Robinson Crusoe

John Lee's performance provides an excellent reason to listen to this classic of English literature. Like the author and the novel's protagonist, Lee is British. His deep voice recounts the memories of a sailor stranded alone on an island off the coast of Brazil. The story also gives Lee the opportunity to show his skill with the many accents of foreign sailors, adding a delightful authenticity to the yarn. Some narrators founder miserably in the sea of peculiar words used aboard sailing ships of the seventeenth century, but Lee handles them as though he has been aboard a ship all his life. Don't mistake this survival story as being intended solely for children, for it has all the complexities of language, suspense, and action adults love in great books. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Considered to be one of the first novels written in English, this work is a true gem. Defoe's story is much more than that of a man who leaves England to seek his riches in "the Brazils" and ends up shipwrecked on an island in the Caribbean. Defoe, whose theology was kin to that of the Puritans, describes the journey of a man who has run from God, only to find His providences in the midst of adversity and affliction. John Lescault has a pleasant and genteel-sounding English accent. His exceptionally clear delivery has near perfect inflection and pacing. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

Say you were spending the evening at your exclusive club on London's Pall Mall, where a slightly stuffy middle-aged gentleman begins regaling you with stories of his youthful adventures marooned on an uninhabited island. His language is studied--obviously he has told this tale before--his voice manly, manner stoic and slightly ironic. You find yourself hanging on his every word. That is the sort of impression that Martin Shaw makes with his Apollonian treatment of this excellent abridgment. This reviewer has not encountered the stiff-upper-lip Crusoe in his many other screen, stage, and audio incarnations. Not only does this Crusoe convince, but he adds a welcome freshness to the overfamiliar classic. An added plus, Shaw makes arcane and obscure expressions intelligible through superb cadence, phrasing, and understanding. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

Though sometimes tedious and moralistic, Crusoe has become an emblem of human survival in a lonely and hostile world. In this recording British reader Tom Casaletto preserves Defoe's tone and point of view with perfect fidelity. There isn't much dialogue until the end of the book when Friday appears, but that is fully and richly voiced. If, like me, you haven't visited Crusoe's island since your youth, this excellent recording is the perfect opportunity for a return trip. P.E.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

As a listener who read this book a long time ago, I was surprised at how enjoyable this recording is. A good part of that is due to the palpable enthusiasm of reader Ron Keith. He has a gentle, articulated British accent, which sounds like Crusoe himself might have after his decades on the island. There are almost no speaking parts in the book other than Crusoe's, so the characterization is entirely focused on him. Keith brings forth a man I would like to meet. D.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

There is something archetypal and almost seductive about the idea of being stranded on a deserted island. The subject has never been better dealt with than in one of the English language's first novels, based on the true-life experience of a Scots shoemaker named Alexander Selkirk. This full-cast BBC production seamlessly follows Crusoe's 28-year struggle for survival through reedy-voiced, understated monologues, heartfelt flashbacks, and frighteningly realistic pirate and storm scenes. Through vocal nuances Crusoe is portrayed not as a hero, but as a flawed, resourceful, and altogether human character--most likely as Defoe intended. B.P. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

Many scholars consider ROBINSON CRUSOE to be the first English novel. While this popular and oft-imitated tale still works on its own after all these years, Simon Vance's truly "golden voice" further enhances this seminal story of action and adventure. His rendering of a young man in search of fame and fortune is perfection in performance. Listeners will feel the sand between their toes as Vance describes Crusoe building a life on the island he believes to be uninhabited. His battle with cannibals and rescue of his man "Friday" are as thrilling as the plot of any modern novel. While literary style has changed over the decades since Crusoe was first shipwrecked, Vance makes this account both palatable and potent. R.O. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

DVD Bookshelf has created a well-designed and creative format for experiencing classic literature. As you insert the disc into a computer's DVD drive or a home DVD player, a book appears on the screen, superimposed on a background of desert island flotsam. The pages turn with Dick Hill's reading, frequently accompanied by classic illustrations by Godwin, Paget, and Wyeth. Dick Hill is among the best voices in the industry, but his clipped reading comes across as a confused blend of faux-British and American articulation that is a far cry from the Yorkshire accent of the lead character. The story is told from the point of view of Crusoe, recalling his adventures later in life, as well as from the journals he kept during his twenty-eight-year stay on the desert island. While Hill's wizened interpretation may be an accurate depiction of an aged hero, it lacks the energy that one gets from the story itself. Nevertheless, taken as an entire package, this production provides a flexible and educational way to experience this classic. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine