Alex Jennings has narrated 51 audiobooks on Listento.it by 42 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 1,384 ratings. The most-rated is The Chronicles of Narnia Adult Box Set.
Lionheart
Summary
Introducing Lionheart - the new novel from Sunday Times best seller Ben Kane. 1179. Henry II's Norman conquerors have swept through England, Wales - and now Ireland. Irish nobleman Ferdia has been imprisoned in Wales to ensure the good behaviour of his rebellious father. But during a skirmish on a neighbouring castle, Ferdia saves the life of the man who would become one of the most legendary warriors to have ever lived: Richard Plantagenet. The Lionheart. Taken as Richard's squire, Ferdia crosses the Narrow Sea to resist the rebellious nobles in Aquitaine, besieging castles and fighting bloody battles with brutal frequency. But treachery and betrayal lurk around every corner. Infuriated by his younger brother Richard's growing reputation, Henry rebels. And Ferdia learns that the biggest threat to Richard's life may not be a foreign army - but Richard's own family....
©2020 Ben Kane (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group
A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters
Summary
This is one of the defining novels of English writer Julian Barnes. An entertaining melange of stories, starting with a contemporary account of the launch of Noah's Ark, takes us into unexpected areas of human foibles, activities, and tendencies.After success with the main novels of Haruki Murakami, Naxos AudioBooks turns its attention to other major literary works of recent times.
©1989 Julian Barnes (P)2007 Naxos Rights International
Greenwitch
Summary
Simon, Jane, and Barney, enlisted by their mysterious great-uncle, arrive in a small coastal town to help recover a priceless golden grail stolen by the forces of evil, the Dark. They are not at first aware of the strange powers of another boy brought to help, Will Stanton - nor of the sinister significance of the Greenwitch, an image of leaves and branches that for centuries has been cast into the sea for good luck in fishing and harvest. Their search for the grail sets into motion a series of disturbing, sometimes dangerous events that, at their climax, bring forth a gift that, for a time at least, will keep the Dark from rising.
©2007 Susan Cooper (P)2007 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group.
The Devil Wears Black
Summary
From USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen comes a second-chance romance about love, loss, finding yourself, and getting lost in the right person. Maddie Goldbloom stitched up a plan to ensure everything in her life was perfect - from a career in fashion to a chic NYC apartment to a pediatrician boyfriend. When her ex, Chase Black, storms back into her life with an outrageous request, her immediate reaction is to refuse him. But he only wants to fulfill his father’s last wish. So even though he’s the man who broke her heart, playing his fiancée shouldn’t be hard, especially if it means she gets to watch the arrogant devil squirm a bit. What ensues is a chain of events that detonates Maddie’s life - and when Chase’s walls come down, they both are forced to face reality. They say keep your enemies close. But what if your enemy is also the man you love?
©2021 L.J. Shen (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Summary
Fleeing a disastrous marriage, Helen Huntingdon retreats to the desolate mansion, Wildfell Hall, with her son, Arthur. There, she makes her living as a painter. Finding it difficult to avoid her neighbors, she is soon an object of speculation and gossip. Brontë portrays Helen's eloquent struggle for independence at a time when society defined a married woman as her husband's property.
Public Domain (P)2015 AudioGO
Nicholas Nickleby (Dramatised)
Summary
Left penniless by the death of his father, 19-year-old Nicholas Nickleby seeks help, along with his mother and sister, from Uncle Ralph Nickleby. The hard-hearted money lender takes an instant dislike to his nephew and gets rid of the boy by securing him a teaching position at Dotheboys Hall, where the evil Wackford Squeers presides. Horrified by the barbarity he sees there, Nicholas defies Squeers and is forced to flee. He is joined by Smike, who has been treated cruelly by Squeers, and the two become great friends.
Nicholas joins a travelling theatre troupe and enjoys great success, but with his mother and sister depending on him for their survival, he must find a way to make a decent living. His adventures are numerous and include some of Dickens' most comic characters.
Starring Anna Massey, Sophie Thompson, Ken Campbell, and Tom Baker, with Alex Jennings as the voice of Dickens.
©2012 AudioGO Ltd (P)2012 AudioGO Ltd
Again to Carthage
Summary
Quenton Cassidy thought he had left his athletic career far behind as he built a successful professional career in south Florida. But as several personal tragedies and the wear and tear of life began to weigh upon him, he wonders if perhaps he hasn't given up a special part of his life too soon. His return to the world of competitive running is dramatic and revelatory to both the protagonist and the listener, as is his desperate, all-out attempt to make on last Olympic team.
