A Simple Story
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A Simple Story
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Narrated by:
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Juliet Stevenson
About this listen
Published in 1791, A Simple Story concerns Miss Milner, who announces her passion for her guardian, a Catholic priest, thereby breaking through the barriers of his religious vocation and society’s standards for proper female behaviour.
Central themes of the novel include the importance of proper education for women. Elizabeth Inchbald was a dramatist and actress and this can be detected in her narrative, particularly her lively dialogue. The novel was well received on its publication, with one reviewer writing that "Mrs Inchbald has discovered the true path which she ought to pursue".
In several respects A Simple Story anticipates the writing of Jane Austen, especially in Inchbald’s concise and ironic style. Here it is given a delightful reading by the acclaimed actress Juliet Stevenson.
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-
Story4 out of 5 stars 215
When Alice tumbles down, down, down a rabbit-hole one hot summer's afternoon in pursuit of a White Rabbit, she finds herself in Wonderland. And there begin the fantastical adventures that will see her experiencing extraordinary changes in size, swimming in a pool of her own tears, and attending the very maddest of tea parties.
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2 out of 5 stars
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American narrator all wrong for this book
- By A. J. Russell on 02-01-15
By: Lewis Carroll
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Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
- Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem!
- By: Seth Grahame-Smith, Jane Austen
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 4,265
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,083
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Story4 out of 5 stars 3,087
"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains." So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem.
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5 out of 5 stars
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One word - Awesome!
- By Katelyn on 05-22-09
By: Seth Grahame-Smith, and others
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Camilla
- A Picture of Youth
- By: Fanny Burney
- Narrated by: Lucy Scott
- Length: 37 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 79
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 67
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Story4 out of 5 stars 67
Among Jane Austen's favorite novels, and a key work in the rise of Romanticism, Camilla follows the story of three young women, from childhood to young adulthood, and their pursuit of matrimony. Kind but naive Camilla is in love with Edgar Mandlebert, a handsome and noble young man. Intelligent Eugenia, destined to inherit her uncle's great wealth, is plagued with misfortune as she is left disfigured by smallpox and has men court her for financial gain only. Meanwhile their cousin, beautiful but selfish Indiana, never finds a fortune for her good looks.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Perfection!
- By Jen42 on 11-19-20
By: Fanny Burney
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Joseph Andrews
- The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams
- By: Henry Fielding
- Narrated by: Rufus Sewell
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 37
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 35
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Story4 out of 5 stars 34
Riotous, sexy and groundbreaking, Henry Fielding's Joseph Andrews: The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and His Friend Mr. Abraham Adams, published in 1742, was one of the first English novels. Fielding was melding and parodying the two major forces battling for control of the fiction market at the time - the mock heroic, neoclassical tradition as practiced by Pope and Swift and the popular and populist fiction of the new novelists such as Defoe and Richardson.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A perfect reader for Henry Fielding
- By TiffanyD on 07-27-17
By: Henry Fielding
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The Confessions
- By: Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Narrated by: Frederick Davidson
- Length: 30 hrs
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 57
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 49
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Story4 out of 5 stars 47
Dr. Johnson may have been correct in saying that “Rousseau was a very bad man,” but none can argue that his ideas are among the most influential in all of world history. It was Rousseau, the father of the romantic movement, who was responsible for introducing at least two modern day thoughts that pervade academia. The Confessions is Rousseau’s landmark autobiography. Both brilliant and flawed, it is nonetheless beautifully written and remains one of the most moving human documents in all of literature.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Extraordinary in its ordinariness...
- By Varni-Maree on 08-28-12
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Clarissa, or The History of a Young Lady, Volume 1
- By: Samuel Richardson
- Narrated by: Samuel West, Lucy Scott, Roger May, and others
- Length: 33 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 62
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 52
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 51
A milestone in the history of the novel, Samuel Richardson’s epistolary and elaborate Clarissa follows the life of a chaste young woman desperate to protect her virtue. When beautiful Clarissa Harlowe is forced to marry the rich but repulsive Mr. Solmes, she refuses, much to her family’s chagrin. She escapes their persecution with the help of Mr. Lovelace, a dashing and seductive rake, but soon finds herself in a far worse dilemma. Terrifying and enlightening, Clarissa weaves a tapestry of narrative experimentation into a gripping morality tale of good versus evil.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Gripping Novel & Performance
- By Harold on 07-29-18
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Vicar of Wakefield
- By: Oliver Goldsmith
- Narrated by: Patrick Tull
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 73
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 47
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Story4 out of 5 stars 50
The simple village vicar, Mr. Primrose, is living with his wife and six children in complete tranquility until unexpected calamities force them to weather one hilarious adventure after another. Goldsmith plays out this classic comedy of manners with a light, ironic touch that is irresistibly charming.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Snidely Whiplash Ravishes Hapless Maidens
- By Joseph R on 12-26-09
By: Oliver Goldsmith
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Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded
- By: Samuel Richardson
- Narrated by: Clare Corbett, Full Cast
- Length: 21 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 123
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 113
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Story3.5 out of 5 stars 114
Samuel Richardson's epistolary novel Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded, published in 1740, tells the story of a young woman's resistance to the desires of her predatory master. Pamela is determined to protect her virginity and remain a paragon of virtue; however, the heroine's moral principles only strengthen the resolve of Mr. B and Pamela soon finds herself imprisoned against her will. The young woman's affection for her captor gradually grows and she becomes aware of a love that combines eros and agape.
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5 out of 5 stars
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The one, the only, Pamela!
- By Eve Howard on 09-07-17
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The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
- By: Anne Brontë
- Narrated by: Mary Sarah Agliotta
- Length: 13 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 538
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Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 478
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 473
Probably the most shocking of the Brontës' novels, this novel had an instant and phenomenal success and is widely considered to be one of the first sustained feminist novels. A mysterious widow, Mrs. Helen Graham, arrives at Wildfell Hall, a nearby old mansion. A source of curiosity for the small community, the reticent Helen and her young son Arthur are slowly drawn into the social circles of the village.
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2 out of 5 stars
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A good story ruined by the narrator
- By i. Ski on 04-17-14
By: Anne Brontë
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Lady Windermere's Fan
- By: Oscar Wilde
- Narrated by: Samuel West, Michael Sheen, Derek Waring, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 163
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 110
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 110
Oscar Wilde's first play confronts the hypocrisy of public "morality" compared with genuine, private kindness. The reasons for its continued popularity are not difficult to identify: the play's witty dialogue contains many of Wilde's most quoted aphorisms, its stylish setting provides opportunities for elegant presentation, and its cast of memorable characters play out a story which is genuinely moving. This new audio production brings together a full cast worthy of Wilde's creative genius.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An exciting night at the
- By Karen on 11-28-04
By: Oscar Wilde
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The Red and the Black
- By: Stendhal
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 20 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 354
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 268
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Story4 out of 5 stars 264
So what would Al Gore choose if he had a book club? Gore named Stendhal's The Red and the Black, a 19th century classic chock full of adultery, betrayal, and moral vacuity, as his favorite book on a recent broadcast of Oprah. It's a bit shocking of a choice, given his wife and running mate's position on clean, wholesome literature. Listen and decide for yourself the merit of this presidential pick.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Almost perfect
- By Erez on 05-29-08
By: Stendhal
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Dangerous Liaisons
- By: Pierre-Ambroise-François Choderlos de Laclos
- Narrated by: Gabriel Woolf
- Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 161
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 120
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 121
The story, composed entirely of letters written by the various characters to each other, tells of the Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont, two rivals who use sex as a weapon to humiliate and degrade others, uncaring of those who face social ruin or whose hearts are broken. It depicts a decadent and corrupt aristocracy exposing the perversions of the so-called Ancien Regime. The relevance of this grew due to the ensuing the French Revolution.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Amazing story.
- By Steve Inman on 11-10-09
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Waverley
- By: Sir Walter Scott
- Narrated by: David Rintoul
- Length: 17 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 145
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 125
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 124
Waverley by Sir Walter Scott is an enthralling tale of love, war and divided loyalties. Taking place during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, the novel tells the story of proud English officer Edward Waverley. After being posted to Dundee, Edward eventually befriends chieftain of the Highland Clan Mac-Ivor and falls in love with his beautiful sister Flora. He then renounces his former loyalties in order actively to support Scotland in open rebellion against the Union with England. The book depicts stunning, romantic panoramas of the Highlands.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Loved it
- By Tad Davis on 04-12-18
By: Sir Walter Scott
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The Moonstone
- By: Wilkie Collins
- Narrated by: Patrick Tull
- Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 837
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 542
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Story4 out of 5 stars 550
No, the "Moonstone" isn't a celestial relic, it's a gigantic yellow diamond of unearthly beauty that was given to Rachel Verinder as a present on her 18th birthday - and stolen that very night! Betteredge, one of the most beloved butlers in English literature, is the focus of this seminal detective novel, which examines how one family's life is turned upside-down by the theft. And find out why the answers to all of life's problems can be found in the pages of Robinson Crusoe.
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5 out of 5 stars
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One of the best readings ever
- By Catherine on 05-22-03
By: Wilkie Collins
What listeners say about A Simple Story
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 03-08-24
Great Narration, Old Story
Juliet Stevenson is always great. The story, however, drove me crazy. I had to keep reminding myself that the book was written over 200 years ago and things were different then.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Chocola
- 08-15-22
Exciting and Dramatic
This story certainly does not deserve a 1-star rating. To account for the one review with a 1 star at the time of this writing, I suspect the reader may have had some qualms about the ending sentence...
1st half of the story has a domineering hero sort and a coquettish woman kind of romance. Inchbald's theater background shines through because there is no end to the dramatics and fuss. You'd think it'd go down to the typical ending but prepare to be surprised. The author loves to switch the whole situation around with a time skip. The characters are written with some amount of complexity but don't expect any deep deep dives.
Juliet Stevenson's narration is lovely as usual. In fact, she was the reason I picked up this read. I don't regret it.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- readalot
- 01-30-23
Dramatic, surprising, and beautifully Narrated
I've heard good things about Inchbald and adore Stevenson as a narrator, so I was excited for this audiobook. It definitely did not disappoint. Juliet Stevenson could make reading a phone book sound amazing. Fortunately, she was given a fascinating book to read. Elizabeth Inchbald's background on the stage and translating plays (her most well-known work is translating the German play Lover's Vows that featured in Mansfield Park by Jane Austen) meant that her story was not only structured well, but also had plenty of drama while staying consistent with the characterization and not going over-the-top. The end is rather surprising and leaves the reader on a confused note, but I say that that is more of a feature than a bug. It leaves the ending for the reader to interpret and decide. I'd definitely recommend this to any fan of 18th and 19th century novels, especially Austen
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1 person found this helpful