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The Fall of the House of Usher
- Narrated by: Jack Benson
- Length: 27 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 16-05-07
- Language: English
- Publisher: Jimcin Recordings
Regular price: £2.89
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Editor reviews
Iconic macabre author Edgar Allan Poe first published "The Fall of the House of Usher" in 1839. This unsettling 20-minute short story begins when the unnamed narrator receives a letter from his friend Roderick Usher, who claims a mysterious illness is crippling him. From Usher's crumbling castle to his unnamed disease and the burial of his sister, each carefully placed detail builds a sense of doom and leads to the work's shocking ending. Jack Benson's voice proves perfect for this audiobook. With restrained pacing, Benson builds suspense until, employing a galloping speed, he supports the ending's intensity. With delightful ease, he shifts voices from the unnamed narrator to nervous Usher. Overall, Benson's performance makes Poe's gothic story utterly haunting.
Summary
What members say
Average customer ratings
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2.5 out of 5 stars
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3 out of 5 stars
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5 Stars1
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- James
- 08-06-08
Very well done.
Very well done reading of Poe's classic story.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Ward
- 19-05-15
Read the Reviews! This is NOT the entire story!
What disappointed you about The Fall of the House of Usher?
False advertising! I am usually pleased with the products I get from Audible. However, this is listed as UNABRIDGED. It is clearly abridged, only giving the beginning and ending sentences of many paragraphs. Yes, this version is inexpensive. Yes, it takes the narrator half as long to read the story. The reason has nothing to do with the narrator being expedient. The reason is that the narrator is not reading the story in its entirety.
Would you ever listen to anything by Edgar Allan Poe again?
Poe, yes. This version, no. It was a waste of my money.
How could the performance have been better?
The main improvement would be to re-categorize this title as abridged rather than mislead the customer.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
Frustration. I am going to use this version for the moment because I have wasted the time I would have spent listening to the entire story (approx. 45 as compared to this version, which is about half as long) to determine that it is indeed abridged and to write this poor review. Later, I will return to the listings to look for a truly unabridged version of the story and spend a few more of my hard earned dollars to download another version.
Any additional comments?
I have found Audible a reliable place to purchase audio books in the past, and I have been pleased with most of my purchases up until this one. I was very disappointed to find this version incorrectly labeled. I am going to contact Audible and voice my displeasure.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- B. Stiner
- 22-01-14
NOT UNABRIDGED
What disappointed you about The Fall of the House of Usher?
I purchased this for my class, but discovered I'd wasted my money when it turned out to be abridged. (This is a short story, why on earth would you abridge it?) The performance is good, but it's a straight up lie to market this recording as "unabridged."
What could Edgar Allan Poe have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
It's a great story, no problems with Poe.
Which scene was your favorite?
The song (which is not in this recording)
If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Fall of the House of Usher?
None, I'd have actually included the whole short story!
Any additional comments?
Audible, this is a deceptive listing. I'm asking for my money back.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kylie
- 24-04-13
Abridged Version
What disappointed you about The Fall of the House of Usher?
Story is labeled as a unabridged version, lies. The story omitted several places. I bought this for my class to listen to. It was very hard to keep up because the story skipped ahead so often.