the various narrators. The characters are as vivid as those created by other 19th century writers: Dickens, the Bronte sisters, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe--Frederick Fairlie with his imagined maladies is good comedy, and Sir Percival and Count Fosco, in comparison make Heathcliff almost look respectable.

    Victorian in description, dialogue, and politics--the strong female character doesn't escape punishment for her straying from the social constricts of the time...she pays for her female resourcefulness and failure to swoon, by being endowed, by the author, with masculine features, including a mustache. Today's editors would likely trim the 25 hours to 12, but in spite of the length and the diversity of plots, the story stays on track and doesn't drag; it's worth the Effort. The narration is a theatrical treat. Fear not the classic; dig in and enjoy.

  • The Kiss and The Duel and Other Stories

    "Brilliant"

    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    With simple words and and simple storylines there is such magnificence and brilliance; there is magic in Chekhov's writing. Where Tolstoy was complex and so serious--Chekhov is lighter and even humorous, pointing out the foibles in our characters, our human tendencies to manipulate morality to fit our desires. Short stories that are easy to get through and so very worth any reader's time.

  • The Zahir

    "Divertissement"

    Overall
    Performance
    Story

    Only if you are looking for some heady philosophical writing by a remarkable Spanish writer and poet. Worth the $1.95 just for 20 min. of listening to the language used so creatively and beautifully (read by the ever fabtastick Guidall). A Zahir is an object or person that has the ability to create obsession in the person who sees it. In this case, a coin that sends the storyteller tripping into train of thought ramblings, obsessive dreams, and madness. I've been wanting to read Borges and have bought several of the short stories offered by Audio for those in-between-book moments, and detox reads. Maybe one day I'll understand their weighty existential meaning.

Connie

Connie Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada 08-14-08

trying to see the world through my ears

HELPFUL VOTES
134
ratings
REVIEWS
126
15
FOLLOWERS
FOLLOWING
49
0
  • "respite from the madding crowd"

    22 of 22 helpful votes

    Though there are some audio quirks, they didn't significantly interfere with the listen (at least when formatted for ipod). I suppose the quick transmission to downloadable audio may keep the novel's price cheap?

    I fell in love with this novel (and Gabriel Oak) when I was 14 and have re-read the paper version several times over the last 35+ years. I hesitated to download it, thinking such a beloved book would suffer in audio, but I really enjoyed the listen. I loved the narrator. She brought to life Hardy's poetic sections, especially those involving the English countryside and farming practices. As others have pointed out, the novel contains a somewhat misogynist portrait, but of a strong-ish heroine (for a Victorian character). In middle age, I felt the misogyny more deeply than back in the 70s, but I put up with it (and often much stronger) in Hardy's contemporaries and predecessors for the beauty if the prose and old fashioned romanticism and realism. Well, admittedly the ending is "too happy;" as someone pointed out --it wasn't Hardy's original ending; I think he had to tone down his realism to get published, but as a teen and now as an old fart, I love the ending. There's enough angst in the world and contemporary lit to suffice for me!

    The listen motivates me to download and reacquaint myself with other Hardy novels and perhaps download his bio.

    More

    Far From the Madding Crowd

    • UNABRIDGED (15 hrs and 47 mins)
    • By Thomas Hardy
    • Narrated By Jill Masters
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (43)
    Performance
    (7)
    Story
    (8)

    Thomas Hardy brings us an England that once existed but no more. It is rural, traditional, pastoral - a society of mannered conduct that flows like a deep river where powerful currents eddy and swirl. In this powerful novel of love and disillusion, Hardy's heroine is torn between the three men in her life. Passionate but capricious, her romantic involvements have fascinated generations of readers.

