Download New Releases Full Audiobooks in Classics, British Literature

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Title: A Christmas Carol [Simon & Schuster Version]

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Patrick Stewart

Format: Abridged

Length: 1 hr and 47 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-25-06

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 916 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit, and Ebenezer Scrooge come to marvelous life in Patrick Stewart's critically-acclaimed solo interpretation of A Christmas Carol. The star of X-Men and The Royal Shakespeare Company, Stewart has performed his one-man stage production of this holiday classic to sell-out audiences. Now, in this Grammy-nominated studio recording of the dazzling achievement that has thrilled audiences in New York and Los Angeles, Stewart invites listeners to rediscover the timeless story at its source: Dickens' own words, presented in a soaring, virtuoso solo performance in which Stewart plays all parts.

©1991 Camm Lane, Inc; (P)2006 Simon and Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic Reviews:

"Reciting the litany of Scrooge's scrooginess, Stewart relishes the emotional gamut of meanness....Humbug seldom sounds so good." (Newsweek)

"Not only is Patrick Stewart wonderful, but this is surely one of the best performances of A Christmas Carol ever recorded....By sheer energy and dramatic skill, Stewart invests this story with not merely life, but freshness, excitement, and wonder." (The Washington Post)

"A low tech audio Christmas card: no sound effects, no gimmicks, just one of the the great voices of the contemporary classical stage creating as vivid a cast of characters as Dickens imagines. The Royal Shakespeare Company veteran...doesn't so much read the story as inhabit it with infectious delight." (Entertainment Weekly)

Members Reviews:

It's not Christmas without this (audio)book

This is by far one of my favorite audio books of all time.

My grandparents bought me the cassette version at LEAST 15 years ago, and I've been listening to it faithfully every year since.

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Title: Our Mutual Friend

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 31 hrs and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-24-06

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 336 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Opening with a father and daughter scavenging for corpses on the Thames, the chilling tale unfolds around drownings, disguises and doubles, violence, murder, and triumphant love. Young John Harmon, presumed killed on his return home to England, is very much alive. The heir to a dust merchant's fortune, he goes to work under an assumed name for his father's current heirs, the amiable, elderly Boffins, who are about to be blackmailed by the unscrupulous one-legged Wegg.

So begins the intrigue in a novel that is quintessentially Dickensian in flavor, in its grotesque caricatures, its rich symbolism, and the astonishing realism of its heroine, Bella Wilfer, among Dickens' most splendid female characters.

Members Reviews:

Worth six stars

What I enjoy most about Dickens is the quality of his writing. And this book, to me, is his best. It seems like Dickens managed to squeeze every character he ever came up with into this book, and I loved each and every one of them. And the narrator -- well, if you haven't heard anything performed by Robert Whitfield (whose real name is Simon Vance), just get this book. By far my favorite narrator, reading Dickens at his best. Who could ask for more?

A Masterpiece

For my money, Our Mutual Friend is the best novel Dickens ever wrote--a bit darker than the others, but all the more powerful. Although it presents the usual cast of caricatures, there are no throwaways, the themes they represent are not trivial. Dickens (sorry, no apostrophe function) attacks on snobbery and greed are unusually vicious as well as funny, and there is a new depth to the main characters--especially in the darker romance (there are two). Lizzie Hexam is a breathtaking character--serious, beautiful, redemptive. Dickens sentimentalism (to my mind the serious flaw in his works) is kept to a minimum in this one.

And--The reading is perfect. Robert Whitfield is a talented and sensitive reader. I will be looking for more of his work.

Mutual pleasure

In this audiobook, Charles Dickens and Robert Whitfield (the narrator) mutually conspire to deliver audio pleasure to the listener. Superbly written and read, the Thames winds through this tale of class difference, greed, social frippery, mystery, murder, financial skullduggery and love. Do yourself a great favour and listen to it. You'll love it.

Classic Dickens, Extremely Well Read

This is a great story whether read, listened to, or watched on BBC version. I have done all three and never tire of the story. The characters are at times caricatures (as always in Dickens), but always bring to mind people we have known. Reading Dickens is like reading a manual on human nature and foibles. This is one of the author's best works, in my opinion. You will love and hate these characters.

The narration is superb and well-fitted for this book.

Superb

Worth every penny. Robert Whitfield is an excellent narrator. Tip: Always listen to the sample.

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Title: Pride and Prejudice [Audible Studios]

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Lindsay Duncan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-28-06

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2176 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Pride and Prejudice has delighted generations of readers with its unforgettable cast of characters, carefully choreographed plot, and a hugely entertaining view of the world and its absurdities. With the arrival of eligible young men in their neighbourhood, the lives of Mr and Mrs Bennet and their five daughters are turned inside out and upside down. Pride encounters prejudice, upward-mobility confronts social disdain, and quick-wittedness challenges sagacity, as misconceptions and hasty judgements lead to heartache and scandal, but eventually to true understanding, self-knowledge, and love. In this supremely satisfying story, Jane Austen balances comedy with seriousness, and witty observation with profound insight. If Elizabeth Bennet returns again and again to her letter from Mr Darcy, readers of the novel are drawn even more irresistibly by its captivating wisdom.

Members Reviews:

excellent reading

Lindsey Duncan, the English actress, does a fine job in this reading. Her Elizabeth is not pert or flirty, but intelligent and witty. You can see why Darcy is so taken with her. Duncan is good with all the women, differentiating their language and intonation. This is the one to listen to!

Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice

I listened briefly to all the "Pide and Prejudice" audios on our list, before buying this production narrated by Linsey Duncan. Ms Ducan's reading is superb. Each character is given a unique voice and portrayed with such subtlety, that the novel easily flows in currents of reality. Miss Austen's language is preserved and alive. I am a serious reader of Ms Austen and I am totally satisfied with this audio.

Excellent Read!

I just finished listening to "Pride and Prejudice." I've read the book before (as well as seen the various TV and movie productions), so I'm already a fan. That being said, this book was a delight to listen to. The narrator does the characters very well, and I appreciate the fact that she is a true British actor. Be prepared to be totally absorbed -- near the end, I couldn't put it down.

terrific

when a great book meets a wonderful reader, this is what you get.

Definitely worth it!

Loved the book (of course), and LOVED the narrator. Ms. Duncan does a fabulous job of giving each character a distinct vocal quality, which is very important in this book particularly, as Jane Austen tends to leave off speaker tags on her dialogue. HIGHLY recommended!

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Title: Waiting for Godot

Author: Samuel Beckett

Narrator: Sean Barrett, David Burke, Terence Rigby, Nigel Anthony

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-10-06

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 386 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

There is now no doubt that not only is Waiting for Godot the outstanding play of the 20th century, but it is also Samuel Beckett's masterpiece. Yet it is both a popular text to be studied at school and an enigma. The scene is a country road. There is a solitary tree. It is evening. Two tramp-like figures, Vladimir and Estragon, exchange words. Pull off boots. Munch a root vegetable. Two other curious characters enter. And a boy. Time passes. It is all strange yet familiar. Waiting for Godot casts its spell as powerfully in this audiobook recording as it does on stage.

Members Reviews:

Godot is here

This is a very creditible performance of a must-listen play, with the humor and tragedy and what I can only call the surealistic realism of Beckett at his best.

The Joys of Existential and Spiritual Uncertainty

Ah, what a delightfully bleak, humorously horrible, grotesquely sublime, slapstickishly nihilistic, transcendently claustrophobic, bracingly despairing, and entertainingly frustrating play Waiting for Godot is! It's perfect.

And I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this audiobook version. The British actors, Sean Barrett, David Burke, Terence Rigby, and Nigel Anthony, are excellent, bringing Beckett's text and characters alive with wit, heart, and perfect timing. The two friends Estragon and Vladimir are an appealing pair of morosely and stubbornly heroic fools: ever waiting in the wasteland for the never appearing Godot, ever complaining about and attempting to understand their situation, never mustering the courage to escape it, repeatedly forgetting their past, playing off each other's words like suicidal comedians, sometimes arguing, and often treating each other with moving affection. There is something strangely comforting about their never-ending failures. As if an adult Charlie Brown were living with Eeyore instead of Snoopy. Pozzo and Lucky, the foil-pair of Estragon and Vladimir, are morbidly fascinating in their abusive master-slave relationship.

