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Mary Barton
- A Tale of Manchester Life
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 16 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Classics
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Entertaining Story
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Summary
Exclusively from Audible
Following the death of his wife and the government's refusal to pass his local trade union's chartist petition, John Barton sinks into a depression so deep that not even his doting daughter can lift him out of it. Seeing the poverty that her family has been reduced to and the desperation in her father's eyes, Mary Barton realises she must reject the proposal of her working-class lover, Jem. Instead, she sets her sights at a master's son, the wealthy heir of a Manchester mill, Henry Carson, in the hope that his situation will improve her own.
In a shocking turn of events, Mary discovers Mr Carson has been shot and her former lover, Jem, accused of his murder. As life-altering secrets emerge and the lives of those around her are put on the line, Mary must decide who to trust and who to denounce.
Elizabeth Gaskell's first novel, Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life, is an emotive condition of English work in which she artfully intertwines the socio-political struggles of the 'hungry forties' with elements of a classic love story. Mary Barton is a pioneering work of fiction which has ensured that Gaskell's name will forever be included in a list of England's greatest authors. Its success was such that it even won the attention of Charles Dickens and Charlotte Brontë, forging a great working relationship between the writers, and later leading Gaskell to write Brontë's biography.
Narrator Biography
Multi-award winning actress, Juliet Stevenson has graced the stage and screen with a myriad of powerhouse performances for over 40 years. Aged nine, she developed a passion for the spoken word after performing a reading of a WH Auden poem in front of her entire school. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and later became a member of its artistic council. Her theatre experience is vast and includes parts in Measure for Measure, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Burn This and Death and the Maiden.
She is also known for her film career in works such as Bend It Like Beckham, Emma, Truly Madly Deeply and Mona Lisa Smile. Stevenson has been BAFTA-nominated and been the winner of a Laurence Olivier Award. In 1999, she was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, for her services to Drama.
Juliet's other audiobook narrations include Sense and Sensibility, North and South, The Portrait of a Lady and Madame Bovary. These and many more can be found at Audible.
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What listeners say about Mary Barton
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Daniel
- 16-10-15
Lovely listen!
Juliet Stevenson does it again! She has such a beautiful, soothing voice. I could listen to anything narrated by her. It doesn't hurt that Elizabeth Gaskell is an author that I really like and admire. The themes explored in this novel are very deep but I didn't find them melodramatic as other people did - I only found them dramatic. I really liked this book - maybe not as much as North and South, but it's close behind.
12 people found this helpful
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- Mrs
- 28-09-13
Great version of a classic
This is a very fine version of a classic Victorian story. Mrs Gaskell was a minister's wife so you have to accept the heavy handed Christian ethics, but the story sets out some radical sympathies for both working and monied classes, so stick with it.
the narrator is excellent and sweeps you along.
Highly recommended
11 people found this helpful
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- G
- 18-05-20
Interesting read
I found it quite depressing but at the same time very compelling. I prefer her other books but overall enjoyed it if that’s the word! Mary’s chase to catch Jem’s ship was very tense and exciting. I don’t think this was the book to read during the Corona virus lockdown as I felt a bit down after reading it but glad I did if that makes sense! Juliet Stevenson as always is a wonderful narrator.
6 people found this helpful
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- Anthony Saville
- 11-08-14
Moments of wonderful intensity
It is not for the plot but for the writing that one reads or listens to Mrs Gaskell, and here Juliet Stevenson is exactly the right reader. The intensity and passion of that scene, for example, where Mary Barton tries to contact Jem before he sails away, so that he can give his testimony at court: the tension that builds is masterful. It is a scene I shall remember for a very long time, and to which I shall surely return on this recording.
13 people found this helpful
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- Flink
- 19-03-17
Wonderful
Just a wonderful, suspenseful, at times moving read. Really interesting to hear how Manchester used to be, and dialects used to sound. The narrator's performance was also top notch
5 people found this helpful
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- Margaret
- 24-10-19
Manchester in the 19th Century
I enjoy books from the older times because it makes you realise how people had to live with hardly any money.
3 people found this helpful
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- Clavs
- 19-11-17
Very Enjoyable Social Commentary
I actually found it quite gripping. I really felt for the characters and had to find out what happened. Quite a lot of Victorian moralising but also excellent social commentary.
As always Juliet Stevenson is a dream. Well worth your time if you are a fan of social history.
3 people found this helpful
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- Miss Je Cooke
- 02-03-21
Beautiful Mary Barton
We REALLY enjoyed this narration, the best we have ever heard. Gaskill at her very best.
2 people found this helpful
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- Mrs M.