    Connie says: "respite from the madding crowd"

What's Trending in Classics:

  • 4.8 (1108 ratings)
    The Two Towers: Book Two in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy
    Play The Two Towers: Book Two in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

    The Two Towers: Book Two in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

    • UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 40 mins)
    • By J. R. R. Tolkien
    • Narrated By Rob Inglis
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1108)
    Performance
    (980)
    Story
    (1003)

    The Two Towers is the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic saga, The Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship has been forced to split up. Frodo and Sam must continue alone towards Mount Doom, where the One Ring must be destroyed. Meanwhile, at Helm’s Deep and Isengard, the first great battles of the War of the Ring take shape. In this splendid, unabridged audio production of Tolkien’s great work, all the inhabitants of a magical universe - hobbits, elves, and wizards - spring to life. Rob Inglis’ narration has been praised as a masterpiece of audio.

    Anna says: "Thank you, Audible! Tolkien at long last!"
  • 4.8 (982 ratings)
    The Return of the King: Book Three in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy
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    The Return of the King: Book Three in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

    • UNABRIDGED (18 hrs and 18 mins)
    • By J. R. R. Tolkien
    • Narrated By Rob Inglis
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (982)
    Performance
    (855)
    Story
    (877)

    The Return of the King is the towering climax to J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy that tells the saga of the hobbits of Middle-earth and the great War of the Rings. In this concluding volume, Frodo and Sam make a terrible journey to the heart of the Land of the Shadow in a final reckoning with the power of Sauron. In addition to narrating the prose passages, Rob Inglis sings the trilogy’s songs and poems a capella, using melodies composed by Inglis and Claudia Howard, the Recorded Books studio director.

    Natalie says: "Finally!"
  • 4.8 (135 ratings)
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Volume 1: The War of the Ring
    Play The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Volume 1: The War of the Ring

    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Volume 1: The War of the Ring

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 28 mins)
    • By J.R.R. Tolkien
    • Narrated By Rob Inglis
    Overall
    (135)
    Performance
    (61)
    Story
    (62)

    The Companions of the Ring have become involved in separate adventures as the quest continues. Aragon, revealed as the hidden heir of the ancient Kings of the West, joined with the Riders of Rohan against the forces of Isengard, and took part in the desperate victory of the Hornburg. Merry and Pippin, captured by orcs, escaped into Fangorn Forest and there encountered the Ents. And all the time the armies of the Dark Lord are massing.

    Catherine says: "Inglis sounds like Tolkien!"
  • 4.8 (131 ratings)
    The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Volume 1: The Treason of Isengard
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    The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Volume 1: The Treason of Isengard

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 23 mins)
    • By J.R.R. Tolkien
    • Narrated By Rob Inglis
    Overall
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    Performance
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    Story
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    Frodo and the Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord by destroying it in the Cracks of Doom. Now they continue their journey alone down the great River Anduin, alone, that is, save for the mysterious creeping figure that follows wherever they go.

    Catherine says: "third book of the series"
  •  
  • 4.8 (81 ratings)
    SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to Hamlet (Dramatised, Commentary Options)
    Play SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to Hamlet (Dramatised, Commentary Options)

    SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to Hamlet (Dramatised, Commentary Options)

    • UNABRIDGED (12 hrs and 9 mins)
    • By William Shakespeare, Simon Potter
    • Narrated By Joan Walker, Stephen Elder, Paul Clayton
    Overall
    (81)
    Performance
    (52)
    Story
    (52)

    The multi award-winning SmartPass study guide with and without commentary options. This is a full-cast, unabridged performance with comprehensive commentary and analysis for any student to fully understand and appreciate the play. Universally accepted as Shakespeare's finest play, we peel back the layers of Hamlet to discover how and why it deserves such a place of honour in world literature.

    Jane says: "Great introduction to Hamlet"
  • 4.8 (54 ratings)
    SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to Macbeth (Unabridged, Dramatised, Commentary Options)
    Play SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to Macbeth (Unabridged, Dramatised, Commentary Options)

    SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to Macbeth (Unabridged, Dramatised, Commentary Options)

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 7 mins)
    • By William Shakespeare, Simon Potter
    • Narrated By Full-Cast featuring Joan Walker, Nick Murchie, Coralyn Sheldon
    Overall
    (54)
    Performance
    (27)
    Story
    (27)

    Combined for great value! The multi-award-winning SmartPass study guide with and without commentary options. Full-cast, unabridged performance with comprehensive commentary and analysis for any student to fully understand and appreciate the play.

    "And nothing is, but what is not." Macbeth may be mystified by the Weird Sisters' words but this intense performance with incisive commentary cuts to the heart of Shakespeare's complex psychological tragedy.

    Philip says: "Shakespeare made easy to understand!"
  • 4.8 (32 ratings)
    SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to Romeo and Juliet (Unabridged, Dramatised, Commentary Options)
    Play SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to Romeo and Juliet (Unabridged, Dramatised, Commentary Options)

    SmartPass Plus Audio Education Study Guide to Romeo and Juliet (Unabridged, Dramatised, Commentary Options)

    • UNABRIDGED (7 hrs and 51 mins)
    • By William Shakespeare, Simon Potter
    • Narrated By Full-Cast featuring Joan Walker, Chris Kelham, Sara Bowes
    Overall
    (32)
    Performance
    (15)
    Story
    (15)

    Combined for great value! The multi-award-winning SmartPass study guide with and without commentary options. Full-cast, unabridged performance with comprehensive commentary and analysis for any student to fully understand and appreciate the play. The poetry of Shakespeare's star crossed lovers is poignantly performed and expertly explained in this unique production: "Passion lends them power."

    Cheryl says: "Very Helpful"
  • 4.8 (30 ratings)
    A Christmas Carol
    Play A Christmas Carol

    A Christmas Carol

    • UNABRIDGED (2 hrs and 54 mins)
    • By Charles Dickens
    • Narrated By Simon Vance
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (30)
    Performance
    (26)
    Story
    (26)

    A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman and Hall and first released on 19 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visitations of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come.

    Tad Davis says: "One of the best"
  •  
  • 4.9 (13 ratings)
    Master i Margarita [The Master and Margarita]
    Play Master i Margarita [The Master and Margarita]

    Master i Margarita [The Master and Margarita]

    • UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 40 mins)
    • By Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov
    • Narrated By Vladimir Ivanovich Samoylov
    Overall
    (13)
    Performance
    (10)
    Story
    (10)

    Master i Margarita - "posledniy zakatnyy" roman M.A. Bulgakova, roman zaveshchanie, voskresshiy iz pepla unichtozhennoy avtorom pervoy redaktsii. V Mastere i Margarite fantastika natalkivaetsya na realizm, mif na istoricheskuyu dostovernost, teosofiya na demonizm, romantika na klounadu.

  • 4.8 (12 ratings)
    Tales from Shakespeare: The Lambs' Tales
    Play Tales from Shakespeare: The Lambs' Tales

    Tales from Shakespeare: The Lambs' Tales

    • UNABRIDGED (3 hrs and 54 mins)
    • By Charles Lamb, Mary Lamb, William Shakespeare
    • Narrated By Alan Cumming, Nigel Davenport, Andrew Sachs, and others
    Overall
    (12)
    Performance
    (8)
    Story
    (7)

    A perfect introduction for all ages to the breadth and beauty of Shakespeare's work, Tales from Shakespearehas become a classic work in its own right. The tales bring vividly alive the power of Hamlet and Macbeth, the fun of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the drama of The Tempest. Blending detailed narrative with original dialogue and poetic language, they fully convey the wit, wisdom, and imagination of Shakespeare's magnificent plays.

    Heidi says: "My daughter's absolute favorite!"
  • 4.8 (10 ratings)
    Captains Courageous
    Play Captains Courageous

    Captains Courageous

    • UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 57 mins)
    • By Rudyard Kipling
    • Narrated By George Guidall
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (10)
    Performance
    (8)
    Story
    (8)

    Captains Courageous is Rudyard Kipling’s classic fable of a boy’s initiation into the fellowship of men, played out on the high seas of the late 1800s. When he falls overboard from a luxury liner, Harvey Cheyne, the spoiled son of an American millionaire, is rescued by a small New England fishing schooner. To earn his keep, Harvey must prove his worth in the only way the skipper and his hardy crew will accept: through the grueling mastery of a fisherman’s skills.