Here are a few of the many great moments in the audiobook: when Lucky "thinks," when Estragon and Vladimir pass their hats and Lucky's back and forth between them, when the boy angel delivers his messages (that Godot will surely come tomorrow!), when Estragon and Vladimir "abuse" each other and then make up, when Estragon and Vladimir debate helping Pozzo up, and when Pozzo makes his woeful speech, "They give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams an instant, then it's night once more."

Waiting for Godot (like any play), of course, is a visual work of art best experienced performed live on stage. However, if you are unable to see it like that, listening to this audiobook would be the next best thing, and a wonderful experience in itself.

The best. Period.

I know no other play to be better than this. I enjoyed reading it so much in high school, that I jumped at the occasion to take it with me wherever I go. This tragicomedy is a must for every person, everywhere!

Maybe better as a viewed play

Maybe I am just a philistine but just to listen to this play; I haven't read it or watched it yet. But just to listen to this play didn't really spellbound me.

It was a little tedious to wait w/ the characters, well voiced as they were. This just didn't do it for me.

The Philistines where not ignorant.

Im just a philistine.

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Title: A Tale of Two Cities

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Martin Jarvis

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins

Language: English

Release date: 01-19-06

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 784 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Exclusively from Audible

'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times'; so the recording begins and ends with some of Dickens' best-known words, and between those lines is every Briton's view of the worst excesses of the French Revolution.

Set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution, the audiobook tells the story of a French doctor who is imprisoned for 18 years in the Bastille in Paris. Upon his release, he moves to London with his daughter, Lucie, whom he had never met. She marries but there is conflict between her husband and the people who decades earlier caused her father's imprisonment.

Set against the backdrop of the conditions that led up to the French Revolution, it depicts the plight of the French peasantry demoralised by the French aristocracy and the brutality demonstrated by the revolutionaries during the Reign of Terror, towards the former aristocrats.

Dickens was one of eight children from a very poor family, with his father eventually being sent to debtor's prison. Dickens began work at the age of 12 to help clear the family debt. It was this troublesome childhood that provided him with much of the material for his novels and lent him a sympathetic voice for the poor.

Narrator Biography

Martin Jarvis is one of Britain's most admired actors. His audiobook output is legendary. He is described in Vanity Fair as 'the Olivier of audiobooks' and 'genius of the Spoken Word' in the LA Times. Award-winning recordings range from titles by Charles Dickens, P.G. Wodehouse and Michael Frayn to thrillers by Jeffrey Archer, Wilbur Smith, Ian Fleming and Dick Francis.

He has starred in many acclaimed West End and National Theatre productions and received the Theatre World Award as Jeeves on Broadway. Numerous UK television appearances encompass Law & Order, Doctor Who, Endeavour, Inspector Morse and The Forsyte Saga. In America: Murder She Wrote, Numb3rs, Cosmos and Walker, Texas Ranger. Films include Titanic, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Wreck-It Ralph. Videogames: Alfred in Batman, Finn McMissile in Cars. Martin was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

Members Reviews:

A Rediscovery of an Old Friend

My mother, an English teacher for many years, impressed a deep love for the classics upon me. Dickens remains a personal favorite as I love the depth of his characters, the movement of the action, and the timeliness of his stories.

Tale is a perfect example of Dickens' writing at its finest. Weaving an intricate story of family and friends embroiled in the French Revolution, the author leaves the listener on edge at the end of every chapter; one simply cannot hit the pause button but instead must know what happens next.

When I was in tenth grade (many more years ago than I care to admit), my class read this novel, and we actually read it aloud. Suffice it to say, the narrator of this version has much more talent than my classmates and me. :) The narrator absolutely brought this book to life. The character voices were outstanding (although the one for Lucy was a bit odd, but it worked OK). You could not only hear but feel the passion of the marvelous text.