- 11-04-20
An English Classic
Delightful portrayal of principles in action. A heart warmer indeed - if a tad lengthy. Beautifully read by Juliet Stevenson - adding much to the pleasure of the text.
2 people found this helpful
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- SK
- 07-03-22
Juliet Stevenson is faultless
This is my first Gaskell and her first book.
Historically very illuminating and a well-crafted complex story. Quite an amazing feat for a first novel.
There is much soapy dialogue but it's interesting to know that everyday language hasn't really changed and the long conversations allow you to settle into the various scenes and make the rather conceptual characters live.
This is a classic but the main characters are not as engaging as they should be and the writing style is very sober and not thrilling with poetry like the Brontës.
Julie Stevenson is excellent here as she has been elsewhere on Audible, I'm sure I would have taken longer to finish if it hadn't be for her.
I always found her good as an actress but she was born to narrate!
I will definitely try a classic like North & South (read by Stevenson) in the future.
1 person found this helpful
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- Pat
- 20-08-13
Mrs. Gaskell was so far ahead of her time
Elizabeth Gaskell wrote novels and short stories in the 1840-60's. That is 150 years ago! And her novels have aged perfectly because the people speak in voices that you could hear today.
She was only 55 when she died, leaving her last novel, "Wives and Daughters", unfinished. She also wrote "North and South", referring to England and the comparison between idyllic village life and terrible manufacturing town life. "Cranford" is a short novel, her second, and probably her best when considering characterizations.
I find it incredible that "Mary Barton" was her first novel. It is chock full of people you will recognize from our culture today. Our American culture at that, probably any culture.
Gaskell wrote in a manner that was so far ahead of her time. She needs to be appreciated by more people than just English majors. Her work deserves all sorts of people to read it. Just darned good story-telling.
I heartily recommend all her novels to Audible listeners. Even though these novels are in the public domain, the Audible versions are so much better spoken. The readers chosen by Audible are perfect, light British accent and easily understood. They add a lot to these books.
46 people found this helpful
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- Deh9
- 14-09-10
Narration as Brilliant Performance Art
Juliet Stevenson is nothing less than brilliant in narrating this work of Elizabeth Gaskell, and brings its several characters to life with seeming effortlessness. It is a piece of vibrant performance art. Gaskell's touching novel is a reminder that the extent to which socio-economic dislocation and abuse will be eradicated is dependent on being spiritually alive to the oneness of humanity. And though written over 150 years ago, Gaskell's deep concern over society's deafness to the poor, never heavy-handedly conveyed, unfortunately still has rich meaning.
41 people found this helpful
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- Jane
- 26-10-15
What a Discovery to Have Found Elizabeth Gaskell
I happened upon Elizabeth Gaskell's final, almost fairy tale like book. I was so charmed by her story and lyrical writing that I decided to see what else she had written. To my amazement her other books expose the harsh, unforgiving realities of the workers and their families as a result of the Industrial Revolution, as it transpired in England in the early 1800s--very different from her final book.
I also learned that Ms. Gaskell is the author of the famous "North and "South," a book I felt too daunting to read as my next book. I chose instead "Mary Barton" as a warm up to this other book that I now intend to read. "Mary Barton" turned out to be much more than a warm up. It is hard to put into words the beauty of Elizabeth Gaskell's writing, even as she describes human hardship and misery brought upon one class of men against another. And then to also weave many stories of human love and an actual love story within such dire circumstances!
I am so glad that I found, although belatedly, this other author from 19th century England who deserves to stand with the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen.
Oh! I must not forget to commend the narrator, Juliet Stevenson, whose performance I cannot imagine could be surpassed by any other. What lulling beauty of her voice. What amazing ability to bring to life the words on a page. She took me right there to the lives and depth of character of the people of Manchester, England.
23 people found this helpful
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- David P
- 30-03-17
Why Can't I Give Juliet Stevenson 10 Stars???
This was Elizabeth Gaskell's first novel. It's a little sentimental and a little too fawning about religion for my taste, but overall, it's a stunning work of fiction. Amazingly vivid and rich, brutally honest about the plight of workers (in a way that feels highly relevant to today's anti-union attitudes), and touching in its portrayal of the heroine's moral dilemma and emotional maturation. Once the story gets underway, it's hard to stop listening. It's like a thriller in that way. This is the third Gaskell novel I've read, the first I've listened to.
