Kate Petrie has narrated 4 audiobooks on Listento.it by 4 authors, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 14 ratings. The most-rated is The Scarlet Letter.
The Scarlet Letter
Summary
One of the most important novels in classic literature, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter tackles the subject of adultery, with the notorious Hester Prynne at the forefront of the scandal in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the beginning of the novel, Hester is serving time in prison for having a child out of wedlock and is forced to wear a scarlet A on her clothing at all times, so she cannot run from her sin no matter where she goes. Her husband has been away for around two years, and she refuses to name the father of her daughter, Pearl. The father is actually Reverend Dimmesdale, a timid man who keeps his secret from the community. Hester's husband returns to the colony, where he finds out what has happened and makes it his personal goal to torment the father of Pearl. He discovers that it is Dimmesdale and tries to intimidate him. The pressure becomes too much for Dimmesdale, and after seven years of torture the reverend eventually admits what he has done and dies before a crowd of people. Not long after, Hester's husband also passes away, leaving Hester and her daughter enough money to escape the colony and finally have some peace. At the end, however, Hester decides to come back to the colony, and when she passes away, she is buried next to the reverend, with whom she had been in love.
Public Domain (P)2015 A.R.N. Publications
North and South
Summary
Margaret Hale returns home to her family in the rural south of England, after living with a wealthy aunt for 10 years, learning how to become a proper young woman. She is not home for long before her life is uprooted and her family moves to a town called Milton, in Northern England, where her father intends to be a tutor, leaving their Pastoral life, and the Church of England behind. One of Mr. Hale's pupils, Mr. Thornton, runs the cotton mill and has taken a keen interest in Margaret, who is disgusted by the amount of poverty around Milton and, also, by the way Mr. Thornton treats his employees. Although an uprising is brooding and Margaret sympathizes with the workers, she starts to become fond of Thornton and his ambition after living for 18 months in Milton. Margaret is surrounded by tragedy and loss from her family's ailing health, and a secret she must never reveal. Her societal upbringing in the south begins to clash with the northern poverty and her morals are beginning to shift and polarize. When more death starts to intrude on Margaret's life, she leaves Milton to return south to her Aunt where Margaret learns of a fortunate change of circumstance awaiting her that changes everything, including her relationship with Mr. Thornton.
©2016 A.R.N. Publications (P)2016 A.R.N. Publications
Anna Karenina
Summary
Anna Karenina is widely considered to be one of Leo Tolstoy’s best works. Essentially a tragic love story, Anna Karenina tells the story of the rebellious and beautiful Anna and her passionate affair with Count Vronsky. Anna’s heartbreaking story unfolds against the colorful backdrop of 19th-century Russia, amid a hypercritical and unforgiving society that will never accept her for who she really is. Longing for passion, Anna indulges in a harmless affair. When the relationship turns serious, she makes the fateful decision to abandon her loveless marriage, but in an era when such things are unheard of, will the consequence of choosing her heart’s desire bring disaster? Anna Karenina was first published as a serial in the periodical The Russian Messenger from 1873 to 1877. Due to a political disagreement between Tolstoy and the editor, the final installment was not released until 1878 when it was compiled into a book.
Public Domain (P)2018 A.R.N. Publications
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Summary
The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde, written in 1891, is a timeless philosophical classic that is still seen today as an interesting debate on the true meaning of beauty. Basil Hallward, a kind-hearted painter, is inspired by Dorian Grey's unbelievable good looks. While painting a still life of Dorian, Hallward and an acquaintance, Lord Henry Wotton, discuss Dorian's beauty and the idea of perfection. Convinced by their discussion that beauty is the only thing that matters in life, Dorian wishes that he would never age. Instead, he hopes that his painting will age in his stead. To his pleasure, Dorian's wish comes true, and Dorian's body stops aging. Feeling liberated, Dorian decides to pursue the darker side of life by indulging in his desires of women, drugs, and other scandalous activities. The more sins he commits, the more the painting of himself corrodes. When the artist, Basil, comes to visit, Dorian blames him for the painting's corrosion and murders Basil. He then convinces a friend to get rid of the body. Dorian still clings to the belief that beauty on the outside is more important than beauty on the inside, but eventually his past actions come back to haunt him. Dorian learns first-hand that he can't escape his very own self. This dramatic tale is written skillfully, and the shocking ending will have you on the edge of your seat.
©2015 Take 2 Studios (P)2015 Take 2 Studios