I hope you enjoy this lovely version. I believe it's one you'll want to turn to again and again.

Truly exceptional

This is an absolutely outstanding audiobook.

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Title: Sense and Sensibility

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Juliet Stevenson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 43 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-15-05

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2422 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

When Mrs. Dashwood is forced by an avaricious daughter-in-law to leave the family home in Sussex, she takes her three daughters to live in a modest cottage in Devon. For Elinor, the eldest daughter, the move means a painful separation from the man she loves, but her sister Marianne finds in Devon the romance and excitement which she longs for. The contrasting fortunes and temperaments of the two girls as they struggle to cope in their different ways with the cruel events which fate has in store for them are portrayed by Jane Austen with her usual irony, humour, and profound sensibility.

© and (P)2005 Naxos Audiobooks Ltd.

Members Reviews:

Superb - Justice to Jane Austen and Emma Thompson

A truely excellent narration - Juliet Stevenson is the best narrator I have come across on audible. She brings the characters to life, giving each, character and individuality. She accurately captures the nuances and comedy of the book and the historical period.

To me, at least, this book was so well brought to life by the Emma Thompson screen adaptation that I would find it hard to imagine some of the characters (Marianne and Fanny for instance) represented very differently from that film (although I did think the occasional character including Edward and to a certain extent Elanor herself were miscast in the film version). Juliet Stevenson's interpretations are close to the film where it was good, and better where it could have been improved (to my ear her Marianne sounded like Kate Winslet).

Furthermore, her voice is not harsh to the ears, as I have found some narrators, even good ones, to be after a time - an important point when listening to something for hours through a set of earphones on an iPod.

Pride and Prejudice might be my favourite Jane Austen book, but I think this is my favourite Jane Austen audio so far. My only negative point being that I got so engrossed (much more so than when reading the paper book), and the story is quite black and miserable through much of its length, that I am sure I felt miserable with Marianne, until I had got to the uplifting ending.

very easy on the ears.

I listen to a lot of British classic novels, and there's an overwhelming trend towards narrators with a very nasal, uppity-sounding English accent that grates on the ears. An expert in accents could probably identify the quality that I don't like; all I know is that THIS narrator is, by contrast, a great pleasure to listen to. Her speaking voice is gentle and beautiful and melodious. I could listen to her for hours... well, I did.

The story is of course typical Austen: predictably satisfying, tasty in that happy-endings-happen-to-good-people kind of way. You know what you're getting THERE. The excellent reading is icing on the cake.

Highly Recommeded

Jane Austen writes with great sensitivity and compassion about how two sisters adapt in different ways to life's blows. The book is evocative, beautiful and gripping. The plot and the characterizations move along enticingly. The narrator is excellent and draws the listener into the setting and story brilliantly. I feel as if I am in 19th century Britain while listening and by the end of the novel feel as if Eleanor and Marianne are people I have known well.

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Title: Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Emilia Fox

Format: Unabridged

Length: 13 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 11-07-05

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 606 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Jane Austen's most popular novel, originally published in 1813, some 17 years after it was first written, presents the Bennet family of Longbourn. Against the background of gossipy Mrs. Bennet and the detached Mr. Bennet, the quest is on for husbands for the five daughters. The spotlight falls on Elizabeth, second eldest, who is courted by Darcy, though initially she is more concerned with the fate of her other sisters.

© and (P)2005 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.

Members Reviews:

Pride and Prejudice

This audio book was wonderful. The voice of the reader was very easy to listen to, while still affording the ability to distiquish between characters. I listened to it on a flight to and from England and, remarkably, it made the flight enjoyable. I hope you enjoy hearing it as much as I did.

favorite reader

Miss Fox gives a wonderful read of this great book. I love the way she does the different voices. Her timing and inflections are wonderful.

Ah, Mr. Darcy!

There is nothing like listening to your favorite Jane Austen book! Complete with the beautiful accent, it is almost as if she is reading it herself. I hated this to end!! The story was brought to life better than any Hollywood film could have!