    Walt Robertson says: "A case where a good movie ruined a great book"
  • 4.5 (4624 ratings)
    The Hobbit
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    The Hobbit

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 8 mins)
    • By J. R. R. Tolkien
    • Narrated By Rob Inglis
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (4624)
    Performance
    (4135)
    Story
    (4184)

    Like every other hobbit, Bilbo Baggins likes nothing better than a quiet evening in his snug hole in the ground, dining on a sumptuous dinner in front of a fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless. Soon he joins the wizard’s band of homeless dwarves in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and other dangers. Bilbo quickly tires of the quest for adventure and longs for the security of his familiar home. But before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all.

    Darwin8u says: "Victory after all, I suppose!"
  • The Great Gatsby
    Play The Great Gatsby

    The Great Gatsby

    • UNABRIDGED (4 hrs and 52 mins)
    • By F. Scott Fitzgerald
    • Narrated By Jake Gyllenhaal
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (447)
    Performance
    (409)
    Story
    (413)

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel of the Roaring Twenties is beloved by generations of readers and stands as his crowning work. This new audio edition, authorized by the Fitzgerald estate, is narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain). Gyllenhaal's performance is a faithful delivery in the voice of Nick Carraway, the Midwesterner turned New York bond salesman, who rents a small house next door to the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby....

    Darwin8u says: "Simple, Beautiful, and Exquisitely Textured"
  • Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh
    Play Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh

    Heart of Darkness: A Signature Performance by Kenneth Branagh

    • UNABRIDGED (3 hrs and 51 mins)
    • By Joseph Conrad
    • Narrated By Kenneth Branagh
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (775)
    Performance
    (579)
    Story
    (579)

    A Signature Performance: Kenneth Branagh plays this like a campfire ghost story, told by a haunted, slightly insane Marlow.

    Darwin8u says: "Conrad's Brilliant & Wild Novella"
  • The Hobbit
    Play The Hobbit

    The Hobbit

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 8 mins)
    • By J. R. R. Tolkien
    • Narrated By Rob Inglis
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (4624)
    Performance
    (4135)
    Story
    (4184)

    Like every other hobbit, Bilbo Baggins likes nothing better than a quiet evening in his snug hole in the ground, dining on a sumptuous dinner in front of a fire. But when a wandering wizard captivates him with tales of the unknown, Bilbo becomes restless. Soon he joins the wizard’s band of homeless dwarves in search of giant spiders, savage wolves, and other dangers. Bilbo quickly tires of the quest for adventure and longs for the security of his familiar home. But before he can return to his life of comfort, he must face the greatest threat of all.

    Darwin8u says: "Victory after all, I suppose!"
  • The Great Gatsby
    Play The Great Gatsby

    The Great Gatsby

    • UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 44 mins)
    • By F. Scott Fitzgerald
    • Narrated By Tim Robbins
    Overall
    (1083)
    Performance
    (539)
    Story
    (539)

    The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's portrait of the Jazz Age in all its decadence and excess, is, as editor Maxwell Perkins praised it in 1924, "a wonder". It remains one of the most widely read, translated, admired, imitated, and studied 20th-century works of American fiction.

    Erin says: "Something you won't fall asleep to..."
  •  
  • Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood
    Play Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood

    Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Signature Performance by Elijah Wood

    • UNABRIDGED (10 hrs and 12 mins)
    • By Mark Twain
    • Narrated By Elijah Wood
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1535)
    Performance
    (1099)
    Story
    (1076)

    A Signature Performance: Elijah Wood becomes the first narrator to bring a youthful voice and energy to the story, perhaps making it the closest interpretation to Twain’s original intent.

