Literary Fiction Audiobooks | Literature

"In Slipstream, Leslie Larson traces the intertwining paths of five characters as each struggles to stay afloat in the face of major setbacks, minor failures, and a reckless pursuit of elusive second chances. When Rudy loses his job cleaning jets at the airport, his sanity and his marriage threaten to follow. While his wife, Inez, secretly saves her pennies and plots an escape, his coworker Wylie, a bartender at LAX, is about to receive the surprise of his life. Meanwhile, Wylie’s brother, Logan, freshly released from jail, tries desperately to stay out of trouble while traipsing through a minefield of temptation. And Logan’s daughter Jewell is nursing a heart broken once by an unfaithful girlfriend and again by a father who can’t seem to stick around. Though they don’t know it, these five people are headed toward an explosive event that will have consequences for them all. Deftly weaving suspense, humor, and revelation, Slipstream is a rich human drama with the breathless pace of a thriller and the soul of classic noir. Also available as a Books on Tape AudioBook and as an eBook"

Leslie Larson (Author), Stephen Hoye (Narrator)

Audiobook

Fear of Flying

"Originally published in 1973, the groundbreaking, uninhibited story of Isadora Wing and her desire to fly free caused a national sensation. In The New York Times, Henry Miller compared it to his own classic, Tropic of Cancer and predicted that ''this book will make literary history...'' It has sold more than twelve million copies. Now, after thirty years, the revolutionary novel known as Fear of Flying still stands as a timeless tale of self-discovery, liberation, and womanhood."

Erica Jong (Author), Hope Davis (Narrator)

Audiobook

Bloomsday on Broadway XXIV

"Bloomsday on Broadway celebrates June 16, 1904, the most famous fictional date in literature, when Leopold Bloom walked around Dublin in the pages of James Joyce's Ulysses. Since 1981, Hundreds of acclaimed actors have joined avid Joyceans, writers, critics and scholars on stage at Symphony Space to read selections from the book that heralded the birth of modern literature. Bloomsday on Broadway XXIV: Leopold's Women Bloom was recorded at Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City on Thursday, June 16th 2005 from 7pm until after midnight, broadcast live on WBAI and streamed over the internet on The Bloomsday Radio Network at symphonyspace.org. Presented by Selected Shorts"

Various Authors (Author), Various Readers (Narrator)

Audiobook

Paradise Alley: A Novel

"At the height of the Civil War, word spreads through the poorest quarters of New York City that a military draft is about to be implemented -- a draft from which any rich man's son can buy an exemption. The outrage this inspires escalates into the worst urban conflagration in American history. Down in the waterfront slum of Paradise Alley, three women -- Deirdre Dolan O'Kane, Ruth Dove, and Maddy Boyle -- struggle with their private fears as they wait for the storm to descend upon them. Deirdre, devastated by the news that her husband, Tom, has been wounded in Gettysburg, must turn for comfort and aid to two women she has always judged as morally depraved -- Ruth, married to an ex-slave, and Maddy, a hard-living prostitute."

Kevin Baker (Author), Kevin Baker (Narrator)

Audiobook

Light in August

"From the Nobel Prize winner-one of the most highly acclaimed writers of the twentieth century-a novel set in the American South during Prohibition about hopeful perseverance in the face of mortality. Light in August features some of Faulkner's most memorable characters: guileless, dauntless Lena Grove, in search of the father of her unborn child; Reverend Gail Hightower, who is plagued by visions of Confederate horsemen; and Joe Christmas, a desperate, enigmatic drifter consumed by his mixed ancestry. "Read, read, read. Read everything-trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You'll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you'll find out. If it's not, throw it out the window." -William Faulkner"

William Faulkner (Author), Scott Brick (Narrator)

Audiobook

Abide With Me: A Novel

"NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Olive Kitteridge and My Name is Lucy Barton comes a "deeply moving" (The Washington Post) novel that "confirms Strout as the possessor of an irresistibly companionable, peculiarly American voice" (The Atlantic Monthly). "Superb . . . a shimmering tale of loss, faith, and human fallibility."-O: The Oprah Magazine In the late 1950s, in a small New England town, Reverend Tyler Caskey has suffered a terrible loss and finds it hard to be the person he once was. He struggles to find the right words in his sermons and in his conversations with those facing crises of their own, and to bring his five-year-old daughter, Katherine, out of the silence she has observed in the wake of the family's tragedy. Tyler's usually patient and kind congregation now questions his leadership and propriety, and accusations are born out of anger and gossip. Then, in Tyler's darkest hour, a startling discovery will test his parish's humanity-and his own will to endure the trials that sooner or later test us all."

