'In the little world in which children have their existence, whosever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt, as injustice' Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
Charles Dickens' stunning novel, which includes some of his most famous and memoral characters: Estella, Miss Havisham and the inimitable Pip
Charles Dickens was born in Hampshire on February 7, 1812. His father was a clerk in the navy pay office, who was well paid but often ended up in financial troubles. When Dickens was twelve years old he was send to work in a shoe polish factory because his family had been taken to the debtors' prison. Fagin is named after a boy Dickens disliked at the factory. His career as a writer of fiction started in 1833 when his short stories and essays began to appear in periodicals. The Pickwick Papers, his first commercial success, was published in 1836. In the same year he married the daughter of his friend George Hogarth, Catherine Hogarth. The serialisation of Oliver Twist began in 1837 while The Pickwick Papers was still running. Many other novels followed and The Old Curiosity Shop brought Dickens international fame and he became a celebrity in America as well as Britain. He separated from his wife in 1858. Charles Dickens died on 9 June 1870, leaving his last novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.
He's a marvellous writer... He's very, very good
*William Trevor*
A story of the traumas of sex and class. My favourite moment is the
one where Magwitch makes his stumbling way up the shadowy staircase
towards an unnerved but unsuspecting Pip: the halting but
inexorable rise of the repressed 'from the darkness beneath'
*Sarah Waters*
This was the author's last great work, the defects in it are as
nearly imperceptible as spots on the sun or shadows on a sunlit
sea
*Algernon Charles Swinburne*
I would always prefer to go get another Dickens off the shelf than
pick up a new book by someone I've not read yet... I love the
tradition of Dickens, where even the most minor walk-on characters
are twitching and particular and alive
*Donna Tartt*
There is no one Dickens novel I could pick over all the others.
Dickens is huge-like the sky. Pick any page of Dickens and it's
immediately recognizable as him, yet he might be doing social
satire, or farce, or horror, or a psychological study of a
murderer-or any combination of these
*Susannah Clarke*
He's a marvellous writer... He's very, very good -- William
Trevor
A story of the traumas of sex and class. My favourite moment is the
one where Magwitch makes his stumbling way up the shadowy staircase
towards an unnerved but unsuspecting Pip: the halting but
inexorable rise of the repressed 'from the darkness beneath' --
Sarah Waters
This was the author's last great work, the defects in it are as
nearly imperceptible as spots on the sun or shadows on a sunlit sea
-- Algernon Charles Swinburne
I would always prefer to go get another Dickens off the shelf than
pick up a new book by someone I've not read yet... I love the
tradition of Dickens, where even the most minor walk-on characters
are twitching and particular and alive -- Donna Tartt
There is no one Dickens novel I could pick over all the others.
Dickens is huge-like the sky. Pick any page of Dickens and it's
immediately recognizable as him, yet he might be doing social
satire, or farce, or horror, or a psychological study of a
murderer-or any combination of these -- Susannah Clarke
This beloved classic from Dickens follows the life and adventures of a six-year-old orphan named Pip as he makes his way and comes of age in 19th-century England. Simon Prebble turns in a solid performance in this audio edition, offering up a lush and resolutely dramatic reading and creating a panoply of unique voices and accents for the book's many characters. But while Prebble's performance is lavish, it fails to distinguish itself from the scores of previous audio productions of Dickens's novels. Still, his reading remains a pleasure and a well-orchestrated introduction to the world of Dickens-one that could serve as a wonderful opportunity for both fans and those new to the author's work. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
With a major new film adaptation of Great Expectations coming soon to the big screen, now is a good moment for an updated audio edition of this classic story of an orphan boy's rise from poverty to gentility, thanks to the help of an unknown patron. One of Dickens's finest works, it is, all at once, the heartrending tale of unrequited love, a deep mystery with a shocking resolution, and an often exciting action story. VERDICT Simon Prebble's powerful narration brings Dickens's colorful dialog alive and will make the book's 18-plus hours seem so many minutes. During this bicentennial year of Dickens's birth, this audiobook should be a slam-dunk acquisition for most libraries. [See "Charles Dickens: Our Mutual Friend," LJ 2/15/12, for more Dickens titles in audio.]-R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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