New Reviews: Classics

Actor and fiction writer Ethan Hawke narrates this classic novel with anarchic joy. He brings just the right slant, pace, and tone to this portrait of the 1950s Beat Generation. His narration exhibits the unrestrained enthusiasm that emanates from this autobiographical fiction. Protagonist Ray Smith (Kerouac's alter ego) studies Buddhism, befriends characters who are based on... Read More

This wonderful collection of essays is greatly enhanced by Alex Hyde-White's attentive narration. Orwell's essays span many topics--from his observations on Charles Dickens to his experiences in colonial Burma. His prose is varied in purpose, whether it is to relate a story, as in "Shooting an Elephant," or to explain his writing philosophy, as in "Why I Write." Throughout this... Read More

Narrator Laurel Lefkow turns her talents to the narration of Edith Wharton's best known novel. Lily Bart believes she is made for the finer things in life, but due to the financial challenges she faces upon losing her parents, she has to use her grace, beauty, and charm to climb her way up to New York's high society. Lily's morals, however, lead her to sabotage her every... Read More

This audiobook is a tour de force. The talented Joe Morton gives a virtuoso narration. Morton inhabits the novel's unnamed narrator and draws the listener into his remarkable world from the first to the last sentence. His exceptional portrayals of the wide cast of characters, ranging from a poor Southern black farmer to Harlem hipsters, white tycoons, and black matriarchs make... Read More

In narrating this audiobook, Kim Hicks handles the formal prose and excessive detail capably, making it seem manageable to all. This Victorian mystery was first published in 1862. When George Tallboys returns to England from making his fortune in Australia, he discovers that his beloved wife has just died. When Tallboys disappears, his best friend, Robert Audley, determines to... Read More

In these two short works from the mid-1600s, Descartes engages skepticism to establish a basis for philosophy. The books are personal only in the sense that Descartes begins by examining himself, but narrator Mark Meadows humanizes them by giving Descartes a distinct persona. He comes across as curious, intelligent, always questioning, earnest but not self-important, open to... Read More

Dion Graham's lively voice draws listeners into the world of this long ignored masterpiece, unpublished for nearly 90 years. His stellar narration begins with a thorough introduction that familiarizes listeners with Mckay's work during the Harlem Renaissance and provides historical context for the book's importance. The story follows an African man whose discovery as a... Read More

Save this audiobook for summer listening. Its great, and true, adventure story of Antarctic exploration will take you to frigid places on a hot day. When their ship was crushed by ice on the Southern Ocean, Shackleton led his entire party to safety across hundreds of miles of open sea more than a year later. Narrator Rupert Degas captures the spirit of the man: hearty,... Read More

Narrator Steven Marvel brings a natural style and sympathetic tone to this 1852 collection of short stories. These 25 works first made Ivan Turgenev a major voice in nineteenth-century Russian literature. The wonderfully evocative and very human sketches recount the observations of a landed gentleman who crosses central Russia in search of hunting and adventure. He often finds... Read More

Swithin St. Cleeve and Lady Constantine have a challenging relationship. Because of social pressure, neither party is free to commit to the other. Leighton Pugh's focused narration keeps the listener's attention fixed on the events of the story. He captures the somber tones of Hardy's prose without becoming monotonous. Through his vocal characterizations, Pugh aptly builds the... Read More