PURE DELIGHT

This book is my all time favorite. The dialog is stunning. The characters have become a part of my inner world, they are so real to me. It takes the ordinary theme of young men and women meeting and falling in love to a level that I simply have never encountered in any other story I've read. It is all done with brilliant and cleverly written dialog. To think that this was written by a young woman of her time is truly amazing, that is was so popular at the time is even more amazing and that it continues to be such a favorite is only well deserved.

I enjoyed this audio book very much and look forward to Part II. Although I have read this book at least a dozen times over the past four decades, it is always as delightful as it was the first time I read it.

Excellent narration!

As a classic, this is an obvious must-read. I read it in school but the audiobook made the story so much more enjoyable due to the characters easy-to-understand accent and voice-impersonations. If you haven't read this in a while, definitely listen to the audio version, you will love it!

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Title: Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen

Narrator: Kate Reading

Format: Unabridged

Length: 12 hrs and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 01-24-03

Publisher: Findaway World

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 2145 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Jane Austen's story of Mrs. Bennet's finding husbands for her daughters is told with wit and charm. A must for lovers of good literature. Commuters Library presents

Pride and Prejudice read by Kate Reading.

(P)2003 Commuter's Library

Members Reviews:

loved it.

I've read the book many times, but it was equally enjoyable listening to it while I did other things. It's very well narrated, and the sound quality is excellent. no complaints about this title.

Excellent Narrator

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favourite books and I read it regularly. So, my greatest concern in downloading this audiobook was whether or not the narrator would do credit to the work or not. I am happy to report that she does. Kate Reading does a wonderful job of voicing the various characters, making it easy to discern which character is saying what dialogue. Not only are the characters distinctly voiced but Reading obviously knows them intimately, for her performance of each is exactly in line with Austen's description of them. Kitty is truly fretful. Mr. Darcy is dignified and reserved. Elizabeth is lively. In fact, Reading was such an excellent narrator that I am disappointed that there are no other Jane Austen works narrated by her.

Excellent reader; Great novel

Pride and Prejudice is the 4th unabridged Austen novel to which I have listened and is the best of an excellent lot. Her novels are very witty and have an amazingly modern sensibility. The reader here is exceptional--one of the best I have encountered.

Kate Reading is also Johanna Ward

Just want to add my praise for this wonderfully read book. As did many others, I went to look for more narrations of Jane Austen by Kate Reading, and there are none. However, I found, by googling Kate Reading, that she uses many names, one of which is Johanna Ward. And there is an excellent Mansfield Park by that narrator.

wonderful!!

I have read the book many times over the years and seen different versions of it in movies/video. This adio book captured perfectly the essence and nuances of the book and brought this listener into the drawing rooms and conversations of the characters. I actually cringed with embarrassment for Elizabeth in the relevant parts and laughed out loud at others. A truly wonderful experience!

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Title: Romeo and Juliet

Author: William Shakespeare

Narrator: Kate Beckinsale, full cast, Michael Sheen

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 50 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-06-02

Publisher: Naxos AudioBooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 179 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Here is the full-cast production of Shakespeare's classic love story, fully dramatized from the complete text, and starring Michael Sheen as Romeo and Kate Beckinsale as Juliet.

Members Reviews:

Sound Quality is the only drawback

The sound quality of this production made me imagine someone propping a microphone in front of a television showing Romeo & Juliet being performed. It's tinny-sounding, and there are background sounds of birds, wind, feet scuffling, etc, which dilute and diminish the voices to a small degree. It's not unbearable, just a bit distracting.

On the positive side, the actors are very good. Listening to this play was different from reading it on paper, or seeing it performed live... I caught different strands of relationship between the characters. The Nurse, played by Fiona Shaw, was especially brilliant.

Great Language

Romeo and Juliet is one of my favorite Shakespearean works. The language is so beautiful and the voices bring out the wonderfulness of the book. The full cast is the best way to listen to a book on tape. They even have celebrity readers (Kate Beckinsale: Pearl Harbor, Serendipity). If you like Shakespeare, romance, or tragedy than this is a great choice. If not, this is still worthwhile just for the beautiful language.

