Audiobooks by Frank Norris

The Octopus: A Story of California Audiobook

"This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Frank Norris’s The Octopus: A Story of California is a sweeping, unflinching novel of power, greed, and survival in America’s West. The first part of his unfinished Epic of the Wheat trilogy, this classic work captures the struggles of California wheat farmers against the crushing might of the railroad monopolies that controlled their lives and livelihoods. At the heart of the story is Magnus Derrick, a respected rancher whose hopes for prosperity are shattered when he and his fellow farmers become ensnared in the ruthless practices of the Pacific and Southwestern Railroad. As the conflict escalates, Norris portrays the farmers’ desperate resistance, the railroad’s relentless grip, and the broader forces of economics and fate that loom over every individual. Blending vivid realism with naturalist philosophy, Norris presents the railroad as a near-mythical “octopus”—its tentacles reaching into every corner of society, tightening around those who dare to resist. The novel explores themes of justice, corruption, human will, and the struggle between man and the vast, impersonal forces of capital and industry. At once a social critique and a gripping narrative of personal tragedy and resilience, The Octopus: A Story of California stands as a cornerstone of American naturalism. It remains a powerful reflection on the balance of power between individuals and the corporations that shape their destiny. This audiobook edition brings Norris’s vivid characters and stark landscapes to life, making it essential listening for fans of historical fiction, American literature, and stories that reveal the costs of progress and the endurance of the human spirit."

Frank Norris (Author), Digital Voice James E (Narrator)

Audiobook

American Short Stories

"Frank Norris. The ship that saw a ghost. Frank Norris's intriguing and atmospheric tale of an old forgotten crime, a tragedy, an ancient derelict ghost ship... and the very bizarre reaction of the modern tramp steamer whose bows she crosses. Jack London. To build a fire. 'To Build a Fire' is a short story by American author Jack London. There are two versions of this story, one published in 1902 and the other in 1908. The story written in 1908 has become an often anthologized classic, while the 1902 story is less well known. The 1908 version is about an unnamed protagonist who ventures out in the subzero boreal forest of the Yukon Territory. He is followed by a native dog and is en route to visit his friends—ignoring warnings from an older man about the dangers of hiking alone in extreme cold. The protagonist underestimates the harsh conditions and slowly begins to freeze to death. After building one fire and leaving it to venture on in his journey he later on attempts to build another but fails. He slips into unconsciousness and dies of hypothermia... Edgar Allan Poe. The pit and the pendulum. 'The Pit and the Pendulum' is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1842 in the literary annual The Gift: A Christmas and New Year's Present for 1843. The story is about the torments endured by a prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition, though Poe skews historical facts. The narrator of the story describes his experience of being tortured. The story is especially effective at inspiring fear in the reader because of its heavy focus on the senses, such as sound, emphasizing its reality, unlike many of Poe's stories which are aided by the supernatural."

Edgar Allan Poe, Frank Norris, Jack London (Author), Adam Muskin, Beverly Nickles, Brent Bradley (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Pit: A Story of Chicago

"Laura Dearborn, a young woman is courted and pursued by three men: Curtis Jadwin, Sheldon Corthell, and Landry Court. She marries Jadwin, who over time loses interest in her as he gets more involved in wheat speculation at the Chicago Board of Trade. As his risky investments start to lead him to ruin, Laura reunites with Corthell, but she eventually rebuffs him. Jadwin’s fortunes turn as he is able to corner the market and ruin even good friends, but in time his luck runs out, and he is ruined. He turns his attention back to his wife, and they leave Chicago, heading West to start fresh."

Frank Norris (Author), John Lescault (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Octopus: A Story of California

"Like the tentacles of an octopus, the railroad in California reached out across the state, grasping everything of value in the state. Based on the bloody Mussel Slough Tragedy—a conflict between wheat farmers and the Southern Pacific Railroad—The Octopus is a stunning novel chronicling the twilight of the frontier West, a depiction of the tensions between the railroad, the ranchers, and the ranchers’ League. The book emphasizes the control of “forces”—such as the power of railroad monopolies—over individuals. No one was truly innocent, as the farmers employed the same if not similar tactics as the monopolistic railroad companies, such as subversion, coercion, and violence."