Elizabeth Strout (Author), Bernadette Dunne (Narrator)

Audiobook

Intuition

"Hailed as “a writer of uncommon clarity” by the New Yorker, National Book Award finalist Allegra Goodman has dazzled readers with her acclaimed works of fiction, including such beloved bestsellers as The Family Markowitz and Kaaterskill Falls. Now she returns with a bracing new novel, at once an intricate mystery and a rich human drama set in the high-stakes atmosphere of a prestigious research institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sandy Glass, a charismatic publicity-seeking oncologist, and Marion Mendelssohn, a pure, exacting scientist, are codirectors of a lab at the Philpott Institute dedicated to cancer research and desperately in need of a grant. Both mentors and supervisors of their young postdoctoral protégés, Glass and Mendelssohn demand dedication and obedience in a competitive environment where funding is scarce and results elusive. So when the experiments of Cliff Bannaker, a young postdoc in a rut, begin to work, the entire lab becomes giddy with newfound expectations. But Cliff’s rigorous colleague–and girlfriend–Robin Decker suspects the unthinkable: that his findings are fraudulent. As Robin makes her private doubts public and Cliff maintains his innocence, a life-changing controversy engulfs the lab and everyone in it. With extraordinary insight, Allegra Goodman brilliantly explores the intricate mixture of workplace intrigue, scientific ardor, and the moral consequences of a rush to judgment. She has written an unforgettable novel."

Allegra Goodman (Author), Kathe Mazur (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

"Robert Louis Stevenson's brilliant story is a chilling mystery exploring the complexity of human nature, the combination of good and evil in everyone. Dr. Henry Jekyll is good man, a hardworking scientist who is causing his friends great worry about his relationship with Edward Hyde, a violent, disagreeable man, who is in constant trouble. An innocent man is murdered, and Mr. Hyde is the only suspect. How is Mr.Jekyll intimately involved in this death? How this mystery unravels has held fans spellbound for more than 150 years. Table of Contents Chapter 01. Story of the Door Chapter 02. Search for Mr. Hyde Chapter 03. Dr. Jekyll was Quite at Ease Chapter 04. The Carew Murder Case Chapter 05. Incident of the Letter Chapter 06. Remarkable Incident of Dr. Lanyon Chapter 07. Incident at the Window Chapter 08. The Last Night Chapter 09. Dr. Lanyon's Narrative Chapter 10. Henry Jekyll's Full Statement of the Case AUTHOR Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) was a Scottish author and poet. The son and grandson of lighthouse designers, Stevenson spent a great deal of time with his father, listening to the tall tales of sailors, planting the seeds that became ""Treasure Island"" and ""Kidnapped"". In chronic poor health, Stevenson became a voracious reader as a child, and a beloved nanny encouraged him to write. Although supportive of his desire to become a writer, his parents insisted on a backup plan, which was a law degree. The law degree was unnecessary, Stevenson's wanderlust provided opportunities for travel writing and in pursuit of healthier climates, Stevenson traveled the world. Extremely popular during his lifetime, Stevenson finally found a pleasing climate in Samoa and lived happily ever after with his beloved wife. COMMENTARY Reviews for Alcazar AudioWorks' production of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is brought to life by the reading by David Thorn at Alcazar Audio Works. The classic Robert Louis Stevenson story tells about a doctor who, through frightening experiments, goes mad. It opens with friends talking about events seen recently in the area. The two men realize after a time that the horror that plagues the area is connected somehow to another school friend who has been somewhat aloof from his former classmates. Clearly, the standards of English society are displayed by Dr. Jekyll's comrades. Their efforts to understand the relationship between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde bring them to the point of doom. There is something wrong with Mr. Hyde. They just know it. Why do they despise Mr. Hyde so? Who is this Mr. Hyde who appears suddenly out of nowhere? Why is Mr. Hyde the sole heir to Dr. Jekyll's estate? Will Hyde be the end of Dr. Jekyll? This intriguing tale may lead readers to question the limits of science and personal experimentation with potions and the unknown. Books on CD are a great way to expose kids to classic stories. They may listen to the stories while on a long car trip. They may listen to the stories while drawing or some other activity. Unabridged audiobooks like this one can also help students who are working to improve their reading level or reading comprehension; by listen to another reader and following along in the book, the student has the opportunity to learn and understanding of the story better. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is one of my personal favorite scary stories. This story has been made into some very fine movies through the years and although I enjoy the movies, there is nothing like vivid imagination creating the heinous Mr. Hyde to scare and perplex a teen mind. Reviewed By: Kate O'Mara - EHO Eclectic Homeschool Online ""

Robert Louis Stevenson (Author), David Thorn (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