MICHAEL SHEEN FREAKING ROCKS!!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Romeo and Juliet to be better than the print version?

WITHOUT DOUBT, THIS RENDITION OF R+J WAS THE BEST I HAVE EVERY EXPERIENCED! I majored in theatre and so I have seen more than my fair share of Shakespeare interpretations. This audiobook version has revived my passion for this play and I no have a renewed sense of interest in the performers. I am anxious to see what they produce next!!!

Any additional comments?

MORE MICHAEL SHEEN, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

Better than school

I have to teach this play in a continuation high school and the combination of excellent sound effects and superbly spoken text make this audiobook an ideal vehicle to bring the play to the students.

Good for classroom use

I use this audio to allow students to follow the story while still using their imagination. However, the kiss is so cheesy that we had to stop the tape and let the class laugh for a long time. A year later, they still chuckle over that kiss.

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Title: Bleak House

Author: Charles Dickens

Narrator: Simon Vance

Format: Unabridged

Length: 33 hrs and 2 mins

Language: English

Release date: 12-27-00

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 506 votes

Genres: Classics, British Literature

Publisher's Summary:

Starting with Esther's account of her lonely, unhappy childhood, her role as protégée of the worthy John Jarndyce, Richard and Ada's guardian, the tale develops the relations between the three young people in the Jarndyce household. Numerous other characters contribute to the complex portrait of society which emerges from the novel. They include the romantic, effusive, and unworldly Harold Skimpole (based on Leigh Hunt, poet, journalist, and critic, who published The Examiner in which he introduced the public to Keats and Shelley); the boisterous, short-tempered Boythorn (based on Walter Savage Landor, poet and essayist, mentor to Robert Browning); Krook, the rag-and-bottle shopkeeper who dies a hideous death by 'spontaneous combustion'; Gridley and the crazed Miss Flite, both ruined by Chancery; Mrs. Jellyby, neglectful of domestic responsibilities in favor of 'telescope philanthropy'; the greasy Mr. Chadband, a parson 'of no particular denomination'; and Conversation Kenge and Mr. Vholes, lawyers both.

Of particular importance to the moral design of the novel is Jo, the crossing-sweeper whose brutish life and death are the instruments for one of Dickens' most savage judgments on an indifferent society.

Critic Reviews:

"Dickens could not have performed better than Robert Whitfield does here....His brilliant dramatizations range from a homeless street urchin to an arrogant barrister, from a canny old windbag to a high-minded heroine who deserves the happy ending Dickens affords her....This may be one of the most Dickensian novels Dickens ever wrote." (Library Journal)

Members Reviews:

30 hours was too short for me

You'd think that with the title Bleak House and a length of 30 hours it would be deadly. Actually it has an engaging story, plus fascinating insights into the legal "system" of 19th century England. You keep wishing people would get smart and that the absurdity of the legal system would be cured, but everyone seems to keep hurtling toward their fates.

As always, Robert Whitfield does a great job of reading. Giving different voices to different characters in such a complicated book helps the reader/listener keep them all straight.

Awesome novel, great reading, lousy audio

One of my favorite Dicken's novels. The characters are vibrant, engaging, and funny in the usual Dickens' satirical way. The reader presents them as if he loves (or at least thoroughly understands) each one. He reads the lengthy, pedantic and sometimes silly author's commentary so seriously, so much as though he agreed wholeheartedly with every word, that you sometimes feel you have Dickens in to your house for a personal recital. But, the sound is so distorted, so unclear in spots, so variable in volume, that it is difficult to appreciate the story at times.

Still, there are real benefits to making the effort to listen to (and read) this novel. It was during the listening to this novel that I discovered my idea of the overall theme of all of Dicken's novels.

It is a novel that every lawyer should read and every person contemplating using a lawyer. I'm not saying that the modern legal system is exactly like this, but some of the similarities are amazing.

If the audio was cleaned up, this Audiobook would rate a 5+ in my opinion.

An amazing reader

So many characters, and the reader brings each one to life as a unique individual.