-
Under the Greenwood Tree
- Narrated by: Margaret Hilton
- Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Under the Greenwood Tree
Buy for $17.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Jude the Obscure
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Neville Jason
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 131
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 113
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 113
Sexually innocent Jude Fawley is trapped into marriage by seductive Arabella Donn, but their union is an unhappy one and Arabella leaves him. Jude's welcome freedom allows him to pursue his obsession with his pretty cousin Sue Bridehead, a brilliant, charismatic free-thinker who would be his ideal soul-mate if not for her aversion to physical love. When Jude and Sue decide to lead their lives outside marriage they bring down on themselves all the force of a repressive society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Left reeling
- By Tad Davis on 03-03-14
By: Thomas Hardy
-
The Blue Castle
- By: L. M. Montgomery
- Narrated by: Barbara Barnes
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 889
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 790
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 787
All her life, Valancy Stirling lived on a quiet little street in an ugly little house and never dared to contradict her domineering mother and her unforgiving aunt. At 29, she's never been in love, and her only consolation has been the forbidden books of John Foster and her daydreams of the Blue Castle. Then, one day, she gets a letter and decides that things need to change. For the first time in her life, she does exactly what she wants to and says exactly what she feels.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My favorite book of all time... Finally!
- By Heather on 07-28-19
By: L. M. Montgomery
-
Far from the Madding Crowd
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: David McCallion
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
Far from the Madding Crowd, which first appeared in Cornhill Magazine in monthly installments back in the late 19th century, features the love life of the young Bathsheba Everdene who is as poor as she is beautiful. Fortunately, Bathsheba's uncle leaves her his farm, which she goes to manage in the small town of Weatherbury. Before she leaves, however, she has an interesting encounter with a young farmer, Gabriel Oak, for whom she does a tremendous favor ,and he becomes indebted to her....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved this delightful listening experience !!!
- By Robin Wardle on 07-15-16
By: Thomas Hardy
-
Under the Greenwood Tree
- The Mellstock Choir - A Rural Painting of the Dutch School
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Jamie Parker
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 37
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 32
Under the Greenwood Tree is an affectionate and youthful portrait of a world Hardy knew well - village life in 'Wessex' - in which a romantic tale is set against changing circumstances. The traditional feature of local music making performed by the village band and choir is challenged by the modern innovation of organ and organist providing music in the church.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I'm a Hardy fan but...
- By Jordan Rivers on 07-24-15
By: Thomas Hardy
-
Tess of the D'urbervilles
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Jennifer Dixon
- Length: 17 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 65
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is the 19th century novel lately thought to be one of the inspirations of E .L.James' Fifty Shades of Grey. It depicts the life of an impressionable, naive, somewhat educated young woman who yearns to be free to live her own life, but finds herself constricted by the bonds of the sexual, religious and socially hypocritical customs that have surrounded her from birth.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Jenny Dixon
- By Amazon Customer on 08-09-15
By: Thomas Hardy
-
The Return of the Native
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Nicholas Rowe
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
In the remote wildness of Egdon Heath, the crossed love affairs and marriages of a small group of people are played out against the background of nature’s beauty and indifference to mankind. Through a series of vivid incidents and encounters, The Return of the Native moves in a relentless drive towards tragedy, as the plans and dreams of the lovers miscarry, defeated by chance, or destiny or self-deception. In their unhappy stories, Hardy gives us a powerful dramatization of his bleak philosophy, his belief in man’s helplessness before the malevolence of the universe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thomas Hardy
- By Jeff Lacy on 05-06-17
By: Thomas Hardy
-
Jude the Obscure
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Neville Jason
- Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 131
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 113
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 113
Sexually innocent Jude Fawley is trapped into marriage by seductive Arabella Donn, but their union is an unhappy one and Arabella leaves him. Jude's welcome freedom allows him to pursue his obsession with his pretty cousin Sue Bridehead, a brilliant, charismatic free-thinker who would be his ideal soul-mate if not for her aversion to physical love. When Jude and Sue decide to lead their lives outside marriage they bring down on themselves all the force of a repressive society.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Left reeling
- By Tad Davis on 03-03-14
By: Thomas Hardy
-
The Blue Castle
- By: L. M. Montgomery
- Narrated by: Barbara Barnes
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 889
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 790
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 787
All her life, Valancy Stirling lived on a quiet little street in an ugly little house and never dared to contradict her domineering mother and her unforgiving aunt. At 29, she's never been in love, and her only consolation has been the forbidden books of John Foster and her daydreams of the Blue Castle. Then, one day, she gets a letter and decides that things need to change. For the first time in her life, she does exactly what she wants to and says exactly what she feels.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My favorite book of all time... Finally!
- By Heather on 07-28-19
By: L. M. Montgomery
-
Far from the Madding Crowd
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: David McCallion
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 30
Far from the Madding Crowd, which first appeared in Cornhill Magazine in monthly installments back in the late 19th century, features the love life of the young Bathsheba Everdene who is as poor as she is beautiful. Fortunately, Bathsheba's uncle leaves her his farm, which she goes to manage in the small town of Weatherbury. Before she leaves, however, she has an interesting encounter with a young farmer, Gabriel Oak, for whom she does a tremendous favor ,and he becomes indebted to her....
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved this delightful listening experience !!!
- By Robin Wardle on 07-15-16
By: Thomas Hardy
-
Under the Greenwood Tree
- The Mellstock Choir - A Rural Painting of the Dutch School
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Jamie Parker
- Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 37
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 32
Under the Greenwood Tree is an affectionate and youthful portrait of a world Hardy knew well - village life in 'Wessex' - in which a romantic tale is set against changing circumstances. The traditional feature of local music making performed by the village band and choir is challenged by the modern innovation of organ and organist providing music in the church.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
I'm a Hardy fan but...
- By Jordan Rivers on 07-24-15
By: Thomas Hardy
-
Tess of the D'urbervilles
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Jennifer Dixon
- Length: 17 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 65
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 60
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 58
Tess of the d'Urbervilles is the 19th century novel lately thought to be one of the inspirations of E .L.James' Fifty Shades of Grey. It depicts the life of an impressionable, naive, somewhat educated young woman who yearns to be free to live her own life, but finds herself constricted by the bonds of the sexual, religious and socially hypocritical customs that have surrounded her from birth.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Jenny Dixon
- By Amazon Customer on 08-09-15
By: Thomas Hardy
-
The Return of the Native
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Nicholas Rowe
- Length: 13 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 31
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 28
In the remote wildness of Egdon Heath, the crossed love affairs and marriages of a small group of people are played out against the background of nature’s beauty and indifference to mankind. Through a series of vivid incidents and encounters, The Return of the Native moves in a relentless drive towards tragedy, as the plans and dreams of the lovers miscarry, defeated by chance, or destiny or self-deception. In their unhappy stories, Hardy gives us a powerful dramatization of his bleak philosophy, his belief in man’s helplessness before the malevolence of the universe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thomas Hardy
- By Jeff Lacy on 05-06-17
By: Thomas Hardy
-
The Mayor of Casterbridge
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Tony Britton
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 302
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 268
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 266
This audiobook is about the rise and fall of Michael Henchard. While out-of-work he gets drunk at a fair and impulsively sells his wife and baby for five guineas to a sailor. Eighteen years later he is reunited with his wife and daughter, who discover that he has gained wealth and respect and is now the most prominent man in Casterbridge. Though he attempts to make amends he is no less impulsive and once again loses everything due to bad luck and his violent, selfish and vengeful nature.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Tangled Webs
- By Joseph R on 12-22-09
By: Thomas Hardy
-
The Woodlanders
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Samuel West
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 298
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 241
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 238
Set in the Dorset landscape familiar to Hardy novels, The Woodlanders concerns the fortunes of Giles Winterborne, whose love for the well-do-do Grace Melbury is challenged by the arrival of a dashing and dissolute doctor, Edred Fitzpiers. When the mysterious Mrs Charmond further complicates the romantic entanglements, marital choice and class mobility become inextricably linked.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Thomas Hardy lesser known work
- By Molly Aultz on 06-12-08
By: Thomas Hardy
-
A Pair of Blue Eyes
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 65
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 64
