New Reviews: Classics

A relatively quick listen, this audiobook takes the listener into the tortured minds of two famous literary narrators. Derek Perkins narrates Stevenson's famous novella. He renders the excitement of the mystery of Mr. Hyde and gives voice to a range of characters from the servant Poole to the lawyer Utterson. He particularly captures Dr. Jekyll's desperation once the story... Read More

Narrator David Shaw-Parker continues his marvelous tour of Trollope with this audiobook from the Palliser novels. Although the Pallisers are minor characters in this volume, we do get Shaw-Parker's memorable portrayal of the Duke of Omnium, as well as Lady Eustace's almost-but-not-quite-incomprehensible rural Scottish steward, Andy Gowran. Without doing full impersonations,... Read More

The joint tomb of Peter and Heloise Abelard remains one of the most visited sites in Paris even though they died long ago, in the twelfth century. Their story of a love that endured despite the opposition of her family and the Church, and despite his mutilation, has been retold many times, and every version is based on the authentic documents in this audiobook. Of the nine... Read More

Julian Rhind-Tutt sounds as if he's having as much excitement as the Scarlet Pimpernel in this classic adventure novel, which means that listeners do, too. A quick reminder: During the French Revolution, a disguised Englishman is saving French aristocrats from "Madame Guillotine" and secreting them to safety. Who could he be? Will they catch him? And how can one narrator be... Read More

Expectations should be great when listening to a classic like A TALE OF TWO CITIES. Narrator Simon Callow has the expected British accent, a multitude of inflections for the many different characters, and smooth transitions from dramatic reading to scene-setting narrative. But the production quality of this work falls short. Too often a deep breath preceding a passage, or a... Read More

Sir Walter Scott's first historical novel takes place during the Jacobite Uprising of 1745. Young Englishman Edward Waverly goes to Scotland in the army but becomes intrigued by the Highlanders' cause and eventually changes his support from the Hanoverians to the Jacobites. David Rintoul's narration gives a natural cadence to Scott's prose. His clear, deep voice emphasizes the... Read More