©2010 Brilliance Audio, Inc.; 2010 John L. Parker Jr.
The Kraken Wakes
Summary
Journalist Mike Watson and his wife, Phyllis, trace it back to the strange showering lights they noticed on the final day of their honeymoon cruise; lights which appeared to land and disappear into the water. Reports mount of similar sightings all over the world. Governments embark on missions to investigate the sea, but ships disappear and diving crews never return to the surface. Something deep in the ocean does not want to be disturbed. The Kraken Wakes is a tale of humanity’s efforts to resist alien invasion, narrated by Mike who unfolds the story as experienced by the couple - from the earliest signs of trouble, to the conflict between the sea-dwelling creatures and the human world. John Wyndham’s classic science-fiction masterpiece is powerfully brought to life in this unabridged production. His other titles - The Midwich Cuckoos and The Day Of the Triffids - are also published as audiobooks by CSA Word.
©1953 CSA Word (P)2011 CSA Word
The Crown: The Official Companion, Volume 2
Summary
The fascinating royal and social history that inspired seasons 2 and 3 of The Crown, written by the show’s historical consultant. In this eye-opening companion to seasons 2 and 3 of Netflix’s acclaimed series The Crown, renowned biographer - and the show’s historical consultant - Robert Lacey takes us through the real history that inspired the drama. Covering two tumultuous decades in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, Lacey looks at the key social, political, and personal moments and their effects - not only on the royal family but also on the world around them. From the Suez Crisis and the US-Soviet space race to the legacy of the Duke of Windsor’s collaboration with Hitler, along with the rumored issues with the royal marriage, the book provides a thought-provoking insight into the historic decades that the show explores, revealing the truth behind the on-screen drama. Extensively researched, this is a unique look behind the history that inspired the show and the years that would prove to be the making of the queen. The Crown is now available to watch on Netflix. The Crown is produced by Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures Television for Netflix.
©2019 Robert Lacey (P)2019 Random House Audio
Silver on the Tree
Summary
The Dark is rising in its last and greatest bid to control the world. And Will Stanton, last-born of the immortal Old Ones, dedicated to keeping the world free, must join forces with his ageless master Merriman and Bran, the Welsh boy whose destiny ties him to the Light. Drawn in with them are the three Drew children, who are mortal, but have their own vital part in the story. These six fight fear and death in the darkly brooding Welsh hills, in a quest through time and space that touches the most ancient myths of the British Isles and that brings Susan Cooper's masterful sequence of novels, The Dark Is Rising, to a satisfying close.
©1977 Susan Cooper (P)2002 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, an Imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group
Harold Larwood
Summary
Harold Larwood is an England cricketing legend. During the MCC’s notorious 1932–3 Ashes tour of Australia, his ‘Bodyline’ bowling left Australia’s batsmen bruised and battered, halved the batting average of the great Don Bradman – and gave England a 4–1 series victory. But the diplomatic row that followed brought Anglo-Australian relations to the brink of collapse. Larwood was used as a scapegoat by the MCC, which demanded he apologise for bowling Bodyline. Arguing that he had simply obeyed the instructions of his captain, Douglas Jardine, Larwood refused. He never played for England again. The Bodyline saga has been told before, but Larwood’s story has not. Using materials provided by the fast bowler’s family, Duncan Hamilton has created an intimate and compelling portrait of Larwood’s life: from his mining village upbringing, through the trauma of 1932–3 and its bitter aftermath, to his emigration to Australia, where he and his family found happiness. A moving recreation of the triumph, betrayal and redemption of a working-class hero, Harold Larwood will enthral not only cricket fans, but all those who relish biographical writing of the highest quality.
