New Reviews: Classics

Like an autocrat of a nineteenth-century drawing room, Daniel Henning captures the pedantic wit of Edith Wharton's keenly observant masterpiece about a "long vanished America," which won a 1921 Pulitzer Prize. It's the Gilded Age of the 1870s, and a young scion of one of New York's finest and most influential families is about to marry the girl of his dreams, also a member of... Read More

A poet, performance artist, and devotee of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes presents a selection of Hughes's early poems, songs, and other writings, created from 1921 to 1927. Danez Smith is extraordinary at performing their stirring introduction to Hughes's early creative output. With their clear baritone voice and extraordinary vocal talent, Smith's performance is... Read More

There's no question that CANDIDE, written in 1759, is a classic and Voltaire's masterpiece, but most people today probably don't know it. This audio version is an easy-to-swallow rendition in which narrator Martyn Swain seems to be having quite a good time telling the story. He mostly uses accents to portray the many characters, and his range of accents is impressive, including... Read More

Charlotte Brontë's skill ensured her place in literary history, and this audiobook delves deeply into her life and times. Lucy Scott is the consummate British narrator. Her brisk pace and animated tone remain consistent throughout this extensive audio performance. Supporting cast members are used well to voice various primary sources; these moments highlight the quotations and... Read More

Not all of the damsels in this audiobook are in distress. One of them needs Galahad only to lend her a sword. Aside from that, these "rediscovered" tales hew pretty closely to the style and tone of medieval Arthuriana. A lot of the humor comes from the puckish introduction and footnotes, which treat the tales as serious historical documents. Narrator Simon Vance does his usual... Read More

Gertrude Bell recounts her 1892 tour of Persia (Iran) and Turkey. A late-Victorian floweriness and a sometimes condescending Orientalism are balanced by Bell's open mind, good nature, intelligence, and astute observations--all of which Juliet Stevenson conveys. Her narration is clear and energetic, and her voice, though somewhat nasal in her characterization of the author, is... Read More

Laurel Lefkow performs the second in Willa Cather's Great Plains trilogy in a precise, sweet voice that highlights the author's expressive prose. The 1915 novel is the story of Thea Kronberg, a talented girl from a humble home in a Colorado mountain town who, through hard work and luck, goes on to operatic fame. Set in the era of the burgeoning West, replete with railroads,... Read More

This fresh production of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's classic short stories featuring strong and enterprising women pairs perfectly with the vocal talents of Laurel Lefkow. Lefkow lends emotional nuance to their pragmatism, courage, and desire as they transcend stifling societal expectations in stories like "The Widow's Might," "Bee Wise," and "An Elopement." "The Yellow... Read More