Wuthering Heights

This audiobook offers a good introduction to Bront‘'s romantic tale of the tormented relationship between Heathcliff and Cathy, two of the best known protagonists in nineteenth-century literature. Nadia May gives a spirited reading; she characterizes voices with enthusiasm but handles female voices more successfully than male ones. In all, May's overall tone is so strident that it becomes somewhat irritating. C.R.A. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Carolyn Seymour conducts a graceful dance over the stormy moors in her performance of this dark, complex novel. Readers who kept a safe distance from the gruff Heathcliff in other versions of the book may fall for his tormented soul in this production. Seymour's rendition of this iconic character makes Heathcliff a simultaneously loathsome and lovable figure. From Mr. Lockwood, who frets his way into Heathcliff's life when he moves to nearby Thrushcross Grange, to Mrs. Dean's gossipy twitters, to "vinegar-faced" Joseph's derisive mutterings, Seymour's narration shines when she takes on the less-than-warm cast who populate Wuthering Heights and its surrounding environs. Her snappy dialogue and blend of sharp humor and compassion for the characters make this audiobook a fine view of a classic. L.B.F. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

June 13, 2005
The main drama in Bronte's novel happens in a long narrative told by an elderly housekeeper to a convalescing new tenant. This story-within-a-story setup makes it well suited for audio adaptation, as Scales takes the housekeeper's part and relates the past, while West performs as the tenant and describes the present. Scales primarily uses a folksy lower-class accent, but she also makes her voice harsh and threatening when speaking as Heathcliff, the surly man at the novel's heart. West, as the bewildered tenant, manages to sound both nervous and pretentious, but his part is fairly small, especially with this abridgment, so he mostly serves to provide transitions for the housekeeper's story. The extensive abridgment generally deletes sentences and phrases rather than entire paragraphs or sections. One drawback for the audio format is the difficulty of clarifying the novel's convoluted plot and family tree, since it's harder to search back through long CD tracks than through earlier chapters of the paperback. While a little of the depth of Bronte's writing is lost in abridgment, the novel's emotional core remains intact and wrenching, and the actors' heartfelt interpretations make it easy to imagine being curled up by a warm fire listening to an absorbing tale. In June, Penguin Audio remastered and released on CD for the first time nine other Penguin Classics: Crime and Punishment, Dracula, Frankenstein, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, Moby Dick, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Tale of Two Cities.

Slamming doors. Jangling of keys. The whispery, husky voice of a man on his deathbed. The anguish of a selfish woman realizing her paramour has overheard her lack of faith. The sound effects of this production create a completely absorbing experience. Appropriately haunting pieces of music connect the episodes, and the ensemble cast is perfectly matched to deliver the characters of The Grange and Wuthering Heights. The recording features outstanding performances by Amanda Root as the high-strung, na•ve Cathy and John Duttine as the dark and ultimately cruel Heathcliff. Duttine's masterful scene of Heathcliff's morbid visit to Cathy's grave is psychologically rich and truly chilling. R.F. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine