New Reviews: Classics

With his fancy-free tone and a charming Irish lilt, Liam Gerrard has a great time reading this entertaining collection of classic Irish folktales, tall tales, and poems. All are centered on the larger-than-life exploits of the ancient clan leader, seer, and poet Finn MacCool. Finn is credited with building the Giant's Causeway, marauding with Druids, and eating the Salmon of... Read More

With a flair for dramatic dialogue and intense, unsettling imagery, narrator Jot Davies accentuates the vivid dreamlike qualities of this 1933 novel by the openly gay German author Friedo Lampe. At a river's edge on a single warm summer's evening, a group of characters ranging from sailors to students to lovers and a father-son magic act interact in this early example of magic... Read More

This audio version of Waugh's first published work exudes satire at every turn. When Paul Pennyfeather is thrown out of school, he is forced to find his way in life as a schoolmaster. This change in circumstances leads to all manner of misadventures, each one rich with opportunities to make fun of 1920s British society. Stefan Rudnicki's resonant voice carries such depth that... Read More

Jack de Golia narrates the introductory novel in the Lone Wolf series. First published in 1914, the series features the Lone Wolf, Michael Lanyard. De Golia performs with appropriate objectivity, engaging listeners despite the dated language. Revelations of Lanyard's disturbing early history add credibility to his development into a jewel thief. When a group of underworld types... Read More

Juliet Stevenson brings her usual alacrity to this challenging audiobook. Woolf's unconventional novel is in expert hands with Stevenson, whose rich voice and lilting accent keep the listener on track through the many shifts and changes in the plot. Called a "biography" by Woolf herself, the story follows protagonist Orlando through centuries of change, including Orlando's... Read More

Published in 1928, this accomplished novel of ideas is given a splendid narration by Golden Voice Stefan Rudnicki. His exceptionally clear enunciation and steady pace help listeners take in what is arguably Huxley's most complex work. Peopled with a huge coterie of musicians, writers, artists, military officers, and members of the British aristocracy--many of whom are based on... Read More

Helen Lloyd's masterful narration evokes the honest emotion of D.H. Lawrence's haunting prose in SONS AND LOVERS. The novel centers on Mrs. Morel's domineering hold on her two sons' affections and their subsequent struggles to establish strong relationships with women. Lloyd's gentle cadence moves the plot forward with grace and ease, and her attention to the characters' local... Read More

The January of this audiobook's title is no ordinary month. In this wintry time, we meet six courageous escapees from Nazi death marches who are thrust together in a battle for survival. Rupert Degas is a master of accents and emotions as he delivers conversations featuring Russian, French, German, and Polish characters whose mindsets swing between relieved exultation and... Read More

A.A. Milne called THE WAY OF ALL FLESH the second-best novel in the English language, but it remains one of the least known. In this audio version David Timson brings out all of its wit and charm, although some knowledge of Victorian Britain may be necessary to appreciate the extent of its satire. Among the five generations of the Pontifex family, there are a fair number of... Read More