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The Canterville Ghost Audiobook
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(3.00) - 9,537 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Oscar Wilde’s delightful story comes to life with vivid performances by Mark Redfield and Mackenzie Menter (as Virginia), with an original music score by Jennifer Rouse. One of the first stories Wilde published in 1887, “The Canterville Ghost” tells the story of an American family that moves into a haunted country house in England. At first disbelieving in ghosts, the family soon accepts, and then combats, the ghostly antics of Sir Simon de Canterville. Sir Simon has haunted Canterville Chase in various ghastly disguises for years, and becomes increasingly frustrated at the American family’s attempts to spoil the fun. Only little Virginia reaches out to Sir Simon, and with her help, the garrulous ghost is able to find peace. Wilde’s story combines macabre whimsy and gentle humor, making it perennially popular. “He made me see what Life is, and what Death signifies, and why Love is stronger than both.” – The Canterville Ghost.
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"I loved this book. I was giggling the whole time...well most of the time. (I am a chicken, and should never read anything with the word 'ghost' in the title at midnight, alone in my living room.) I loved how the Ghost chose his characters and costumes with such care. I think my favorite line of the whole book was "He selected Friday, the 17th of August, for his appearance, and spent most of that day in looking over his wardrobe, ultimately deciding in favour of a large slouched hat with a red feather, a winding-sheet frilled at the wrists and neck, and a rusty dagger." It sounded like a Mary Higgins-Clark heroine deciding what to wear before she pulls her hair into a chignon, dons a caftan, and begins to make her omelet. Delicious fun. My favorite characters of the book were the horrid little Otis Twins. Oh, they were naughty! Having little naughty boys of my own, their antics seemed quite plausible and hilarious. Oh, the Facebook statuses Mrs. Otis could post about those two! Of course, I was frustrated that the story drops off before giving you the really scary bits, but oh well. It was just so much fun. I am sure there is some piece of fan-fiction, somewhere, that speculates on Virginia's scary ordeal. :)"
— Erin (4 out of 5 stars)
The Canterville Ghost Listener Reviews
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" This is one of the best ghost stories I've ever read. Very clever, very funny, great insight onto US culture. "
— Yasemin, 2/17/2014 -
" The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde is a short, fun read. Even though it is about a really horrible old ghost, and the family he tries to haunt is ridiculous, I felt some affection for most of the characters, which made a refreshing change from some of the darker books and stories I've read lately. I recommend it. "
— Janet, 1/29/2014 -
" I would like to have a ghost like him "
— Johnny, 1/22/2014 -
" It is a funny little book. "
— Pamellia, 1/9/2014 -
" A short read and is witty and clever. A different take on a ghost story. "
— Andrea, 12/25/2013 -
" Quick read! Cute, in a very rom-com sense. "
— Andrewcharles420, 12/23/2013 -
" Lo mejor de lo mejor. "
— Alexandrovich, 12/23/2013 -
" Predictable, but I always enjoy Wilde's style. "
— Masch1, 11/12/2013 -
" This has to be the best-ever written short story in the history of the genre. Whenever I'm feeling down, I go to my bookshelf and pull out this story. I feel better after reading the first couple of pages. The writing is superb, and it's just so freakin' funny. "
— Carolyn, 11/9/2013 -
" I find I prefer Wilde's more serious books. This is a very short read ,blink & you will be done with it. ...good ideas in this one. "
— Kelly, 10/30/2013 -
" What a fun romp! The efforts of the poor old ghost to scare the practical, very American Otis family, made me laugh aloud. "
— Madelyn, 10/19/2013 -
" A very fun Halloween-season story. :) "
— Eve, 3/17/2013 -
" Such a fun tale..good chuckles. I can't understand why I have waited so long to read it. I'm finding another Oscar Wilde book soon. "
— Doris, 1/7/2013 -
" A delightful little story about a family who terrorizes a ghost instead of the other way around. I love a book, like this one, that can make me smile. "
— Diane, 3/12/2012 -
" According to my view this book will definitely help u in Class 11 "
— Piyush, 3/1/2012 -
" Sehr guter und kurzweiliger Oscar-Wilde-Roman, nur das Gespenst tat mir leid "
— Youdid, 12/13/2011 -
" really, really funny. classic wilde, very enjoyable and pleasing read :) "
— Caitlyn, 10/31/2011 -
" A great little ghost tale with a Wilde twist to it! "
— Lisa, 5/22/2011 -
" Not his best, but if you like Oscar this one won't disappoint...and it's super short. "
— Bethany, 5/21/2011 -
" This is a great quick read that is so much fun! I have no idea why I have never read Oscar Wilde before! "
— Colleen, 5/20/2011 -
" A very quick read but definitely a classic one. First time I had read this one. "
— Michelle, 5/6/2011 -
" I got lost at the end..but I liked it a lot! "
— Dana, 5/5/2011 -
" Listened to the LibriVox recording. "
— Bronwyn, 5/1/2011 -
" While reading I kept telling myself that I liked Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray so I should give this a chance, but then I started to think of the movie Dorian Gray with Ben Barnes and well that was the end of my thought process. "
— Diana, 4/9/2011 -
" The story itself was good. Not quite what I was expecting but it was still a good story. "
— Lisa, 3/29/2011 -
" This is one of my favorite ghost stories; so sad but with a bittlersweet ending... "
— Abby, 3/28/2011 -
" A sweet story to offer to all thinking children. "
— Qi, 3/15/2011 -
" Leído en secundaria. Fue el primer libro que leí de Oscar Wilde, no estuvo mal pero no me terminó de convencer. "
— Erika, 3/14/2011 -
" This book had me laughing myself to an early grave. Here you see Wilde's amusing side, but he still maintains an elegant and thought out style throughout. Enjoyable and need I say it again? Laugh your pants off funny. A true representation of what life would be like if ghosts existed! Lovely! "
— Chiara, 2/22/2011 -
" Another Gutenberg book. Good read. Drastically different from all the film adaptions. "
— Clay, 2/17/2011 -
" I loved the characters in this - the frustrated old ghost, the unflappable Americans. All of them were delightful and their chemistry hilarious. As with most Oscar Wilde short stories, there is a very depressing twist to the end. But it does end happily for all involved. A fun little short read. "
— Tyler-Rose, 2/10/2011 -
" Charming. <br/>Lovely. <br/>Filled with wry Wilde humor. <br/>This is definitely worth picking up. "
— Cami, 2/8/2011 -
" No es lo que uno espera cuando abre un libro sobre un fantasma... sin embargo esta entretenido "
— Cristian, 1/28/2011 -
" It's a funny ghost story, which means it's appeared in a whole lot of anthologies. I love it. "
— Kaethe, 12/31/2010 -
" Davvero interessante questa raccolta di racconti di Wilde, su tutti: Il delitto di Lord Arthur Savile.<br/>Tre e mezzo direi più che tre. "
— Ettore.bilbo, 11/16/2010 -
" The short stories were great. "
— Sherry, 11/11/2009
About Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) was born in Dublin. He won scholarships to both Trinity College, Dublin, and Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1875, he began publishing poetry in literary magazines, and in 1878, he won the coveted Newdigate Prize for English poetry. He had a reputation as a flamboyant wit and man-about-town. After his marriage to Constance Lloyd in 1884, he tried to establish himself as a writer, but with little initial success. However, his three volumes of short fiction, The Happy Prince, Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime, and A House of Pomegranates, together with his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, gradually won him a reputation as a modern writer with an original talent. That reputation was confirmed and enhanced by the phenomenal success of his society comedies: Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband, and The Importance of Being Earnest, all performed on London’s West End stage between 1892 and 1895. In 1895, he was convicted of engaging in homosexual acts, which were then illegal, and sentenced to two years imprisonment with hard labor. He soon declared bankruptcy, and his property was auctioned off. In 1896, he lost legal custody of his children. When his mother died that same year, his wife Constance visited him at the jail to bring him the news. It was the last time they saw each other. In the years after his release, his health deteriorated. In November 1900, he died in Paris at the age of forty-six.
About Mark Redfield
Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1848) transformed the American literary landscape with his innovations in the short story genre and his haunting lyrical poetry, and he is credited with inventing American gothic horror and detective fiction. He was first published in 1827 and then began a career as a magazine writer and editor and a sharp literary critic. In 1845 the publication of his most famous poem, “The Raven,” brought him national fame.