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atuin's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Classic in every sense of the word. These stories (and poem) are excellent at setting an eerie mood and invoking feelings of dread. The narrators all did an excellent job, and the guide here had plenty of interesting things to say about each short story!
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
iridescentjemz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A fantastic selection of Edgar Allan Poe stories with a great narrator, a fabulous guide and stunning artwork (on Audrey. I fully recommend).
The Raven and The Tell Tale Heart were my favourites, with the Cask of Amontillado second fave and The Black Cat my least fave. I do like the story and atmosphere of The Black Cat but I can’t bear the harm to cat. My own black cat is my little bestie and soulmate so harm to cats is a trigger for me but I already knew the plot thanks to the Fall of the House of Usher. As an aside I wonder if Poe was inspired by Celtic mythology, as the second black cat being very large and with a white patch on his chest is reminiscent of the cat sí (fairy cat).
Speaking of the Fall of the House of Usher, it is so much fun hearing these stories and seeing how they were interpreted in the show.
Overall fantastic, atmospheric and gothic fun.
The Raven and The Tell Tale Heart were my favourites, with the Cask of Amontillado second fave and The Black Cat my least fave. I do like the story and atmosphere of The Black Cat but I can’t bear the harm to cat. My own black cat is my little bestie and soulmate so harm to cats is a trigger for me but I already knew the plot thanks to the Fall of the House of Usher. As an aside I wonder if Poe was inspired by Celtic mythology, as the second black cat being very large and with a white patch on his chest is reminiscent of the cat sí (fairy cat).
Speaking of the Fall of the House of Usher, it is so much fun hearing these stories and seeing how they were interpreted in the show.
Overall fantastic, atmospheric and gothic fun.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, and Alcohol
bamboopanda's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a great way to get a taste of Poe. I had only ever read The Raven so I wasn’t sure what his writing was like.
Inevitably I found that it’s not for me, but I really recommend the guides from Audrey without whom I would have been lost with some of these stories.
Inevitably I found that it’s not for me, but I really recommend the guides from Audrey without whom I would have been lost with some of these stories.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness and Grief
theaceofpages's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A nice little collection of stories, although, I will admit, that I struggled to get into The Cask of Amontillado. I will say that this is ore disturbing than scary though, and kind of sad.
I won a copy of this through the Listen with Audrey app and I will add that I enjoyed the narration and the extra notes are interesting. I suspect they would be useful for school students who are studying the works.
I won a copy of this through the Listen with Audrey app and I will add that I enjoyed the narration and the extra notes are interesting. I suspect they would be useful for school students who are studying the works.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Alcohol
zomvi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I won this audio copy via a giveaway from the Audrey app. Up until this point I've only ever read "The Raven", but I have to say that I really enjoyed some of the other stories here more. The narration was also excellent, and the bonus information was also very helpful and interesting. This is a great pick for anyone wanting short, classic horror stories. Overall, I will continue to use the Audrey app for more audiobooks. My reasoning for not rating this as five stars is that "The Black Cat" was hard to listen to as a cat lover, as there is graphic animal harm, although for anyone wanting to avoid that, the other stories are unrelated and quite worth the listen.
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
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