Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #57082 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-28
• Formats: Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 6
• Binding: Audio CD

From AudioFile
Here we have 22 comic and dramatic short stories. Two are French, a few more American, and the majority are by British Victorian and Edwardian writers. The overall atmosphere of the volume is gothic. (Only F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Pat Hobby and Orson Welles" seems out of place.) The stories vary in familiarity, from W.W. Jacobs's relatively obscure "For Better or Worse" to the same author's overexposed "Monkey's Paw." In between are short works by Kipling, Mansfield, Poe, Hawthorne, Maupassant, and other masters. The collection boasts performances by veteran British actors-- including such audio luminaries as Derek Jacobi, Martin Jarvis, Rosalind Ayres, Stephen Fry, and the late Sir Nigel Hawthorne. The readings range from fine to superb. Not a dud in the lot. Y.R. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully done!!
I have read many of these stories and enjoyed them tremendously over the years. They have been brought to life in this audio series. Many of the stories kept me awake at night( Lost Hearts, The Monkey's Paw,The Tell Tale Heart)when I read them in print. The Audio version is even better. The actors chosen to narrate this collection are outstanding and give a new interpretation to these classic tales.

One of the good ones
This collection has a good selection of stories and readers that entertains for the whole production. The stories are all different so there is no danger of boredom. The readers are trained experts so it is very enjoyable. I fully recommend this audiobook

A real listening pleasure
I enjoy the varied readers of these English and American Gothic masterpieces.The readers have achieved a fine balance between dramatization and plain reading.
Although some of the British authors are new to me, especially the wickedly witty, Saki, I have not read several of the old Gothic American stories since high school English class, so they return as a surprise to me when heard in a more mature way now. For instance, I was driving along listening to "The Black Cat" and was so shocked at what was happening in the story that I turned it off. Then I drove for a while and realized I simply had to know what happened next, and turned it back on. To me that is a sign of great literature.
Of course, many of these short stories are not for children and the parent who complained about their content might want to pre-screen the stories her child listens to.
Hearing these stories again has been a real listening pleasure for me.