Showing results for "John Owen" in Literature & Fiction

Of all of John Irving's books, this is the one that lends itself best to audio. In print, Owen Meany's dialogue is set in capital letters; for this production, Irving himself selected Joe Barrett to deliver Meany's difficult voice as intended. In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys – best friends – are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after that 1953 foul ball is extraordinary and terrifying.

Odran Yates enters Clonliffe Seminary in 1972 after his mother informs him that he has a vocation to the priesthood. He goes in full of ambition and hope, dedicated to his studies and keen to make friends. Forty years later, Odran’s devotion has been challenged by the revelations that have shattered the Irish people’s faith in the church. He has seen friends stand trial, colleagues jailed, the lives of young parishioners destroyed and has become nervous of venturing out in public for fear of disapproving stares and insulting remarks.

Audible presents an original dramatisation of Charles Dickens' Dombey and Son, first published as Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation. A literary masterpiece in which Dickens' gift for vivid characterisation is at its best, this is the story of a powerful man whose inability to appreciate those around him leads to his lonely demise and, later, his possible redemption.

Sometimes we just want the best. But that involves choices, judgements, decisions. And that all depends on our feelings, our mood at the time. Even more so with poetry. Would we like a little more pathos, or love, or humour with that? Can we only choose one Keats? And ’If’? Surely Kipling wrote something else? So difficult to decide. This one or that? Is it easier to choose your 50 favourite poets or your 50 favourite poems?

Victor Hugo's tale of injustice, heroism and love follows the fortunes of Jean Valjean, an escaped convict determined to put his criminal past behind him. But his attempts to become a respected member of the community are constantly put under threat: by his own conscience and by the relentless investigations of the dogged Policeman, Javert. It is not simply for himself that Valjean must stay free, however, for he has sworn to protect the baby daughter of Fantine, driven to prostitution by poverty.

When action movie star Thor Lobo thwarts a gang of car-jackers on a dark highway near Nero, Florida, he vows to make a movie of his heroics. But before the cinematic blockbuster can show Nero as more than a boring beach town, Thor is killed, struck by lightning on the golf course. The people of Nero insist that since God took their leading man, The Almighty owes them something of comparable greatness.

Martha Walters won’t chance another broken heart. But after escaping from the brothel her ex-fiancé sold her to, she believes only marriage can keep her safe. On the run and desperate to find a potential husband, she takes a risk on a handsome cattle rancher 10 years her senior. Gray Jenkins worries he’s too old to attract a wife. Now in his 40s, the wisecracking farmer with the soft heart takes a longshot and places an ad for a mail-order bride. But he’s stunned when a charming woman a decade younger shows up on his doorstep.

The finest voices reading a wonderful selection of poetry accompanied by selected classical music.

Banneker Homes is a low-income high rise in Harlem where gentrification weighs on everyone's mind. There is Swan in apartment 6B, whose excitement about his friend's release from prison jeopardises the life he's been trying to lead. Mimi, in apartment 14D, who hustles to raise the child she had with Swan, waitressing at Roscoe's and doing hair on the side. And Quanneisha B. Miles, a former gymnast with a good education who wishes she could leave Banneker for good, but can't seem to escape the building's gravitational pull.

In the aftermath of the horrifying attacks of September 11, 2001, a second wave of attacks is expected to hit the US mainland. The year is 2002. A cabal of elite one-world proponents, in conspiracy with members of the Chinese government, has developed an operation to spark the birth of their new world order. John Powers, ex-Delta Force sniper and CIA operative and the Alpha Team, must act now.

When marriage-shy Mason Crawford and spitfire Jenny Carson meet, their unexpected attraction is undeniable. The road ahead looks promising until storm clouds of anger and pride roll in. Can they weather the tempest, or will it dash their hopes for love and acceptance?

Usually, former Delta Force soldier John Powers is delighted to hear from Casey McBride, the widow of John's brother-in-arms Braden and mother of John's five-year-old godson Ian. But Casey is calling because she has just killed two of three intruders to her Boulder, Colorado home. And when John hears that Ian, under hypnosis to find a cure for his acute aqua phobia, has claimed to be the reincarnation of an assassinated US senator, he tells Casey to get out of the house, now.

An English poet and soldier, Owen depicted more graphically and effectively than any poet before him the horrors and realities of fighting in the trenches. His poignant verse has made him one of the greatest voices to emerge from World War I.

For Josh Brooks, it's a summer of wishes come true. First he gets his dream horse from a rival trainer. Then his brother's Army Ranger buddy, Dane Keller, comes to work on the ranch and Josh meets his dream lover too. Dane is hot, competent, and fresh out of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Irish beauty Lucy Magee fears she’ll never shake her bad luck. As though to prove her right, a trip to Montana to meet a dashing doctor results in the accidental death of her coach driver. But when the mail-order bride finally sets sight on her potential husband’s kind face, she’s sure her fortunes have turned.

Of the three range-riding, cattle-busting sisters, only Allegra remains in the saddle, herding the stock to water at the river and protecting them from marauding predators. Now, the moment of Allegra’s destiny is at hand. The decision she made nine months ago, when Bruce Manfield defeated Jude McCann to seal the sisters’ right to run their own ranch, is coming to fruition. The day of her mail-order wedding draws near.

The writers group of Ballymun Library in Dublin, Ireland, are publishing some representative samples of their members' work. All the pieces in this abridged version were written (and narrated) by members of the writing group.

Colin Greer knows a lot about a lot. His rich life as an educator and author/playwright, immersed in the social and political justice trenches, is reflected in his latest poetry. In this collection, he muses on the human condition through verse, taking the listener through the ordinary, the personal, the sublime and tragic.

A strong, silent stranger rides into the lawless lands of the western frontier, battles horse thieves, deals with unyielding scoundrels, and wins the heart of a schoolmarm. Owen Wister's 1902 classic---the first great novel of the American West---is rich in moral drama and vernacular wit. His hero---like knights of old---lives by an enduring code of chivalry and is governed by quiet courage and a deep sense of honor.

A selection of classic poetry beautifully enhanced by classical music. Poets include Keats, Wordsworth, and Owen.