The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
~read by Simon Prebble
Another in a long line of audio versions of books I've previously read. As I've mentioned, I prefer to listen to novels that I've already got a good general knowledge of--it's more difficult for me to focus on the finer details of new stories in audio form, especially if I plan to review them. The Hound of the Baskervilles is probably my favorite Holmes story and it's one that I have read many times. As with other recent audio novels, I will not review Doyle's story itself (please see link above for my thoughts on the mystery) but will give my thoughts on Simon Prebble's narration.
Prebble is a proficient reader, employing a wide range of accents from cockney to country and even the American tones of Sir Henry Baskerville. He does start out a bit flat, but the narration gains flavor over the course of the novel. By the end of the story the listener is fully immersed in the world of Holmes and atmosphere of the dreadful moor. I enjoyed sinking into the Victorian era of gas lights and hansom cabs. Listening to Holmes and Watson come to life through narration was great fun.
The library has several of the Holmes stories narrated by Simon Prebble and I'm sure I'll be checking more out soon. ★★★★
I listened to this a few years ago with Derek Jacobi as the narrator, but I have enjoyed Prebble on several others. I tend to listen to classics via audiobook.
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