But let's cut to the chase: Juliet Stevenson absolutely KILLS IT with one of the most stunning readings I've heard. It rivals Ruby Dee's performance of Their Eyes Were Watching God in the variety of accents and dialects done with absolute perfection and scary consistency. This novel has a large cast of characters and without exaggerating or going over the top, Stevenson gives each one a distinctive voice. Truly, it's amazing. Some of the dialogue looks a little daunting on the page, but Stevenson makes it soar with complete clarity. This is maybe the third or fourth book I've heard her narrate, and to be honest, she makes everyone else seem like a cheesy amateur. She really is that good. I know it's a cliche to say "I'd listen to so and so read the phone book" but truly, I believe Stevenson would make it interesting. I wish she'd stop acting and devote herself entirely to this so she could record EVERYTHING.
18 people found this helpful
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- Erika
- 26-04-13
Great reading of a heart warming story
What made the experience of listening to Mary Barton the most enjoyable?
Juliet Stevenson's narration!
What other book might you compare Mary Barton to and why?
North and South as far as the tale being set in the industrial revoultion and the conflict between masters and men.
What does Juliet Stevenson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Her narration was awesome! She brough the characters to life with emotion; I loved it!
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The repentance of Mr. Carson following the plea for forgiveness by his son's murderer.
Any additional comments?
This was a delightful story and brought to life the human struggle between master and worker and her call for men to treat each other as fellow citizens on God's earth, no matter their position in society.
8 people found this helpful
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- Kelly
- 11-06-17
My Happy Discovery of Mrs Gaskell!
Mrs Gaskell! You enchant me! This book is so beautifully written, and so very modern. Yes, the wording is old-fashioned and the ways in which the people interact are old-fashioned, but the book reads fresh and insightful. The characters express emotions that a person can relate to today. As I discussed this book with my husband I found myself repeating "she wrote this book 150 years ago!" I found this book filled with characters who live today. I have added all of her novels to my TBR list and am excited to read each of them. I m surprised that the name Elizabeth Gaskell isn't more widely known, like her contemporaries Charles Dickens, Jane Austen and the Bronte' sisters.
And the narrator of the audio book I listened to, Juliet Stevenson, was equal to the book. She carried me to Manchester of the mid-1800s. She gave the characters the depth they deserved and allowed the words to be deep and complex and lovely, as they were written.
4 people found this helpful
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- Mari L
- 26-06-15
Good story but preachy
I love Gaskel's storytelling ability, especially her talent for bringing vividly to the reader's imagination the period in which she lived and the peoples amongst whom she lived. However this is a very dark, bleak tale of passion, jealousy, starvation, and murder. Death permeates this story in every form. Characters are also over dramatized, with swooning and mental breakdowns happening frequently. The narrator as written breaks into frequent burst of scripture quoting and sermon delivering. This is definitely one of Gaskel's most "preachy" novels. I enjoyed the tale none the less and Ms. Stevenson is amazingly talented with the various accents.
4 people found this helpful
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- Susan
- 26-03-13
Fast-Paced for Gaskell
I'm a great fan of Elizabeth Gaskell since I listened to Cranford, and Mary Barton served only to increase my admiration for her story-telling. This one was surprisingly fast-paced especially toward the end. She really had my heart racing with the suspense of it all! And Juliet Stevenson does it again with her agile reading. It just amazes me how she can switch so rapidly between characters with such different voices and accents.
8 people found this helpful
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- Paul
- 09-01-20
melencholy but good
Brings to life the time-period and how-to make a living struggles and life trials in a big way. The book does at least end on a brighter note... light in a dark time of history.
3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 14-04-21
Worth a Credit — Provoking, Wrenching, Beautiful
Bottom line first: Get it. You won’t be sorry. A celebrated classic by genius Elizabeth Gaskell, narrated by Juliet Stevenson? You can’t go wrong.
More in-depth review: I have had Mary Barton in my wish list for a long time, but never could manage to pulled the trigger and use a credit on it from month to month; always finding something else I thought I’d rather read/listen to. (I want to slap myself) Then one day, I saw Mary Barton had been moved into the “Included With Your Membership” category, and I quickly snatched it up. I started listening, and I knew immediately I had been missing out all those months that I let it sit unread on my wish list. Just as in all the other masterpieces by Elizabeth Gaskell, I was sucked in and interested in these characters lives within pages, let alone chapters. Such thought provoking, heart wrenching, and beautifully real lives, each with their various stories and side plays, and each adding depth and color to this amazing book — and to think it was Gaskell’s FIRST! Simply incredible. Nobody writes like she does.
I had already read many other Gaskell works, and loved them all. I don’t know why I waited so long to treat myself to this one. But it was time lost, and so I say to you, GET IT. It’s worth a credit, and worth even whatever it costs to purchase straight up.
Lots of Christian themes and scriptural references throughout, with quotes from countless other masterpieces at the beginning of each chapter. So well done. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long while, wishing there was a book club I could sit down with to discuss it.
2 people found this helpful