Classic Irish Short Stories, Volume 1

By: James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Seamus O'Kelly, more

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

The Irish have always had a knack for telling wonderful stories, and their fantastic ability has been recognized from early Gaelic times. For centuries, stories of all kinds have been offered to friends and strangers alike as a form of entertainment and communication. Today in Ireland, the short story is revered even above the novel. Hearing these magnificent stories, we become aware of more than just the humor and travail of a small island. In some magical, mysterious fashion, as we listen, we all become Irish in a grand, tragi-comedy of life, and these stories show us what makes the human being the special creature he is.

Volume I includes "Homesickness" and "Julia Cahill's Curse" by George Moore; "Innocence" by Sean O'Faolain; "The Fairy Goose" by Liam O'Flaherty; "The Sphinx without a Secret" by Oscar Wilde; "Adventures of a Strolling Player" by Oliver Goldsmith; "The Weaver's Grave" by Seamus O'Kelly; "My Oedipus Complex" by Frank O'Connor; "The Boarding House" by James Joyce; and "The Leaping Trout" by David Hogan.

©2003 Audio Connoisseur (P)2003 Audio Connoisseur

Critic reviews

"Charlton Griffin reads all of the stories and effectively voices different characters; there are times you would swear there are several readers." (AudioBooksToday.com)
"An enjoyable collection....The combination of reader, sound effects, and music makes for a classy production and another strong addition to the Audio Connoisseur catalog." (AudioFile)

An excellent audio book!

I have rented and purchased many audio books from many different sources over the years. This is one of my all time favorites. The writing is captivating; the narration is elegant; and the music and sound effects actually add to the production (unlike most sloppy attempts to which I've been subjected).

This is a book I will listen to many times.

Very nice indeed

Anyone who is bored with these stories obviously needs to stay away from classic literature. These are some of the best Irish short stores ever written. In particular, the Joyce and O'Connor works were extremely entertaining. All of the pieces in this collection are superbly written. The narration is perfectly matched to the stories, as is the music and sound effects.

Loved

Really great story telling. This was my first ever audio book experience and I was completely enthralled. The reader did a great job of differentiating between character voices. Added sound effects enhanced the experience and did not at all detract. Music was appropriate and well done. Great experience!

Fantastic

Glorious short stories so wonderful , deep and rich felling. You will absolute enjoy these classics !

Excellent collection and narration

I've read/listened to nearly 400 short stories over the last 3 months (making up for lost time in this genre) and a couple of these were among the very best, in particular "The Weaver's Grave" by Seamus O'Kelly (really more of a novella than a short) and; "My Oedipus Complex" by Frank O'Connor. Griffin's narration is top notch, delivered with a reasonable approximation of an Irish accent, and he is one of the rare male narrators that can deliver a woman's voice. I just wish there was a second and third volume, would love to have an audible edition of Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories, where you can find more.