Hardy's third novel, A Pair of Blue Eyes, follows the story of Elfride Swancourt. The daughter of the rector of Endelstow, a sparse, sea-swept parish in Cornwall, Elfride is caught between two suitors of very different backgrounds: Stephen Smith, a young architect restoring the old parish church; and the respectable, older man of London society, Henry Knight. The blue-eyed and high-spirited protagonist must untangle the conflicting messages of her heart and her mind.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Depressing story & unbelievable central character
- By Molly R. on 08-14-17
By: Thomas Hardy
-
Jane Eyre
- By: Charlotte Brontë
- Narrated by: Thandiwe Newton
- Length: 19 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 19,823
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 18,113
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 18,033
Following Jane from her childhood as an orphan in Northern England through her experience as a governess at Thornfield Hall, Charlotte Brontë's Gothic classic is an early exploration of women's independence in the mid-19th century and the pervasive societal challenges women had to endure. At Thornfield, Jane meets the complex and mysterious Mr. Rochester, with whom she shares a complicated relationship that ultimately forces her to reconcile the conflicting passions of romantic love and religious piety.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Perfect!!
- By Amazon Customer on 04-21-16
By: Charlotte Brontë
-
A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance by Tim Curry
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Tim Curry
- Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22,341
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 18,530
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 18,424
A Signature Performance: Tim Curry rescues Charles Dickens from the jaws of Disney with his one-of-a-kind performance of the treasured classic. Our listeners loved this version so much that it inspired our whole line of Signature Classics.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Wonderful!!!
- By Alia on 12-11-09
By: Charles Dickens
-
Ross Poldark
- A Novel of Cornwall, 1783-1787
- By: Winston Graham
- Narrated by: Oliver Hembrough
- Length: 14 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,151
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,788
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,786
Ross Poldark returns to Cornwall from war, looking forward to a joyful homecoming with his family and his beloved Elizabeth. But instead, he discovers that his father has died, his home is overrun by livestock and drunken servants, and Elizabeth, having believed Ross dead, is now engaged to his cousin. Ross must start over, building a completely new path for his life, one that takes him in exciting and unexpected directions....
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
If you love the TV show, read the book!
- By goddess_of_pipework on 08-15-15
By: Winston Graham
-
My Cousin Rachel
- By: Daphne du Maurier
- Narrated by: Jonathan Pryce
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,649
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,366
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,351
Orphaned at an early age, Philip Ashley is raised by his benevolent older cousin, Ambrose. Resolutely single, Ambrose delights in Philip as his heir, a man who will love his grand home as much as he does himself. But the cosy world the two construct is shattered when Ambrose sets off on a trip to Florence. There he falls in love and marries—and there he dies suddenly.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
AN INCREDIBLE NOVEL -- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
- By Janna Wong Healy on 07-08-15
-
Oliver Twist
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,705
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,419
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,420
After escaping from the dark and dismal workhouse where he was born, Oliver finds himself on the mean streets of Victorian-era London and is unwittingly recruited into a scabrous gang of scheming urchins. In this band of petty thieves, Oliver encounters the extraordinary and vibrant characters who have captured audiences' imaginations for more than 150 years.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Amazing narration!
- By Karen on 12-11-08
By: Charles Dickens
-
David Copperfield
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Philippe Duquenoy
- Length: 32 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 46
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 42
David Copperfield is the charming tale of a young boy's journey from an impoverished childhood in Victorian England to a renowned novelist. The story of David Copperfield brings to life some of the most beloved and notorious Dickens characters, including the wicked stepfather, Edward Murdstone; David's friend, Tommy Traddles; Agnes; and the bookkeeper Uriah Heep.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A wonderful Dickens classic, brought to Life!
- By Ron on 06-15-19
By: Charles Dickens
-
A Christmas Carol
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Hugh Grant
- Length: 2 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 5,467
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 5,001
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4,977
First published in 1843, it tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a mean and unpleasant man who dislikes people generally and Christmas especially. One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come and given a glimpse of the many homes and lives which Scrooge has touched in his wretched life to date. After their visits, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Christmas Classic Given New Life
- By E-Hank3 on 12-26-20
By: Charles Dickens
-
Sketches by Boz: Volume 1
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Peter Joyce
- Length: 11 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 32
Charles Dickens started his literary career as a journalist reporting for ‘The Morning Chronicle,’ a profession which encouraged his observing eye. This collection of essays and short stories was first published in that journal and anticipates, and frequently demonstrates, the genius that was to come.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Great - except for the chapter breaks
- By Tad Davis on 12-04-22
By: Charles Dickens
-
The Cricket on the Hearth
- Dickens on Dickens
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Gerald Dickens
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 29
A Dickens short written specifically for Christmas, "The Cricket on the Hearth" beautifully combines Dickens' masterful critique of social ills with a typically captivating narrative. In the Peerybingle family house, a cricket constantly chips, and acts as their guardian angel. Then, one day, a mysterious, elderly stranger takes lodge with the family. Complete and unabridged, this is a must-buy for Christmas, and will bring to your family the festive cheer and seasonal warmth only Dickens could provide.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Verbal mistakes but lovely none the less.
- By Heather on 01-06-17
By: Charles Dickens
Editorial reviews
Subtitled "A Rural Painting of the Dutch School", Under the Greenwood Tree is Thomas Hardy’s most lighthearted novel. Tastefully performed by Margaret Hilton, the tale is set around Mellstock Parish in Wessex, a fictionalized rural area in southern England that Hardy called "a merely realistic dream country".
Mellstock Parish is a genteel church and school whose members include a small group of eligible bachelors. Into this country scene arrives a beautiful new teacher named Fancy Day. When the bachelors catch a glimpse of Fancy, the comedy begins. Under the Greenwood Tree has been praised for its evocation of a fading English rural life, its sensitivity to its characters and sets, and Hardy’s ever-precise and poetic language.
Publisher's summary
Structured to mirror the seasons of the year, this bright, cheerful story recounts the adventures of the Mellstock rustics - Dick Dewy and Fancy Day, Leaf the simpleton, Penney the shoemaker, the lovers, and others - with an Arcadian, tranquil, timelessness. This was the author's second novel, and is the only Hardy novel whose story is not touched by tragedy.
More from the same
Related to this topic
-
Under the Greenwood Tree
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 261
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 219
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 219
The story delicately balances the concerns of the Mellstock parish choir with a romance between Dick Dewy, a member of the choir, and Fancy Day, the village schoolmistress. While the choir battles for its survival against the new vicar's mechanical church organ, personal conflicts arise over the anachronistic customs of tradition.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A Lighter Hardy
- By Cariola on 01-02-12
By: Thomas Hardy
-
Far From the Madding Crowd
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Jamie Parker
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,585
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,426
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,426
In a remote corner of early Victorian England, where traditional practices remain untouched by time, Bathsheba Everdene stands out as a beacon of female independence and self-reliance. However, when confronted with three suitors, among them the dashing Sergeant Troy, she shows a reckless capriciousness that threatens the stability of the whole community. Published in 1874, and an immediate best seller, Far From the Madding Crowd established Thomas Hardy as one of Britain's foremost novelists.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Masterpiece of Culture and Eloquence
- By Andrew on 07-07-14
By: Thomas Hardy
-
The Cricket on the Hearth
- Dickens on Dickens
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Gerald Dickens
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 29
A Dickens short written specifically for Christmas, "The Cricket on the Hearth" beautifully combines Dickens' masterful critique of social ills with a typically captivating narrative. In the Peerybingle family house, a cricket constantly chips, and acts as their guardian angel. Then, one day, a mysterious, elderly stranger takes lodge with the family. Complete and unabridged, this is a must-buy for Christmas, and will bring to your family the festive cheer and seasonal warmth only Dickens could provide.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Verbal mistakes but lovely none the less.
