Aaron

This rather long history is absorbing from beginning to end. It is actually an outline, and as such succeeds brilliantly. The long period it covers (over a thousand years) is broken out in more or less chronlogical order, though there are a few chapters that jump backward or forward depending on the geography being covered. The reviewer named "zuff" is way off base in regard to content. The authors of this mid-twentieth century text were ALL very highly respected Ivy League professors of note. You can find their historical works and papers scattered across numerous famous institutions, including Columbia University. If you are looking for politically correct history, you will not find it here. Also, this is serious history, so if you're looking for "popular history," this is just not going to light your fire. This is academic history for people with patience who can listen carefully and want to get a good grasp of what the middle ages were about. But it is not difficult to understand. From my standpoint, this audiobook is simply magnificent.

The narrator has a very clear and persuasive voice that is easy to understand. It is somewhat British sounding and very pleasant over long periods of time. Merely listen to the sample.

For anyone wishing to know something about the middle ages, whether highly educated or not, you can do no better than this great work.

If you are looking for a concise biography of Napleon, this is a great choice. This work is fairly short, but extremely pithy. It was written just prior to WW I, so you may not like the writing style, though I rather like Victorian writers myself. The generous sample clip will give you a good idea of the work. Griffen does a wonderful job of bringing this work to life with his professorial narration. History buffs will love this.

I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but this "classic" is simply unlistenable for the average modern reader. I've listened to some marvelous classics over the years, including works of Tolstoy, Chekhov, Hemingway and Proust...but Uncle Tom's Cabin is just so melodramatic and cloying, I could not go on. You can find every Victorian stereotype in this book. The conversations are laughable. In its day, this book served as a sort of Soviet-style agitprop to get people fired up against chattel slavery. Like most works of its kind, it relied heavily on the scatology of the day and probably worked best on those who already possessed a heightened sense of social responsibility and a strong altruistic drive. The Christian drivel that permeates this work is absolutely sickening, and I am NOT anti-Christian or an atheist. If what I have written makes sense to you, you'd better steer clear of this one.

David McCullough is a national treasure. His passion for this subject is obvious. If you are not up to speed on the founding of this nation, I highly recommend 1776 as a starting point. The material is not scholarly, yet accurate and precise. This is very easy to listen to, informative, and quite entertaining. If you like McCullough, you'll want to hear this.

As reviewer "Ken from Portland" wrote: "If you like a gritty, get down and stay down murder mystery tempered with big hits of sex, violence, and bottles of testosterone, then this is the book for you."

What more can I add? No doubt you'll want a few tattoos and piercings to go along with your experience. Oh, and some metallica techno-rock music might get you in the mood, too. Have fun.

Anyone who is bored with these stories obviously needs to stay away from classic literature. These are some of the best Irish short stores ever written. In particular, the Joyce and O'Connor works were extremely entertaining. All of the pieces in this collection are superbly written. The narration is perfectly matched to the stories, as is the music and sound effects.

The two volumes in this series are written with panache and an enthusiasm for the subject that is extremely refreshing. As one reviewer has pointed out, the book was written in the fifties and there are a few places, mainly in regard to Polynesia, that are not up to date. But so what? Ninety nine percent of the book is factual and any mistakes were honest ones. What will they say in another fifty years about books written in 2005? The author has done an incredible job of tying together a lot of disparate academic disciplines, and in so doing he has produced a masterpiece. As for the narrator, all you need to do is listen to the sample and hear him for yourself, and then decide. In my book, he is by far the best narrator on Audible. Unless you are a snooty English language snob, you will enjoy this recording. Highly recommended!

I can tell you from personal experience that this novel reflects real life. Although I was in school in the seventies, you can bet things are even wilder today. This is a troubling novel and should give those of us brought up on sex and drugs and rock and roll some pause to consider where all this is eventually going to lead. Like Wolfe's other work, this is well crafted. Too bad they couldn't get a better narrator.

This is a mesmerizing production. The actors are clearly understood and they pull you into the action by their enthusiastic and precise performance. A nice soundtrack adds to the atmosphere. One of the great works of western man...beautifully presented. Highly recommended.

Whew! Don't take my word for how bad this is. Just listen to the sample.

The production style is very self-consciously fiftyish, including the "announcer guy" you hear. This sort of reminds me of an academic production, something that would have been performed on a college stage. It's very histrionic. In their attempt at theatricality, the nuanced sensitivity of the Homeric lines are lost. You need absolutely first class actors and a gifted director to pull off something like this. None of those elements are in place here, unfortunately.