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

Philosophy is often presented in a dry and dull manner, but that isn't the case when it's delivered by narrator Mark Meadows. In this version of Kierkegaard's masterpiece, Meadows uses good pacing to give the listener an intricate treatment of the biblical story of Isaac's near sacrifice by his father, Abraham, and what this story may mean in the realm of faith in a higher... Read More

Nicholas Boulton's narration of the first Russian novel is an excellent match of voice and text. Lermontov's novel concerns the interactions of two Russian officers serving in the Caucasus in the 1830s. The main character, Pechorin, is a Byronic hero and quite politically incorrect. The antagonist is Grushnitsky, who competes with Pechorin for the affections of Princess Mary.... Read More

Actor Constantine Gregory demonstrates his many talents in this remarkable performance of Dostoevsky's novel. The title literally means demons or devils; the plot concerns a group of individuals who are possessed by the demons of their own lives and ideas. This long work reflects the author's views on how Western European ideas were influencing Russia. As with much of Russian... Read More

Reading Plato on the page, we tend to forget that the DIALOGUES were just that, works designed to be read aloud in an age when if you wanted a copy of a book, you had to have it made. David Rintoul, as Socrates, and an able supporting cast perform these pieces as theater, with real people discussing issues that concern them. Particularly in the APOLOGIA, Socrates's speeches... Read More