- By Heather on 01-06-17
By: Charles Dickens
-
The Cricket on the Hearth
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 256
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 227
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 224
The holidays are upon us, and this year Audible is very happy to present to our members one of Charles Dickens’ most popular Christmas stories, The Cricket on the Hearth. This holiday classic (original subtitle: “A Fairy Tale of Home”) tells the innocent, picturesque, and charming story of a poor family and their would-be guardian angel; in short, a delightful vision of Victorian Christmas. As always, a great story calls for a great voice, so we’ve brought in legendary actor and record-breaking Audie and Grammy award-winning narrator Jim Dale ( The Night Circus). Happy holidays and happy listening!
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Last Paragraph Missing?
- By stingo on 01-01-16
By: Charles Dickens
-
Cousin Phillis
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Joe Marsh
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 79
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 64
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 64
Cousin Phillis – a miniature masterpiece – is set in the 1840s, when the coming of the railway was changing the face of England, and quiet rural communities, coming into contact with the outside world, were changed forever. The story focuses on the effect these changes have on a naïve country girl, Phillis, as she encounters love, with all its pains and pleasures, for the first time.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Delicate Story
- By Mama C on 01-08-11
-
Adam Bede
- By: George Eliot
- Narrated by: Jill Tanner
- Length: 23 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
Adam Bede (1859), George Eliot's first full-length novel, marked the emergence of an artist to rank with Scott and Dickens. Set in the English Midlands of farmers and village craftsmen at the turn of the 18th century, the book relates a story of seduction issuing in "the inward suffering which is the worst form of Nemesis". But it is also a rich and pioneering record - drawing on intimate knowledge and affectionate memory - of a rural world that we have lost.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Very good book
- By Terri Tinkham on 03-11-19
By: George Eliot
-
Under the Greenwood Tree
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 5 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 261
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 219
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 219
The story delicately balances the concerns of the Mellstock parish choir with a romance between Dick Dewy, a member of the choir, and Fancy Day, the village schoolmistress. While the choir battles for its survival against the new vicar's mechanical church organ, personal conflicts arise over the anachronistic customs of tradition.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A Lighter Hardy
- By Cariola on 01-02-12
By: Thomas Hardy
-
Far From the Madding Crowd
- By: Thomas Hardy
- Narrated by: Jamie Parker
- Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,585
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,426
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,426
In a remote corner of early Victorian England, where traditional practices remain untouched by time, Bathsheba Everdene stands out as a beacon of female independence and self-reliance. However, when confronted with three suitors, among them the dashing Sergeant Troy, she shows a reckless capriciousness that threatens the stability of the whole community. Published in 1874, and an immediate best seller, Far From the Madding Crowd established Thomas Hardy as one of Britain's foremost novelists.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Masterpiece of Culture and Eloquence
- By Andrew on 07-07-14
By: Thomas Hardy
-
The Cricket on the Hearth
- Dickens on Dickens
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Gerald Dickens
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 34
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 29
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 29
A Dickens short written specifically for Christmas, "The Cricket on the Hearth" beautifully combines Dickens' masterful critique of social ills with a typically captivating narrative. In the Peerybingle family house, a cricket constantly chips, and acts as their guardian angel. Then, one day, a mysterious, elderly stranger takes lodge with the family. Complete and unabridged, this is a must-buy for Christmas, and will bring to your family the festive cheer and seasonal warmth only Dickens could provide.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Verbal mistakes but lovely none the less.
- By Heather on 01-06-17
By: Charles Dickens
-
The Cricket on the Hearth
- By: Charles Dickens
- Narrated by: Jim Dale
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 256
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 227
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 224
The holidays are upon us, and this year Audible is very happy to present to our members one of Charles Dickens’ most popular Christmas stories, The Cricket on the Hearth. This holiday classic (original subtitle: “A Fairy Tale of Home”) tells the innocent, picturesque, and charming story of a poor family and their would-be guardian angel; in short, a delightful vision of Victorian Christmas. As always, a great story calls for a great voice, so we’ve brought in legendary actor and record-breaking Audie and Grammy award-winning narrator Jim Dale ( The Night Circus). Happy holidays and happy listening!
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Last Paragraph Missing?
