Nicholas Nickleby
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Get 3 months for £0.99/mo
Nicholas Nickleby
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Narrated by:
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Alex Jennings
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By:
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Charles Dickens
About this listen
Exclusively from Audible
One of Dickens' early works, Nicholas Nickleby combines comedy and tragedy in a tale of triumph over adversity that is interspersed with Dickens' moving condemnation of society's mistreatment of children and the cruelty of the educational system. Young Nickleby struggles to seek his fortune in Victorian England, yet succeeds despite social injustice, in a story that mirrors Dickens' own rise from poverty to great success.
One of eight children, Dickens came from a very poor family, with his father eventually being sent to debtor's prison. At the age of 12, Dickens was forced to start work in a blacking factory in order to help clear the family debt.
Dickens depicts a funny version of his own mother in the character of Mrs. Nickleby, his feelings towards her dark and complex. He never forgave her for trying to keep him working against her husband's wishes.
Hailed as a comic triumph with a cast of incredible characters, it firmly established Dickens as a 'literary gentleman'.
Full of typically Dickensian elements, the book is well suited to dramatic adaptation.
It is widely regarded as one of the greatest comic masterpieces of 19th century literature and continues to entertain its fans to this day.
Narrator Biography
Three-time Olivier Award winner actor Alex Jennings has had an extensive career with the Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre. His recent stage performances have included Willy Wonka in 2014's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical and Professor Henry Higgins in the 2016 Australian 60th Anniversary production of My Fair Lady. In 2006 he played Prince Charles opposite Helen Mirren in The Queen and has had other roles in films such as Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), Babel (2006) and The Lady in the Van (2015). His television work has included the BBC TV series Cranford (2007) and long running legal drama Silk (2011-2014). In 2016 he featured in the Netflix series The Crown and the ITV series Victoria. He has narrated many audiobooks including Attention All Shipping by Charlie Connelly, which in 2008 was chosen as one of the top 40 audiobooks of all time.
Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
Laugh Out Loud Funny!
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Where does Nicholas Nickleby rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Just above Bleak House.The narrator is stunning..... The first time I have heard him......it won't be the last!
Who was your favorite character and why?
Dear Smike......how could any other character affect one half so much as he?Which scene did you most enjoy?
Strangely, for the way CD put it so beautifully, the description of the course and effects of consumption.Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Oh yes.Any additional comments?
Wonderful book, wonderfully read.Wonderful!
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my review of this great book.
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Amazing
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Newmann Noggs and John Browdie - friends and confidants to Nicholas - have personalities that burst from the pages as friends you wish you had yourself. Nicholas, while being full blooded and ready to stick up for what is right, is still not one of Dickens's idiot young men like David Copperfield or Pip, who seem to think with their elbows and what they mix their elbows up with. No indeed, while Nicholas veers into and out of trouble, it is hard to find fault with his behaviour when you consider the provocation.
The book has been criticized for lack of character development and there are certainly roles in the book who seem less character and more vessels of exposition - the Wititterlys for example. This should not distract from the cast of memorable and wonderful characters, many of whom deserve a book all to themselves.
Now to Mr Alex Jennings. I had been avoiding him because I think I had been mixing him up with somebody else. Then during the summer I got The Kraken Wakes and realised that he is amazing. Against of field of such major Dickens reading talent as Martin Jarvis, David Timson, Anton Lesser, Simon Vance, and Hugh Dickson, who have all drawn superlatives from me, Alex Jennings stands out as one of my favourite DIckens listening experiences to date. He masterts this book and delivers a masterful performance. His range of voices and the sheer spot on accuracy of characterisation made it nigh on impossible to stop listening. His Smike breaks your heart, his Ralph chills your blood, his Browdie makes you cheer, and his Newman Noggs makes you want to hug someone. Jennings single handedly represents and gives life to some of Dickens's most wonderful grotesques, including the odious Wackford Squeers and his vile family. I am considering going back to get second recordings of books I already have so that I can hear what he does with other Dickens books.have added his name to my "top readers" list and I already have a backlong of his narrations to listen to. Brilliant.
So good, words fail me - don't they though, Alex J
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