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The Portrait of a Lady (Classic Serial)
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Madame Bovary, one of the great novels of 19th-century France, Flaubert draws a deeply felt and sympathetic portrait of a woman who, having married a country doctor and found herself unhappy with a rural, genteel existence, longs for love and excitement. However, her aspirations and her desires to escape only bring her further disappointment and eventually lead to unexpected, painful consequences. Flaubert’s critical portrait of bourgeois provincial life remains as powerful as ever
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The Golden Bowl
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- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 25 hrs and 6 mins
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-
Overall
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Performance
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Story
Wealthy Maggie Verver has everything she could ever ask for - except a husband and a title. While in Italy, acquiring art for his museum back in the States, Maggie’s millionaire father, Adam, decides to remedy this and acquire a husband for Maggie. Enter Prince Amerigo, of a titled but now poor aristocratic Florentine family. Amerigo is the perfect candidate.
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- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A vivid and affectionate portrait of the residents of an English country town in the mid-19th century, Cranford describes a community dominated by its independent and refined women, relating the adventures of Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, two middle-aged spinster sisters striving to live with dignity in reduced circumstances. Through a series of satirical vignettes, Gaskell sympathetically portrays changing small town customs and values in mid-Victorian England....
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- Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beautiful, sophisticated and endlessly ambitious Lily Bart endeavours to climb the social ladder of New York's elite by securing a good match and living beyond her means. Now nearing 30 years of age and having rejected several proposals, forever in the hope of finding someone better, her future prospects are threatened. A damning commentary of 20th-century social order, Edith Wharton's tale established her as one of the greatest British novelists of the 1900s.
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Beautifully done.
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A Room with a View
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- Narrated by: Rebecca Hall
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this rich new audio production, acclaimed British American actress Rebecca Hall brings one of E. M. Forster's most admired works to life in this classic tale of human struggle. A charming young Englishwoman, Lucy Honeychurch, is wooed by both free-spirited George Emerson and wealthy Cecil Vyse while vacationing in Italy. Though attracted to George, Lucy becomes engaged to Cecil despite twice turning down his proposals. On hearing of the news, George confesses his love, leaving Lucy torn between marrying the more socially acceptable Cecil or George, the man she knows would bring her true happiness. Should Lucy choose social acceptance or true love?
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Forgotten How Good This Book Was...
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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Fantastic! Fantastic!
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Daisy Miller is the story of a beautiful, unconventional American girl who becomes the fascination of Frederick Winterbourne, a sophisticated compatriot. His pursuit of her is hampered by her flirtatiousness and flagrant disregard for the customs and behavior of the other expatriates when they meet in Switzerland and Italy.
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Ruth
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Performance
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Story
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The
- By Lisa on 10-02-09
Summary
Henry James's novel, dramatised by Rachel Joyce.
Young and beautiful, Isabel Archer thinks that she is in control of her fate. Little does she know, however, that others behind the scenes are pulling the strings. The beautiful and free-spirited Isabel Archer is now a very rich woman. Two men have declared their love for her but she does not want to be married. Resolved to enjoy her fortune, she begins her travels.
Starring Anna Maxwell Martin, Haydn Gwynne, Robert Bathurst, Gayle Hunnicutt, and full cast. Pianist: Duncan Walsh Atkins. Directed by Tracey Neale.
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- Zrinka
- 28-02-17
Very good as dramatisation but can't replace the book
I liked the dramatization but, as with any dramatization, it is missing a deeper insights into characters. I think I prefere reading or listening to the full book over listening to this sort of radio-play (however good it may be)
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- SJC
- 27-04-14
First time Henry James reader. Not impressed.
What disappointed you about The Portrait of a Lady (Classic Serial)?
I found the female characters to be a little slow and overall ridiculous. The men were mostly portrayed as either abusive or love sick to the point of ignorance.
What was most disappointing about Henry James and Rachel Joyce (dramatisation) ’s story?
The lack of a definitive plot line. It seemed to meander about with no place to go.
Did the narrators do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?
Mostly.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Not that I could tell. As a historical novel, it was sadly short of the writings of Jane Austin.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful