Showing results by narrator "Martin Jarvis" in All Categories

Lu Xun’s evocative tale is reflected in the memory of the protagonist who, as a young Chinese boy, avidly wanted to fulfil his dream of watching an opera in a rural environment. The listener is given an intriguing insight into people’s lives in China during the late 1920s. This story, amongst others, is also available in the collection entitled Chinese Classic Stories read by Martin Jarvis.

To mark the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII in Europe, CSA Word is proud to release a brand new recording of over 100 poems written by the men and women who served during the war. A formidable and unique legacy, this striking collection of poems and voices, framed by helpful narration, evokes the atmosphere and feelings of war in all its aspects: the pain, passion, fear, loneliness, anger, and some unexpected humour too.

In the second “battle” of Ayckbourn’s celebrated triology The Norman Conquests, we rejoin the family weekend, this time hearing the events in the living room, where Norman gets drunk on homemade dandelion wine – and all hell breaks loose. Norman unleashes his merry brand of manipulative charm on the hapless guests and even his most formidable opponents go down in defeat on the drawing room rug.

A story of love and broken dreams, Great Expectations is regarded by many as Dickens' finest achievement. He combines a gripping, melodramatic plot with a rich and memorable cast of characters, some comic, some tragic, some eccentric and some exemplary, like the generous-spirited Joe Gargery. The tale is told by Pip, an orphan of humble origins, who rises to be a gentleman through a mysterious benefactor. But his world is turned upside-down by a revelation, the nature of which he could never have guessed.

Join the wonderfully weird Other hand family and their faithful guardian, Edgar the raven, and discover the dark secrets of Castle Other hand. Solstice and Cudweed are appalled to find their father has appointed a new school master. But things get even worse when the grumpy, viciously mean teacher actually arrives. The Other hand children are sure there's something more to him than meets the eye - the trouble is, who will believe them? No one it seems. Except, perhaps, Edgar.

Join the wonderfully weird Otherhand family and their faithful guardian, Edgar the raven, and discover the dark secrets of Castle Otherhand.The rumblings and wailings from the Lost South Wing can no longer be ignored, as one by one, members of the castle are being found frozen, 'scared to death'. With mother, Minty, obsessing over her latest fad - sewing - and father, Valevine, busy experimenting with a machine to discover the Lost Otherhand treasure, it's up to aspiring ghost-hunters Solstice and Cudweed to solve the mystery.

Fielding's rollicking comic masterpiece sparkles with life in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatization. Abandoned child Tom is raised by the rich and benevolent squire Mr. Allworthy, much to the chagrin of Allworthy's mean-natured nephew Blifil, and develops into a good-natured rake. But Tom's inability to resist a pretty face lands him in hot water when he impregnates Blifil's betrothed. When the lovely Sophia runs away to London, Tom pursues, embarking upon a series of riotous and amorous adventures.

In the quiet cul-de-sac where Keith and Stephen live, the only immediate signs of the Second World War are the blackout at night and a single random bombsite. But the two boys start to suspect all is not as it seems when one day Keith announces a disconcerting discovery: the Germans have infiltrated his own family. And when the secret underground world they have dreamed up emerges from the shadows, they find themselves engulfed in mysteries far deeper and more painful than they had bargained for.

And suddenly I stood up because I knew what it was. It was a model galleon, buried in the sand... My heart was in my mouth. I just knew that no matter if I lived to be a hundred I would never find anything so wonderful again.’ With growing excitement, Tim and his Uncle Geoff realize the significance of their discovery. For the model ship yields up a secret that sets them on a journey into the past, to solve a mystery and salvage a story of danger and romance buried in the sands.

The third “battle” of Ayckbourn’s celebrated trilogy The Norman Conquests, returns us to the same weekend in the country, but this time to the setting of Mother’s overgrown English country garden. Something more troublesome than brambles is lurking among the roses. Havoc ensues among the flora and fauna, as this cynical masterpiece makes its way to a hilarious conclusion.

The intense relationships between Robert Schumann, his wife Clara, and Johannes Brahms are brought to vivid life through music and excerpts from their passionate writings. With the arrival of the young, dynamic Brahms into their household, the Schumanns’ fragile marriage is threatened by the deepening bond between Clara and their gifted guest.

Mixing the colorful letters of Franz Liszt with some of his most ecstatic piano music, Odyssey of Love depicts his tempestuous relations with two fascinating women.

‘An unknown place.’ This was what Michael Frayn’s children called the shadowy landscape of the past from which their family had emerged. In this book he sets out to rediscover that lost land before all trace of it finally disappears beyond recall. As he tries to see it through the eyes his parents and the others who shaped his life, he comes to realise how little he ever knew or understood about them. This is a charming, moving and witty childhood memoir from one of Britain’s best-loved writers.

Pinocchio is the best puppet story ever. Listeners will quickly be caught up in Carlo Collodi's impish creation as they are swept along at an action-packed pace. From the day when Geppetto first carves Pinocchio from a piece of wood to the final happy ending - with many exciting and dangerous adventures along the way - Pinocchio will charm and captivate. The story also has a strong moral throughout, which is as suitable for children (and adults!) today as when the original book was written.

On July 19, 2001, Jeffrey Archer—politician and international best-selling author—was sentenced to four years in prison for perjury. He became Prisoner FF8282 and spent the first three weeks of his sentence in a high-security prison that housed some of Britain's most violent criminals. He was moved to the Lifer's wing—because of the security it provided—where he became a trusted confidant to fellow convicts. Prisoners and guards alike asked for his autograph and sought his advice—though one cellmate sold a story about Archer to the British tabloids.

The fictional story, relocated to the Vietnam War, opens many years after Lieutenant's death, with the publication of a photograph of the POW Camp Commandant responsible, now a US citizen and successful businessman named Donald Quang. Hershey is commissioned by a fellow Vietnam veteran to carry out a 'routine check' into Quang's background, ostensibly for business reasons. Complications multiply quickly as it emerges that the Lieutenant's senior NCO is already on his way to the US.

Re-released. Geoffrey James Hurford, a tailor who worked in Salisbury, England, was born in 1921 in Damerham, Hampshire, at a time when Crown Prince Hirohito, aged 20, had just been named Regent of Japan, when the cinema was erupting with excitement at the arrival on screen of Italy's most glamorous star, Rudolph Valentino, and when, in the United Kingdom, a 45-mile-to-the-gallon, brand-new Rover two-seater car could be bought for 230 guineas.

Dickens' exuberant novel charts the rise of its young hero Nicholas Nickleby, who progresses from an impoverished youngster gladly accepting his uncle's offer of help, to an assured businessman capable of thwarting villainous plans. The book unfolds in a series of vivid scenes, starting with Nicholas accompanying the vicious schoolmaster, Wackford Squeers, north to the grim Dotheboys Hall.

Black Beauty is a handsome, sweet-tempered colt with a strong spirit. As a young colt he is free to gallop in the fresh green meadows with his beloved mother, Duchess, and their kind master. But when his owners are forced to sell him, Black Beauty goes from a life of comfort and kindness to one of hard labour and cruelty.

An inspirational children's story about Clarissa the Clown.