©2009 Quercus Publishing PLC (P)2010 Quercus Publishing PLC
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Summary
Exclusively from Audible The story of a woman's struggle for independence from an abusive husband. Helen 'Graham' has returned to Wildfell Hall in flight from a disastrous marriage and to protect her young son from the influence of his father. Exiled to the desolate moorland mansion, she adopts an assumed name and earns her living as a painter. Gilbert Markham, a local man intrigued by the beautiful young 'widow' offers his friendship but becomes distrustful when her reclusive behaviour sparks rumours and speculation. When she offers her diary for him to read only then does he discover the dark truth of her shocking past. The second and last novel written by Anne Brontë, the youngest of the six Brontë children, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall deals with alcoholism, physical and emotional abuse, unhappy marriages and adultery. Anne's novels are distinctly different from that of her sisters, filled with gritty realism. After her death, Anne's sister, Charlotte, prevented its republication perhaps due to her belief that it was overly graphic and an 'entire mistake'. Despite first being published in 1848, The Independent described it as a 'frighteningly up-to-date tale of single motherhood and wife-battering.' It is considered one of the more shocking of the Brontë stories and due to Helen's breaking of social convention and law holds firm as one of the first feminist novels. Narrator Biography Three-time Olivier Award winner actor Alex Jennings is known for portraying Prince Charles in The Queen (2006) as well as appearing in Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Babel (2006) and The Lady in the Van (2015). His television work has included Cranford (2007), Silk (2011-2014), and Victoria (2016). He has narrated many audiobooks including Charlie Connelly's Attention All Shipping, which in 2008 was chosen as one of the top 40 audiobooks of all time. Jenny Agutter began her acting career as a child in 1964's East of Sudan and is well known for appearing in three adaptations of The Railway Children. She starred in the critically acclaimed 1971 film Walkabout as well as receiving a string of Hollywood roles. She won an Emmy for her role in The Snow Goose (1971), as well as a BAFTA for her role in Equus (1997). More recently she has appeared in several television dramas, including Spooks (2002-2003), and Call the Midwife since 2012. She has performed in numerous theatre productions, including roles with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has also narrated audiobooks Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle and Jane Austen's Emma and featured in the Doctor Who audio dramas The Bride of Peladon and The Minister of Chance. In 2012 she was appointed OBE for her charity work.
Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc
Peter Pan
Summary
When Peter Pan flies through the Darling Children's nursery window one night, he is nearly captured and makes a hasty escape, leaving behind his shadow. Returning with the fairy Tinker Bell to reclaim it, he wakes up Wendy, John and Michael and whisks them away to the magical shores of Neverland. There they meet the Lost Boys, befriend Tiger Lily and her Braves, swim with the mermaids in the lagoon and have a host of wonderful adventures. But danger awaits too, for the terrible Captain Hook and his pirate gang are determined to make them walk the plank.... Abridged by Martin Jarvis, J. M. Barrie's timeless masterpiece is introduced by Michael Morpurgo and read by 10 star actors: Kit Harrington, Martin Jarvis, Alex Jennings, Alex Kingston, Joanna Lumley, Helen McCrory, Jennifer Saunders, Juliet Stevenson, David Walliams and Zoe Wanamaker. All of Penguin Random House's profits from the sale of this recording will be shared equally between The Peter Pan Moat Brae Trust (Registered Scottish Charity Number SC041382 and Company Number SC363695) and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity (Registered Charity Number 1160024 and Company number 09338724).
Public Domain (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Smiley's People (Dramatised)
Summary
When a Russian émigré is found murdered on Hampstead Heath, Smiley is called out of retirement to exorcise some Cold War ghosts from his clandestine past. What follows is Smiley the human being at his most vulnerable and Smiley the case officer at his most brilliant; and it makes to a thrilling conclusion his career-long, serpentine battle with the enigmatic and ruthless Russian spymaster Karla.
Starring the award-winning Simon Russell Beale as Smiley, and with a distinguished cast including Anna Chancellor, Lindsay Duncan, Maggie Steed, Alex Jennings and Kenneth Cranham, this enthralling dramatisation captures every nuance of le Carré’s complex and compelling novel - the final book in John le Carré’s Karla trilogy.
©1979 David Cornwell (P)2010 BBC Audiobooks Ltd
Love's Labor's Lost: The Arkangel Shakespeare
Summary
A play replete with puns and double-entendres, this is one of Shakespeare's earliest and most lighthearted. The young king of Navarre and three of his courtiers have vowed to lock themselves away for three years of study and fasting, and to forswear the company of women for this period. No sooner is their vow made than it is tested, however, as the princess of France and three of her ladies arrive in Navarre on a diplomatic mission. The young men fall instantly and hopelessly in love, and the tension between their vow and their passion forms the subject of this charming and sparkling early comedy. Berowne is played by Alex Jennings and Rosaline by Emma Fielding. Samantha Bond is the princess, and Greg Wise the king of Navarre. Alan Howard plays Don Armado.
