A moment occurs towards the end of this classic novel of crime and punishment when Grover Gardner delivers the voices of men on death row. Some sound resigned, others complain, one moans. These emulations of misery are palpable and demonstrate Gardner's subtle expertise as a narrator. A master performer, he elevates this naturalistic novel, an account of the strivings and... Read More
Ben Miles does an exceptional job narrating Dostoevsky's masterpiece. The novel revolves around the three Karamazov brothers and their father. It includes many of the themes found in the author's other works: murder, courtroom drama, toxic relationships, sensuality, as well as some of Dostoevsky's most profound and deepest philosophical and theological ideas. The Karamazovs are... Read More
In a tone equal parts naïve and urbane, Matt Bomer brings an authentic and absolutely American middle-class voice to James Baldwin's 1956 bestseller. The story, controversial at the time, is about a white New Yorker living in Paris who has a fiery and ultimately tragic love affair with a young, gay Italian bartender while his fiancée is on holiday in Spain. In his fine... Read More
The introduction to James Baldwin's American classic, which takes place in 1930s Harlem, is narrated in a steady, warm voice by Roxane Gay. The story involves a series of flashbacks that explain one special day in the life of 14-year-old John. As is often the case in Baldwin's early writing, the evangelical Christian church plays a part. Narrator Joe Morton begins the novel in... Read More
Crews's novel, published in 1988, is finally on audio, and it's worth the wait. Matt Godfrey's masterful storytelling brings it to life. Part of "Southern grit lit," the story focuses on Eugene Talmadge Biggs, a prizefighter who discovers that his most lucrative skill is his ability to knock himself unconscious. Biggs capitalizes on the public's thirst to see this talent,... Read More
This audiobook begins with a thoughtful foreword, written and narrated by Idra Novey, and a comprehensive introduction that provides essential historical and linguistic context, narrated by translator Gwendolyn Harper. Then, Vico Ortiz vividly narrates the selection of crónicas (short chronicles) written by Chilean queer activist and artist Pedro Lemebel. These essays are a... Read More
While most would not consider a Kafka work to be a pleasant listening experience, Pugh does a splendid job at narrating Kafka's account of the (mis)adventures of one Karl Rossman in a post-World War America. The plot is not as surreal as the author's METAMORPHOSIS or some of his fables such as "Before the Law," but it is nevertheless a somewhat surreal set of adventures,... Read More
Pater's essays on classical, late Medieval, and, primarily, Renaissance art and literature are written in high-flown style, intellectually and aesthetically impassioned, and Leighton Pugh delivers them at that elevated pitch. That can be wearying, and perhaps he should have sought a more varied tone, but it's easy to be caught up in his performance. His voice is a fine... Read More
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