The Mystery Of Cloomber
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Read by Delmar H Dolbier
This novel is written by the author of, among other novels, the Stories of Sherlock Holmes. It is narrated by John Fothergill West, who tries to discover why the tenant of Cloomber Hall, General Heatherstone, is nervous to the point of being paranoid. Why are his fears becoming stronger every year at the fifth of October? And why doesn't he let his children leave home? This is a great mystery novel with a sharp twist at the end. (Summary by Wikipedia and Stav Nisser) (5 hr 20 min)
Chapters
Reviews
great story, engaging reader
darthlaurel
Don't be put off by bad reviews of this reader. He's a very good reader and does what he can to do different voices and to make the story engaging. It is not at all easy to read a story aloud in a fluid, intelligible, entertaining manner. This guy is very good in his own way. Just because someone's style isn't to your tastes doesn't mean you are justified in running down the work he did for free and for your enjoyment.
wonderfully suspenseful story
Frances
I have Previously reviewed Mr. Dolbier' read of this as outstanding... Still do. Noticed other reviewers did not agree and found the dialog difficult to understand. Too bad they did not allow time for their ears to grow accustomed to the totally accurate Scottish dialects which Mr. Dolbier used to add spice to his narration. Those dialects lifted the piece up from an ordinary reading to a theatrical presentation.
A dramatic reading
Womandy
The reader's skill brought to life a list of strange characters; a bit of a weird story - but fun listening!
Pretty good book
mikezane
I felt like a few loose ends were present, and I think Doyle could have done more with the mystery aspect of the story, but it's still worth a listen. The sins of the past never quite leave the man who has a guilty conscience. The reader was EXCELLENT, wonderful voice and cadence and great job with characters. Enjoy!
Great listen
GigEmAggies
Although the narrator is somewhat hard to understand at times, this is a great listen! High quality writing and reading
Martha Mydear
The novel is so highly original and beautifully crafted moving quickly and tumultuously to its climax. Where Holmes is famous for his ability to pierce the seemingly unearthly mystery of Baskerville with the force of his powers of reason and logic, here his creator has instead created a mystery of occult power that logic cannot overcome. The narrator was very enjoyable, flavoring the voice of John, the main character with a light Scottish accent appropriate to a young man educated in Edinburgh.
Fantastic story but narrator impossible to understand in parts
M Harpenden
Loved the story line, and the mystery kept me hooked all the way through to the end. However, the narrator used different accents throughout and some had been over done , they were absolutely impossible to understand. I found this irritating as I desperately wanted to follow the excellent story, but just couldn't make out what was being said. Such a shame.
Excelled in All Counts
A.T.B.
This is an excellent reading of an enjoyable book. If one enjoys Doyle, and if one enjoys the Victorian adventure story genre, then I highly recommend this recording! Having read many tales of this type, it was slightly predictable; and as always the prejudices and accompanying language of bygone eras are distasteful to a modern reader. With that in mind, I still give this an outstanding rating.