Masterpieces of Modern Short Fiction
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Masterpieces of Modern Short Fiction
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Narrated by:
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David Birney
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Michael York
About this listen
The full list of authors includes: Ambrose Bierce, Joseph Conrad, F. Scott Fizgerald, Aldous Huxley, Joyce Carol Oats, Philip Roth, Paul Theroux, David Birney, Roscoe Lee Browne, Elliot Gould, Elixabeth Pena, Ron Silver, Orson Welles, Isabel Allende.
Inaugurating Dove Audio's Modern Classics Collection - an eclectic compendium of the finest short fiction of the last 150 years - Masterpieces of Modern Short Fiction features: "The Imperial Icehouse" by Paul Theroux; "Amy Foster" by Joseph Conrad; "High Darktown" by James Ellroy; "An Inhabitant of Carcosa" by Ambrose Bierce; "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gillman; "The Gioconda Smile" by Aldous Huxley; "You Can't Tell a Man By the Song He Sings" by Philip Roth; and "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
©1922, Renewed by Frances Scott Fitzgerald Lenahan 1949; 1986 by James Ellroy (P)1999 NewStar Media Inc.Related to this topic
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41,735
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,211
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,179
When Heather McKinley dreamed of becoming a doctor, she imagined curing sick kids and sporting pink stethoscopes. She never anticipated the sleepless nights, grueling exams, and endless labs. And she certainly never knew that her medical school earned the nickname Dead Med thanks to the tragic history of students overdosing on illegal drugs. But Heather would never consider doing anything like that. That is, until her longtime boyfriend dumps her, she finds herself failing anatomy, and her world starts to crumble.
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3 out of 5 stars
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What listeners say about Masterpieces of Modern Short Fiction
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Christopher
- 04-09-05
Probably better to read
This is obviously a book that was not meant to be put in audio. In fact, the editing is quite poor, where some stories don't even announce the title and author. That said, there are two real gems: The Yellow Wallpaper and The Diamond as Big as the Ritz. Both are read extremely well. In fact, they were more of a dramatic performance than a reading and made the listen worth while. If you can get this book on the cheap, get it for these two delights.
Every story has a different narrator, some difficult to understand with their heavy Brittish accents. Others are recorded in low quality making its sound a bit distracting. Still others are plainly boring (with all respect to these recognized masters).
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14 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- kernal
- 07-25-18
Disappointing formatting: chapter, author, narrator.
There are really great stories here but Audible kept me frustrated because chapters were not annotated. (See my title).
The short intro of title and author at very beginning of each chapter isn’t enough. Chapter List needs work. Just listen to lead-in!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Fear Glic
- 05-28-10
Well worth the Effort
Judged on standards of quality of writing, narration and psychological coherence (the weak link), I would rate this collection a 4.5.
Eventually, though, I gave it 4 overall. The reason being there is little sense of joy; on the contrary, there is an ironic, mocking tone and questioning of human frailities throughout. You are confronted and often you cringe. All the tales are set before 1950 and may seem old-fashioned and slow-moving. They are best savoured over a week or two.
Now the good news!! None of the stories are duds; several are outstanding, as is the narration. The Yellow Wallpaper, a description of slow disintegration into madness is mesmerizing in its detail, focus and imagination. It was written quickly and from the heart over two afternoons, I believe, by Charlotte Perkins Gilmore. I suspect that feminists love it (men are ambiguously and indirectly maligned ... or maybe not, that is its charm). The Gioconda Smile by Aldous Huxley is another great yarn. Set in the 1920s, it depicts a conceited, supercilious Englishman who betrays women seemingly without damage or remorse until everything goes pear-shaped with a vengeance. It is beautifully written, well-crafted and excellently read by Michael York I think. Unfortunately, no acknowledgement is ever given. The outstanding narrator of The Yellow Wallpaper is likewise snubbed - an avoidable annoyance.
A final recommendation: I liked this collection on the first listening but I enjoyed it wholeheartedly the second time around. It is quality material. Give it a whirl!
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Jody R. Nathan
- 11-09-04
spotty
Its been a while since I read this; some stories were wonderful, while others were rather dull. I was disappointed.
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3 people found this 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
- Melissa
- 09-05-14
no isabele allende
What disappointed you about Masterpieces of Modern Short Fiction?
The did not put an Isabel Allende piece in this anthology.
What was most disappointing about the authors’s story?
it was not marketed correctly.
How did the narrator detract from the book?
it is a old, old, old recording.
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2 people found this 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
- Kris Fricke
- 04-11-19
badly recorded dull stories
I'm not a sound engineer but even I could tell the recording quality was sub par. and I found the0selection of "masterpieces" to be rather disappointing.
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