検索キーワード： ナレーター "Sara Nichols" すべてのカテゴリー

In O Pioneers, we meet the Bergsons, a family of farmers in the fictional town of Hanover, Nebraska who have emigrated to America from Sweden. When the family patriarch dies, the running of the farm falls to the eldest daughter, Alexandra, who struggles to make the farm viable and provide for the family. Eventually, the focus turns to the romantic entanglements of Alexandra and her brother as well as touching upon the enormous difficulties of running a farm at the turn of the last century.

"The Age of Innocence" is considered by many critics to be author Edith Wharton's masterpiece. When it was published in 1920, it was received with rapturous reviews and earned Wharton the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, making her the first woman in history to receive this honor. Set amid the aristocracy of New York City in the early part of the 20th century—a world with which Wharton was deeply familiar—the book relates the story of Newland Archer, a rich New York bachelor who has become engaged to fellow socialite May Welland.

Jane Austen's "Northanger Abbey" took a meandering course toward publication. Originally written in 1803 as a satire of the popular Gothic novels of the day, the book was not published until after Austen's death in 1817. The story concerns seventeen-year-old Catherine Morland, who has lived her entire life in the small village of Fullerton with her parents and nine siblings. This sedate (and frankly boring) life is upended when Catherine receives an invitation to visit the resort city of Bath and thus break out of her humdrum existence.

Long hailed as one of the most brilliant and beloved authors of the Edwardian era, E.M. Forster's works have become among the most critically acclaimed and cherished novels of the past hundred years and have been adapted numerous times for the stage and screen. "A Room With a View" and "Howards End" are presented here in their original and unabridged formats, narrated by renowned audiobook performer Sara Nichols, best known for her readings of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" and Willa Cather's Prairie Trilogy.

The story revolves around three disparate families: the idealistic Schlegels (consisting of Margaret, Helen and brother Tibby), the wealthy Wilcox family (parents Henry and Ruth and their children) and the impoverished Basts (Leonard and his wife Jacky). When the Wilcox family moves to London and discover they are living close to their new acquaintances the Schlegels, a friendship is kindled between the infirm Ruth Wilcox and Margaret Schlegel. Ruth - who has a strong attachment to her country house called Howards End - pens a note leaving the house to Margaret.

In "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes," Sir Arthur Conan Doyle attempted a feat that even the greatest criminal minds in England could not accomplish: He tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes. (And he very nearly succeeded.) Doyle's 1894 collection of short stories—which featured some of the most enjoyable tales in the Holmes canon, including "Silver Blaze," "The Musgrave Ritual" and "The Crooked Man"—concludes with what was meant to be the last Sherlock Holmes story, "The Final Problem."

Collected here are three of E.M. Forster's classic novels: "A Room With a View," "Howards End" and "A Passage to India," each a stand-alone masterpiece and all of them celebrated as among the finest novels of early 20th century literature.

The story - one of Forster's darkest tales - revolves around a trip to India by British schoolmistress Adela Quested and her companion, Mrs. Moore. After meeting with a local physician, Dr. Aziz, the two visitors travel with him on a tour of the famous Marabar Caves. While exploring a dark cave alone, Adela is forced to fend off a mysterious attacker and Dr. Aziz - who became separated from the party - is accused of assault.

"The Return of Sherlock Holmes" heralded the triumphant resurrection of the world's greatest consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, after his apparent (and untimely) demise in the story "The Final Problem." Under intense pressure from his fans to bring him back after having killed off Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle finally relented and, in "The Adventure of the Empty House," explains how Holmes escaped the same, dismal fate as his nemesis, Professor Moriarty.

Presented here are the third, fourth and fifth books of the Sherlock Holmes canon: the novel "The Hound of the Baskervilles" and short story collections "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" and "The Return of Sherlock Holmes," all written by Holmes' legendary creator, the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Collected here are some of the most beloved and revered of Doyle's Holmes stories.

The most romantic literary lovers in history: Heathcliff and Cathy. Frederic and Catherine. Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Now, all three of their classic stories are collected in one volume: the Classic Romance Collection - Volume II featuring Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights," Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" and F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby."

In the story, we meet Mrs. Dashwood and her three daughters, who are betrayed by a family member and left in dire financial straits. Since none of the girls will come with a dowry, the prospects of their marrying well are extremely unlikely. One day, while out for a walk in the rain, the middle daughter, Marianne, twists her ankle and is rescued by the handsome Mr. Willoughby. Though cautioned by her older sister Elinor to be wary, Marianne - blinded by love - rushes into the budding romance headlong...with grim consequences.

Viewed from an historical perspective, Jane Austen's novels should not exist. She was born during a period where female writers (if they dared to write at all) were dismissed, ignored, and dissuaded from writing altogether. The fact that Ms. Austen went ahead and created the novels contained in this collection—which have gone on to become some of the most treasured books in literary history—is nothing short of a miracle.

In Volume II, we present Austen's timeless classics "Sense and Sensibility," "Northanger Abbey" and "Emma." Though the books only received modest attention and few reviews at the time of their first release ("Northanger Abbey" was, in fact, published posthumously), all of these books have gone on to become best-sellers are now considered to be among the finest examples of 19th century literature.

A blistering criticism of the literary world in which she lived, Charlotte Brontë's "The Biographical Notes on the Pseudonymous Bells" contains two fascinating and insightful essays by the author of "Jane Eyre" addressing her late sisters, Emily and Anne's writing careers (Emily wrote "Wuthering Heights," Anne created "Agnes Grey" and "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall").

"The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" is Anne Brontë's wildly successful and best-known novel. Written in 1848 under the pseudonym "Acton Bell" (each of the Brontë sisters wrote under pen names), it proved to be the most popular book written by the three sisters during their lifetimes. It tells the story of Helen Graham, a young woman who is courted by and marries the spoiled and self-involved Arthur Huntingdon, a charming suitor but a disastrous and cruel husband.

Predating Bram Stoker's "Dracula" by twenty-five years, Sheridan Le Fanu's "Carmilla" is one of the earliest examples of vampire fiction; a Gothic novella narrated by a young girl who becomes a victim of the title character, a female vampire with whom she also kindles a romance.

In the story, we meet young Fanny Price, an impoverished young girl who is sent to live with her wealthy family in Mansfield Park, her aunt and uncle's country estate. Fanny, seen as uncultured and boorish by her relatives, is mistreated by all of them...save cousin Edmund, for whom she kindles a secret crush. What follows is a series of love triangles (and quadrangles) among the various cousins and their prospective paramours, familial tragedies, scandals and ill-conceived affairs, all culminating in the question...will true love win in the end?

Presented here are three of the six novels written by the legendary British author Jane Austen, each a beloved and cherished masterpiece of Regency-era literature. In Volume I, we present Austen's timeless classics "Pride and Prejudice," "Mansfield Park" and "Persuasion." Though the books only received modest attention and few reviews at the time of their first release ("Persuasion" was, in fact, published posthumously), all of these books have gone on to become best-sellers are now considered to be among the finest examples of 19th century literature.

In this story, we are introduced to the Bennet family: Mr. and Mrs. Bennet...and their five daughters, each of whom (according to Mrs. Bennet) must find rich husbands as soon as possible. When Mr. Bingley - a wealthy bachelor - takes up residence in a nearby estate, the Bennets kindle hopes that he might be a good match for their eldest, Jane. Invited to a party at Bingley's estate, they are introduced to Mr. Bingley, his two sisters and his close friend Mr. Darcy, whose aloof and off-putting manner hides his secret interest in the Bennet's second oldest daughter, Elizabeth.