- By stingo on 01-01-16
By: Charles Dickens
-
Cousin Phillis
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Joe Marsh
- Length: 3 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 79
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 64
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 64
Cousin Phillis – a miniature masterpiece – is set in the 1840s, when the coming of the railway was changing the face of England, and quiet rural communities, coming into contact with the outside world, were changed forever. The story focuses on the effect these changes have on a naïve country girl, Phillis, as she encounters love, with all its pains and pleasures, for the first time.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Delicate Story
- By Mama C on 01-08-11
-
Adam Bede
- By: George Eliot
- Narrated by: Jill Tanner
- Length: 23 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 43
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 39
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
Adam Bede (1859), George Eliot's first full-length novel, marked the emergence of an artist to rank with Scott and Dickens. Set in the English Midlands of farmers and village craftsmen at the turn of the 18th century, the book relates a story of seduction issuing in "the inward suffering which is the worst form of Nemesis". But it is also a rich and pioneering record - drawing on intimate knowledge and affectionate memory - of a rural world that we have lost.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Very good book
- By Terri Tinkham on 03-11-19
By: George Eliot
-
Watt
- By: Samuel Beckett
- Narrated by: Dermot Crowley
- Length: 10 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 33
Watt tells the tale of Mr Knott's servant and his attempts to get to know his master. Watt's mistake is to derive the essence of his master from the accidentals of his being, and his painstakingly logical attempts to 'know' ultimately consign him to the asylum. Itself a critique of error, Watt has previously appeared in editions that are littered with mistakes, both major and minor.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An Exercise
- By jdk on 08-07-21
By: Samuel Beckett
-
The Best Ghost Stories Ever Told
- Best Stories Ever Told
- By: Stephen Brennan - editor
- Narrated by: J. M. Badger, Imelda Pot
- Length: 24 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 215
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 192
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 191
A big, brilliant, spooky collection of classic and contemporary ghost stories that will make you hesitate before turning off that light.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
A very mixed review
- By Michael Mayer on 08-05-15
-
Cold Comfort Farm
- Penguin Classics
- By: Stella Gibbons
- Narrated by: Pearl Mackie
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 358
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 310
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 310
When sensible, sophisticated Flora Poste is orphaned at 19, she decides her only choice is to descend upon relatives in deepest Sussex. At the aptly named Cold Comfort Farm, she meets the doomed Starkadders: cousin Judith, heaving with remorse for unspoken wickedness; Amos, preaching fire and damnation; their sons, lustful Seth and despairing Reuben; child of nature Elfine; and crazed old Aunt Ada Doom, who has kept to her bedroom for the last 20 years. But Flora loves nothing better than to organise other people.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very, very amusing, a go to if one needs cheering
- By Laura G. Marcantoni on 11-05-20
By: Stella Gibbons
-
Silas Marner
- By: George Eliot
- Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
- Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,423
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,260
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,254
For 15 years the weaver Silas Marner has plied his loom near the village of Raveloe, alone and unjustly in exile, cut off from faith and human love, he cares only for his hoard of golden guineas. But two events occur that will change his life forever; his gold disappears and a golden-haired baby girl appears. But where did she come from and who really stole the gold? This moving tale sees Silas eventually redeemed and restored to life by the unlikely means of his love for the orphan child Eppie.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
amazing
- By Ramon on 06-04-12
By: George Eliot
-
Mother Carey's Chickens
- By: Kate Douglas Wiggin
- Narrated by: Anne Hancock
- Length: 7 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 84
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 76
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 76
The sudden death of the father of the family results in the drastic reduction of the Careys' income and they must leave their comfortable home in Boston. Nancy Carey, the eldest, recalls a vacation in Maine when they all picnicked in the garden of a big, vacant house that her father loved. She discovers that the house is available, the rent is cheap, and persuades her mother that life in The Yellow House in Beulah, Maine is the perfect place to begin their new life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A very cozy book =)
- By Camilla on 03-01-17
-
Oblomov
- By: Ivan Goncharov
- Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
- Length: 20 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 76
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 68