    James says: "Worthy "signature" premiere"
  • Jane Eyre [Brilliance Edition]
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    Jane Eyre [Brilliance Edition]

    • UNABRIDGED (17 hrs and 21 mins)
    • By Charlotte Bronte
    • Narrated By Susan Ericksen
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (653)
    Performance
    (397)
    Story
    (404)

    After a sad and neglected childhood as an orphan, Jane Eyre was hired by Edward Rochester as governess for his ward. Jane was pleased with the quiet country life at Thornfield, with the beautiful old manor house and gardens, with the book-filled library, and with her own comfortable room. But there were stories of a strange tenant, a woman who laughed like a maniac, and who stayed in rooms on the third floor.

    Elizabeth says: "a book that can be heard/read again and again"
  • The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
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    The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

    • UNABRIDGED (19 hrs and 11 mins)
    • By J. R. R. Tolkien
    • Narrated By Rob Inglis
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1888)
    Performance
    (1660)
    Story
    (1693)

    The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume in the trilogy, tells of the fateful power of the One Ring. It begins a magnificent tale of adventure that will plunge the members of the Fellowship of the Ring into a perilous quest and set the stage for the ultimate clash between the powers of good and evil.

    Ellen says: "At last - The Definitive Recording!"
  • Gulliver's Travels: A Signature Performance by David Hyde Pierce
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    Gulliver's Travels: A Signature Performance by David Hyde Pierce

    • UNABRIDGED (9 hrs and 52 mins)
    • By Jonathan Swift
    • Narrated By David Hyde Pierce
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (399)
    Performance
    (241)
    Story
    (247)

    A Signature Performance: Four-time Emmy Award winner David Hyde Pierce delivers an air of lovable self-importance in his rendition of the classic social satire that remains as fresh today as the day it was published.

    Lara says: "Timeless Humor"
  •  
  • The Return of the King: Book Three in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy
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    The Return of the King: Book Three in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

    • UNABRIDGED (18 hrs and 18 mins)
    • By J. R. R. Tolkien
    • Narrated By Rob Inglis
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (982)
    Performance
    (855)
    Story
    (877)

    The Return of the King is the towering climax to J. R. R. Tolkien’s trilogy that tells the saga of the hobbits of Middle-earth and the great War of the Rings. In this concluding volume, Frodo and Sam make a terrible journey to the heart of the Land of the Shadow in a final reckoning with the power of Sauron. In addition to narrating the prose passages, Rob Inglis sings the trilogy’s songs and poems a capella, using melodies composed by Inglis and Claudia Howard, the Recorded Books studio director.

    Natalie says: "Finally!"
  • The Two Towers: Book Two in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy
    Play The Two Towers: Book Two in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

    The Two Towers: Book Two in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy

    • UNABRIDGED (16 hrs and 40 mins)
    • By J. R. R. Tolkien
    • Narrated By Rob Inglis
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
    Overall
    (1108)
    Performance
    (980)
    Story
    (1003)

    The Two Towers is the second volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic saga, The Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship has been forced to split up. Frodo and Sam must continue alone towards Mount Doom, where the One Ring must be destroyed. Meanwhile, at Helm’s Deep and Isengard, the first great battles of the War of the Ring take shape. In this splendid, unabridged audio production of Tolkien’s great work, all the inhabitants of a magical universe - hobbits, elves, and wizards - spring to life. Rob Inglis’ narration has been praised as a masterpiece of audio.

    Anna says: "Thank you, Audible! Tolkien at long last!"
  • Meditations
    Play Meditations

    Meditations

    • UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 11 mins)
    • By Marcus Aurelius
    • Narrated By Duncan Steen
    Overall
    (103)
    Performance
    (83)
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    One of the most significant books ever written by a head of State, the Meditations are a collection of philosophical thoughts by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180 ce). Covering issues such as duty, forgiveness, brotherhood, strength in adversity and the best way to approach life and death, the Meditations have inspired thinkers, poets and politicians since their first publication more than 500 years ago. Today, the book stands as one of the great guides and companions - a cornerstone of Western thought.