"Published after his death, Dickens brilliantly brings to life a broad cast of colorful characters in the never solved mysterious disappearance of one Edwin Drood, all set in the rural hamlet of Cloisterham around the Cathedral close. The Mystery of Edwin Drood is Charles Dickens's brilliant contribution to the field of crime and detection. In fact, the novel is even more of a mystery than Dickens himself intended, for he died before completing it, making it a favorite of literary detectives. Against a background of opium dens, nocturnal graveyard visits, and moldering monastic crypts, Dickens weaves a tightly knit plot centered on the ominous disappearance of young Edwin Drood. Suspected of foul murder are John Jasper, a drug-addicted choir-master who hungers after Drood's fiancée, and Neville Landless, a Ceylonese who had previously quarreled violently with the missing man. With dark, brooding atmosphere and masterful characterization, Dickens is at the height of his powers in this final work. Table of Contents: Chapter 01: The Dawn Chapter 02: A Dean, and a Chapter Also Chapter 03: The Nuns' House Chapter 04: Mr. Sapsea Chapter 05: Mr. Durdles and Friend Chapter 06: Philanthropy in Minor Canon Corner Chapter 07: More Confidences Than One Chapter 08: Daggers Drawn Chapter 09: Birds in the Bush Chapter 10: Smoothing the Way Chapter 11: A Picture And A Ring Chapter 12: A Night With Durdles Chapter 13: Both at Their Best Chapter 14: When Shall These Three Meet Again? Chapter 15: Impeached Chapter 16: Devoted Chapter 17: Philanthropy, Professional and Unprofessional Chapter 18: A Settler in Cloisterham Chapter 19: Shadow on the Sun-Dial Chapter 20: A Flight Chapter 21: A Recognition Chapter 22: A Gritty State of Things Comes On Chapter 23: The Dawn Again AUTHOR Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England, the second of eight children in a family continually plagued by debt. A legacy brought release from the nightmare of debtors' prison and child labor and afforded him a few years of formal schooling. He worked as an attorney's clerk and newspaper reporter until his early writings brought him the amazing success that was to be his for the remainder of his life. He was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, and he remains popular, responsible for some of English literature's most iconic characters. COMMENTARY Reviews for Alcazar AudioWorks' production of The Mystery of Edwin Drood David Thorn reads Dickens's last, incomplete, novel, a dark romance involving a disappearance and possible murder, with a variety of voices and accents worthy of a multicast performance and an extraordinary range of color and expression. His reading, complex but neither forced nor affected, is both intimate and vivid, enlivening passages that might have been dull. One quibble: Some voices don't match Dickens's description. Thorn attempts the audacious tactic of maturing Drood and his betrothed, Rosa, by subtly altering their voices over time. He miscalculates only in starting them too callow and silly; by the time the change comes (and it succeeds remarkably), it's too little too late. A pity this is only a fragment. W.M. 2006 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 06] ""

Charles Dickens (Author), David Thorn (Narrator)

Audiobook

Anthem

"Anthem is set in a distant collectivist future, when every form and emblem of individualism have been erased and society has reverted to a preindustrial level. In this novella, as many of her writings, Ayn dramatizes her philosophy of Objectivism in the main character. Its hero is a scientist in a world where the pursuit of knowledge is a crime, and he struggles against the established society to discover the meaning of individual freedom."

Ayn Rand (Author), Michael Scott (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Cossacks

"Olenin is an aimless young nobleman who is disenchanted with city life. Taking a post as a Cadet in the army, he finds himself assigned to the remote Cossack outpost in the Caucasus. It is here, among the Tatars, the Chechens, and the Old Believers, that he will fall in love with a beautiful Cossack girl. The only problem is that she is promised to a Cossack warrior. In the setting of what is present-day Kazakhstan, Tolstoy examines two psychological problems. The first is the dilemma of a young man who desires both fulfilling love and a place as a respected member of society. The other is the difficulty of a primitive society to accept domination by a higher culture that has no understanding of the traditions it asks its colonists to cast aside."

Leo Tolstoy (Author), David Thorn (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Light That Failed

"Dick Heldar is a war correspondent and an artist, well known for the drawings he sends home to the London papers from wars in exotic places like Sudan. When he returns to London, he attempts to make a career for himself as a serious artist and reencounters his childhood sweetheart, Maisie. Then he learns that a minor problem with his eyes is actually the onset of an incurable blindness, the result of a head injury during the war. As his vision fails, the light of everything around him-his life, hopes, and dreams-fails with it. Terrible choices must be made between the love of a woman and the love of the men who stood by him at the front."

Rudyard Kipling (Author), Al Bedrosian, Bobbie Frohman, David Thorn, Dennis Glover, Kevin Kennedy, Lou Spiegel, Marilyn Rose, Stuart Bennett, Susan McCarthy (Narrator)

Audiobook

Literary Fiction Audiobooks in Literature