Frank Norris (Author), John Lescault (Narrator)

Audiobook

[Spanish] - La capitana de la Lady Letty - Dramatizado

"-Este audiolibro está narrado en castellano. Al joven Ross Wilbur, refinado miembro de la alta sociedad de San Francisco, un 'manhattan suave' tomado en mala compañía le va a cambiar la vida radicalmente. Se verá embarcado en una goleta, donde se espera de él que trabaje como un marinero más... Un golpe de mar cambiará el curso de su vida marinera. Moran, la fuerte y bella noruega con aspecto de vikinga, entrará en su vida. Entre los dos intentarán salvar un magnífico tesoro que la mar ha puesto en sus manos, pero hay más gente interesada en él... - Benjamin Franklin'Frank'Norris Jr. (1870–1902) fue un periodista y novelista estadounidense. Es reconocido fundamentalmente como un novelista en el género naturalista y también por su mentalidad socialista, fue también influenciado por el darwinismo, especialmente por Joseph LeConte."

Frank Norris (Author), Alejandro Khan, Emilio Villa, Mariel Ruggieri, Marta Pavón, Niloofer Khan (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Third Circle

"Sixteen short stories by the American novelist Benjamin Frank Norris Jr (1870-1902) who wrote predominantly in the naturalist genre. He lived and worked in San Francisco. His writing has been compared to Emile Zola, Stephen Crane, Theodore Dreiser, and Edith Wharton. His writings sometimes contain an anti-Semitic element. - Summary by Wikipedia and david wales"

Frank Norris (Author), David Wales (Narrator)

Audiobook

McTeague

"Few works have captured the seamy side of American urban life with such graphic immediacy as Frank Norris' McTeague. Heredity and environment play the role of fate in this portrayal of human degradation in turn-of-the-century San Francisco. McTeague, a successful but naive dentist, marries Trina, introduced to him by her cousin Marcus Schouler. When Trina wins $5,000 in a lottery, and increases the sum by shrewd investment, Schouler, who had wanted to marry Trina himself, feels cheated. In revenge, he exposes McTeague's lack of diploma or license. Forbidden to practice, McTeague becomes surly, but the miserly Trina refuses to let him use her money, and they sink into poverty. What follows is a descent into the ultimate crime, murder, and life as a fugitive, in a tale that moves toward its harrowing conclusion with the grim power and inevitability of Classic tragedy."

Frank Norris (Author), Wolfram Kandinsky (Narrator)

Audiobook

McTeague

"Stacy Keach stars in this shocking tale of a Polk Street dentist and his wife in 1899 San Francisco. Frank Norris’ powerful insights into the depths of the human soul make this a story of compelling narrative force. This seminal novel about murder, obsession and the destructive effects of greed features an all-star cast including Stacy Keach, Edward Asner, Ed Begley Jr., Hector Elizondo, Helen Hunt, Marsha Mason and many more. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring Ed Asner, Rene Auberjonois, Ed Begley Jr., Georgia Brown, Jack Coleman, Bud Cort, Judy Ann Elder, Hector Elizondo, Fionnula Flanagan, Teri Garr, Katherine Helmond, Howard Hessman, Helen Hunt, Amy Irving, Carol Kane, Stacy Keach, Sara Kessler, Nan Martin, Richard Masur, Marsha Mason, Rue McLanahan, Marian Mercer, Judd Nelson, Holly Palance, Judge Reinhold, Franklin Seales, David Selby, Joe Spano, Madeleine Smith, JoBeth Williams, Michael York and Harris Yulen."

Frank Norris (Author), Various Performers (Narrator)

Audiobook

Audiobooks by Frank Norris

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