    Guilherme says: "Stoic Wisdom at it's best"
  • Dracula [Audible Edition]
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    Dracula [Audible Edition]

    • UNABRIDGED (15 hrs and 28 mins)
    • By Bram Stoker
    • Narrated By Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, Simon Vance, and others
    • Whispersync for Voice-ready
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    The modern audience hasn't had a chance to truly appreciate the unknowing dread that readers would have felt when reading Bram Stoker's original 1897 manuscript. Most modern productions employ campiness or sound effects to try to bring back that gothic tension, but we've tried something different. By returning to Stoker's original storytelling structure - a series of letters and journal entries voiced by Jonathan Harker, Dr. Van Helsing, and other characters - with an all-star cast of narrators, we've sought to recapture its originally intended horror and power.

    N. Houghton says: "Gothic Horror Never Sounded So Good"
  • The Best War Stories Ever Told: Best Stories Ever Told
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    The Best War Stories Ever Told: Best Stories Ever Told

    • UNABRIDGED (29 hrs and 25 mins)
    • By UNKNOWN
    • Narrated By Narrated by Bob Hennessey
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    From Julius Caesar to the King James Bible, from modern masters like Theodore Roosevelt and Stephen Crane, this thought-provoking and compelling collection captures the variety and depth of feeling inspired by war, from the devastating to the uplifting.

  • El Arte de la Guerra [The Art of War] (Spanish Edition)
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    El Arte de la Guerra [The Art of War] (Spanish Edition)

    • UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 7 mins)
    • By Sun Tzu
    • Narrated By Caroline Simone, Luis Fernando Hernandez
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    Esta obra es importante no porque sus reflexiones sean una invitacion a practicar la guerra, sino porque para Sun Tzu la guerra es algo mas que la simple fuerza bruta y la irracionalidad de la destruccion. Se trata del arte de evitar los conflictos; requiere de una sabiduria mayor, pero sobre todo, exige de nuestra parte una gran sensibilidad para detectar cuales son las exigencias que nos demanda la armonia universal. Please Note: This audiobook is in Spanish.

  • The Black Soul
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    The Black Soul

    • UNABRIDGED (5 hrs and 25 mins)
    • By Liam O'Flaherty
    • Narrated By John Lee
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    Intense, compelling, beautifully descriptive - as Wuthering Heights is to the Yorkshire moors, so The Black Soul is to the Aran Islands. The sea roars dismally round the shores of Inverara. A stranger takes a room on the island. Here lives a couple whose married years have been joyless, until the presence of the stranger unleashes their passions.... For as spring softens the wild beauty of Inverara, the stranger becomes conscious of the dark-haired Mary - how summer makes her shiver with life. He is the first man she has ever loved, and she thrills with sexual awakening.

  • New Atlantis
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    New Atlantis

    • UNABRIDGED (1 hr and 43 mins)
    • By Francis Bacon
    • Narrated By Don Hagen
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    The crew of a European ship discovers the utopian island of Bensalem, having gotten lost in the Pacific Ocean somewhere near Peru. The crew spend time learning about the ways of the people of Bensalem, a very chaste group of Christians. The most important part of the island is their university, a state-sponsored scientific institution known as Salomon's House. The narrator is chosen from amongst the crew to get a one-on-one explanation of the way their society works, and he learns about the various buildings and jobs that exist on Bensalem.

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  • Rough-Hew Them How We Will
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    Rough-Hew Them How We Will

    • UNABRIDGED (31 mins)
    • By P. G. Wodehouse
    • Narrated By David Ian Davies
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    This short story from Wodehouse’s collection The Man with Two Left Feet was also included in P. G. Wodehouse All Time Greatest Works. Paul Bioelle lives in an attic. By day he makes eighteen shillings a week as a waiter; by night he paints, perfecting his masterpiece so that he might earn his fortune. The money from the painting would go toward achieving his dreams: marriage to Jean Le Brocq and ownership of a little cigar shop on Brixton. For to Paul, achieving those two things would be heaven on Earth.

  • The Grateful Beasts
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    The Grateful Beasts

    • UNABRIDGED (25 mins)
    • By Andrew Lang
    • Narrated By Tavia Gilbert
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    Ferko, a handsome young man, was born into a very poor family with very wicked brothers. Because the family is so poor, the parents have to send the three brothers away, with only a loaf of bread each. The brothers gang up on Ferko while he is sleeping, stealing his bread and convincing him he consumed it in his sleep. Taking advantage of his starvation, they trick him into allowing them to blind him and break his legs.

  • Moskva i moskvichi [Moscow and Muscovites]
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    Moskva i moskvichi [Moscow and Muscovites]

    • UNABRIDGED (2 hrs and 59 mins)
    • By Mihail Nikolaevich Zagoskin
    • Narrated By Galina Samojlova
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    Kniga Moskva i moskvichi napisana Mikhailom Nikolayevichem Zagoskinym (1789 - 1852), avtorom izvestnykh istoricheskikh romanov Yuriy Miloslavskiy, Roslavlev, i mnogikh drugikh proizvedeniy. Moskva i moskvichi - eto zhivye i uvlekatel'nye ocherki, rasskazy, sceny «iz domashnej i obschestvennoj moskovskoj zhizni». Please note: This audiobook is in Russian.

  • Vintage Reading: From Plato to Bradbury: A Personal Tour of Some of the World's Best Books
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    Vintage Reading: From Plato to Bradbury: A Personal Tour of Some of the World's Best Books

    • UNABRIDGED (6 hrs and 55 mins)
    • By Robert Kanigel
    • Narrated By Denise Washington Blomberg
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    A friendly literary companion, Kanigel shares the books he loves best. Vintage Reading is like those samples that seduce you into tasting because Kanigel’s enthusiastic eclecticism makes it clear that a good listener is really someone ready to venture between the covers, and Kanigel’s mini-forays between those covers seem cozy not intimidating. The antidote to Cliff’s Notes, Vintage Reading’s unpretentious appetite for literature will inspire listeners young and old to new adventures and, most importantly, a confidence in themselves.

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  • The Garden
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    The Garden

    • UNABRIDGED (11 hrs and 15 mins)
    • By L. A. G. Strong
    • Narrated By Derek Perkins
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    The Garden is set in Dublin in the early years of the 20th century. Dermot, whose family has settled in England, returns for his summers from English Public School to visit his grandfather, and develops affection for the city. During the course of the novel, war breaks out, bringing an end to the Edwardian summer for a whole generation....

  • Anna
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    Anna

    • UNABRIDGED (18 hrs and 55 mins)
    • By Norman Collins
    • Narrated By Tatyana Yassukovich
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    Anna is the story of a woman and an era. Against the background of France and Germany at the time of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, Norman Collins tells with great brilliance the story of Anna, a beautiful woman. Born in Rhineland, when she was 19 she fell in love with a French cousin whom she followed to Paris on the eve of the outbreak of war. When he was killed by her compatriots she found herself in besieged Paris, destitute, alone, and a German.

  • The Purloined Letter
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    The Purloined Letter

    • UNABRIDGED (41 mins)
    • By Edgar Allan Poe
    • Narrated By Cathy Dobson
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    When a letter of great significance is stolen from the royal palace in Paris, the prefect of police is at great pains to discover its whereabouts. The identity of the thief is known, but try as the detectives will, they are unable to pinpoint the hiding place where the incriminating letter is secreted. When the Prefect approaches Dupin for his advice on the matter, the latter sees the solution immediately. An insight from which he is able to profit handsomely. Poe at his most ingenious!

  • The Husband's Story
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    The Husband's Story

    • UNABRIDGED (13 hrs and 32 mins)
    • By Norman Collins
    • Narrated By Matthew Frow
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    This - as only Norman Collins can tell it - is the story of Stanley Pitts, a contracts filing clerk in the Admiralty, a small man - small in stature, small in ambition and achievement, happy in his work, and devoted to his hobby of photography. For Stan himself, his latest failure with the Civil Service Selection Board might not have mattered too much. But it mattered to his wife, Beryl. For Beryl is a social climber....