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 68
A member of the landed gentry, with a seemingly guaranteed income from his estate in the country, Oblomov lives in Petersburg, uninterested in the business that provides his living and barely aware that the revenue is diminishing. Not that he leads a dissolute life of extravagance, balls and entertainment. Instead he is a dreamer, a sybarite, content above all to spend most of the day supine, in bed. The novel opens with Oblomov thus ensconced, attended only by his dirty, grumbling, indolent servant Zahar, who has looked after him since childhood, catering to his every need.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
funny and smart
- By Bennett Weiss on 07-29-20
By: Ivan Goncharov
-
The Forsyte Chronicles, Vol. 2
- A Modern Comedy
- By: John Galsworthy
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 34 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 14
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 14
John Galsworthy's magnificent trilogy of power and passion chronicles the wealthy Forsyte family. The complete Chronicles are divided into three volumes, containing nine books and four interludes in total. Volume 2, A Modern Comedy, focuses on Soames's vivacious daughter, Fleur. Soames tries constantly to protect her but is baffled by the carefree attitudes in post-war London. Fleur and her husband Michael Mont host society gatherings, but her previous affair with Jon Forsyte leaves embers of a passion that are ready to ignite - with dreadful consequences.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very worthwhile
- By Jonathan Kalkstein on 09-27-22
By: John Galsworthy
-
Jane Eyre
- By: Charlotte Brontë
- Narrated by: Thandiwe Newton
- Length: 19 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 19,823
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 18,113
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 18,033
Following Jane from her childhood as an orphan in Northern England through her experience as a governess at Thornfield Hall, Charlotte Brontë's Gothic classic is an early exploration of women's independence in the mid-19th century and the pervasive societal challenges women had to endure. At Thornfield, Jane meets the complex and mysterious Mr. Rochester, with whom she shares a complicated relationship that ultimately forces her to reconcile the conflicting passions of romantic love and religious piety.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Perfect!!
- By Amazon Customer on 04-21-16
By: Charlotte Brontë
-
Ghosts: Edith Wharton's Gothic Tales
- By: Edith Wharton
- Narrated by: Alison Larkin, Jonathan Epstein, Corinna May, and others
- Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 158
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 143
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 143
Beneath the brilliance that was behind The Age of Innocence and Ethan Frome was a dark side. A dark side which produced magnificent tales of the unseen influences in our lives, such as "Mr. Jones", "The Eyes", "Kerfol", "The Ladie's Maid's Bell", and "The Looking Glass".
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Ghastly Shadows of the Feminine Condition
- By Diane on 10-16-12
By: Edith Wharton
-
Madame Bovary
- By: Gustave Flaubert
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 364
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 258
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 260
Emma Bovary is not content to be the mere dutiful wife of a French country doctor. She yearns for excitement and a sense of romance that pulls at her so strongly she is powerless to resist, even though pursuing her dreams will exact a terrible price. Learn why Gustave Flaubert's compelling heroine has enchanted and puzzled readers for centuries.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Now Here's a Story
- By P. Giorgio on 09-06-03
By: Gustave Flaubert
-
The Fair Miss Fortune
- By: D. E. Stevenson
- Narrated by: Patience Tomlinson
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 101
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 94
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 94
Jane Fortune causes a stir when she arrives in the small community of Dingleford. She has bought an old cottage and plans to open a tearoom. Old friends Charles Weatherby and Harold Prestcott both fall for the newcomer, but her behaviour seems to vary wildly – she encourages first one then the other and at other times barely recognises them. Is there more to the fair Miss Fortune than meets the eye?
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A Humorous Look at 1930s English Village Life
- By Pam on 09-13-12
By: D. E. Stevenson
-
Lady Audley's Secret
- By: Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- Narrated by: Olivia Poulet
- Length: 13 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,951
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,805
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,795
From the author of The Christmas Hirelings comes this Audible Exclusive production of Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s classic sensation novel Lady Audley’s Secret. English actress Olivia Poulet gives an assured and captivating narration; a cornerstone of the genre and a scandal at the time of its publication, Lady Audley’s Secret is an entertaining and shocking tale of high drama and shifting perceptions.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Classic 19th Century “sensation novel”
- By Susan on 08-20-19