Public Domain (P)2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Summary
A BBC full-cast dramatisation of Ian Fleming’s much-loved children’s classic, brought to life on radio for the first time. When the Pott family save Chitty Chitty Bang Bang from the terrible fate of being crushed to the size of a matchbox at the scrapyard, she repays Caractacus, Jeremy and Jemima with the best road trip ever. For Chitty is no ordinary car: she can talk - and float - and fly! The amazing automobile takes the Potts on a trip to the seaside followed by a fantastic journey across the Channel to France, where two cunning criminals are planning to rob Paris’ most famous chocolatier, Monsieur Bon Bon. Can Chitty and the Potts find the secret hideout of terrifying gangster Joe the Monster and his sidekick, Man-Mountain Fink, and foil their evil plans? Jump aboard for a magical story full of adventure, fun and excitement, starring Imogen Stubbs as Chitty and Alex Jennings as Caractacus Pott. Cast: Chitty...Imogen Stubbs Caractacus Pott...Alex Jennings Jeremy Pott...Bertie Gilbert Jemima Pott...Kerry Ingram Joe the Monster...David Fleeshman Lord Skrumshus/Garage Man/ Monsieur Bon Bon/Man-Mountain Fink...Eric Potts
©2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2018 BBC Worldwide Ltd
What a Carve Up!
Summary
A Radio 4 Book Club Selection. Newspaper columnist Hilary gets thousands for telling it like it is; Henry's turning hospitals into carparks; Roddy's selling art in return for sex; down on the farm Dorothy's squeezing every last pound from her livestock; Thomas is making a killing on the stock exchange; and Mark is selling arms to dictators. In fact the Winshaw family are getting richer and crueller by the day. But once Jonathan Coe's eccentric narrator Michael Owen uncovers their trail of greed, corruption, and immoral doings throughout the '80s, the time seems ripe for their comeuppance.
©1994 Jonathan Coe (P)2005 Penguin Books Ltd
Great Poems for Children
Summary
An anthology of over 50 classic children's poems, read by some of our finest actors. Full of fun, excitement, and magic, the poems in this collection are guaranteed to spark the imagination and open up a world of wonder. There are animal poems ("The Duck and the Kangaroo", "Goosie Goosie Gander", and "How Doth the Little Crocodile"), nonsense poems ("The Quangle Wangle's Hat", "The Dong with a Luminous Nose", and "Jabberwocky"), nursery rhymes ("Hey Diddle Diddle", "One Potato"), and lullabies ("Hush Little Baby") - not to mention a wealth of humorous verse. Favourites from authors such as Edward Lear, Lewis Carroll, and Robert Louis Stevenson are all here, as well as less familiar but nonetheless hugely entertaining poems such as" The Camel's Complaint"and "The Elephant, or The Force of Habit". Vividly read by Alex Jennings, Emilia Fox, Geoffrey Palmer and Julia McKenzie, these delightful poems will appeal to children of all ages.
Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
The Spiritual Teachings of the Tao
Summary
"Don't pursue fame; do only the inevitable. Don't make plans; bank on Tao." When the ancient Chinese sages discovered the Tao, they realised in themselves its mysterious results: good heath, longevity, wisdom, harmonious contentment, and knowledge of the future. This audiobook unveils the philosophy of the Tao, meaning the Way of Nature, which began in written form with Chuang Tzu in the 4th century BC. Taoism is increasingly influential in the Western world, forming the basis for Chinese medicine, Feng Shui, and Tai Chi Chuan.Chuang Tzu's funny, striking, and radical fables and stories illluminate the working of the Tao, which are as relevant today as they were 2,300 years ago.
©2008 Mark Forstater (P)2008 Mark Forstater
The People's Princess
Summary
A BBC Radio 4 play about the marriage of George, Prince of Wales, originally broadcast as the 'Afternoon Play' on 11 December 2008 (and repeated on 9 December 2010). Facing financial ruin, George was obliged by his father, George III, to marry his first cousin, Princess Caroline of Brunswick. But if he had been expecting a docile partner with whom he could maintain appearances, George had seriously underestimated his wife-to-be...
Starring Alex Jennings as George and Rebecca Saire as Caroline. Also featured amongst the cast are Julian Rhind-Tutt, Chris McHallem, Richard Howard, Mark Lambert, Jill Cardo and Nial Cusack. Written by Shelagh Stephenson and directed by Eoin O'Callaghan.
©2011 Shelagh Stephenson (P)2011 AudioGO Ltd