Great Stories Well Told
Great Stories Well Told is a storytelling podcast featuring beautifully written works of fiction read aloud by Barbara Kline. From timeless classics to lesser-known literary treasures, each episode offers the pleasure of a carefully crafted story, thoughtfully told.
Episodes
22 episodes
The Adventure of the Speckled Band by By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Part 1
Welcome to Season 3 of Great Stories Well ToldWhen a frightened young woman arrives at Baker Street, she brings Sherlock Holmes one of the stra...
Preview of Season 3: Great Stories Well Told
Welcome to Great Stories Well Told — a storytelling podcast for listeners who love timeless tales.I am Barbara Kline and I am very happy that you have chosen to be here!In my ad-free podcast, I share fairy tales, fables, ...
Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving
For generations, readers have wondered what really happened to Rip Van Winkle in the Catskill (or Kaatskill) Mountains.When the easygoing villager follows a mysterious stranger carrying a heavy keg, he discovers a silent gathering ...
The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe
A man insists that he is sane. Yet as he recounts a series of carefully planned events, his own words begin to reveal a mind consumed by obsession.Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" has captivated readers since 1843 with its master...
The Monkey’s Paw by W. W. Jacobs
An old soldier returns from India carrying an unusual souvenir - a small monkey's paw said to grant three wishes. At first the tale seems impossible, even amusing. But as one family discovers, some gifts are better left untouched. ...
Beauty and the Beast by Madame de Beaumont
Beauty and the Beast is one of the world's most beloved fairy tales, but long before it became a movie, it was told in the literary salons of France.'Beauty and the Beast,' by Mme Leprince de Beaumont (1711-1781),In this classic v...
Bernice Bobs Her Hair Part 2 of 2 by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Today's story is "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" Part 2 by F. Scott Fitzgerald."Bernice Bobs Her Hair" by F. Scott Fitzgerald was first published on May 1, 1920 in The Saturday Evening Post. In 1920, well to do women w...
Bernice Bobs Her Hair Part 1 of 2 by F. Scott Fitzgerald
In this episode of Great Stories Well Told, we turn from Kate Chopin's quiet examination of personal freedom to F. Scott Fitzgerald's sharp and often humorous portrait of youth in the Jazz Age.When shy and awkward Bernice visits her glam...
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
Welcome to the first episode in Season 2 of Great Stories Well Told: “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin.This is a remarkable and quietly powerful short story about marriage, identity, freedom, and the hidden emotions that ...
Why the Sea is Salt
This story contains scenes of violence, as some classic stories do. Listener discretion is advisedIn this episode of Great Stories Well Told, we present "Why the Sea is Salt", a traditional tale told in many places and in a number of dif...
The Happy Prince
A statue covered in gold. A small bird with nowhere to go. In Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince, a quiet story unfolds — one of compassion, sacrifice, and the unexpected beauty of giving.&n...
The Magic Shop by H.G. Wells
In this episode of Great Stories Well Told, we present The Magic Shop by H. G. Wells.A father and his young son visit a curious little shop on a London street, filled with tricks, toys, and strange wonders.But as they explore, the line ...
The Lady or The Tiger by Frank R. Stockton
In Frank R. Stockton’s "The Lady, or the Tiger?", a young man stands before a decision that will determine his fate — Two doors. One choice. No second chances.but the greatest mystery lies not behind the doors, but in the hea...
The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe
"The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) is the star of this episode. I hope that you enjoy it.As a deadly plague spreads across the land, Prince Prospero retreats with his court into a castellated abbe...
Princess on The Glass Hill a Tale from the Norse
"Princess on the Glass Hill" is a classic Norwegian folktale first published in Norwegian in in the 1840s. It was first translated into English in 1859 by Sir George Webbe Dasent in Popular Tales from the Norse. This version is taken f...
Prometheus and Pandora
From Greek mythology, this is the powerful story of Prometheus—the titan who stole fire from the gods and gave it to humanity. In doing so, he changed the course of human life… and sealed his own fate. Prometheus stands ...
The Elephant's Child by Rudyard Kipling
“The Elephant’s Child” by Rudyard Kipling. The Just So Stories were first published in 1902. This story is from the 1912 edition.In this classic tale from Rudyard Kipling, a relentlessly curious young elephant sets out to ...
Three Questions by Leo Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy's short story “Three Questions” was first published in 1885 as part of the collection What Men Live By, and Other Tales. "The Three Questions" is a story about a king who seeks answers three ...
Three Fables by Aesop
Aesop's Fables, are very old stories that are credited to a 6th-century BCE Greek slave named Aesop. In the beginning these were oral tales; early written versions appeared around the 4th century BC or BCE and in Latin by the 1st c...
The Skylight Room by O. Henry
"The Skylight Room" from O. Henry's story collection The Four Million was published in 1906. In these stories, O. Henry introduces us to a variety of ordinary people living and working in New York City in the early part of the 20...
The Cat That Walked By Himself by Rudyard Kipling
The Cat That Walked by Himself”by Rudyard KiplingThis is one of Rudyard Kipling’s Just So Stories, a story of the “High and Far-Off Times"— when the wild creatures of the forest were beginning, one by one, to come and liv...
