The Chimes cover art

The Chimes

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The Chimes

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
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About this listen

The magnificent Richard Armitage (Hamlet: King of Denmark: A Novel) performs The Chimes by Charles Dickens.

This classic story is the second in a series of five Christmas books Dickens was commissioned to write - beginning with A Christmas Carol. A haunting tale set on New Year's Eve, The Chimes tells the story of a poor porter named Trotty Veck who has become disheartened by the state of the world - until he is shown a series of fantastical visions that convince him of the good of humanity. Though much different from and certainly a bit darker than A Christmas Carol, the moral message of The Chimes is equally poignant - touting the importance of compassion, goodwill, and the love of friends and family.

The Chimes was followed by The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, and finally The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain.

Public Domain (P)2015 Audible, Inc. Classics Christmas Winter Haunted Thought-Provoking Fiction
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All stars
Most relevant
I am a lover of the novels of Charles Dickens and this was the first narration of my Richard Armitage library. It was wonderful, I can't wait to listen to the next one.

An afternoon very well spent!

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Unusual story with typical Charles Dickens
Empathy great characters each with their own
Tale very well read good listen

Lovely tale

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I had never heard of The Chimes before I saw it in the Audible store. I am well versed with Scrooge and assumed this Christmas novella would be on a similar vein. However, as much as I liked the main character Toby Veck I don't think he should have been the person the be taught a lesson by the goblins, for losing faith in humanity but the awful Alderman Cute. it was definitely worth a listen but is not on par with Scrooge. The performance by Richard Armitage was faultless and brought the whole book to life.

The performance by Richard Armitage was faultless.

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I think my viewpoint on this is tainted by how good A Christmas Carol is. Still an enjoyable listen and story but feels inferior to what many would consider his magnum opus.

Hard to compare with ACC

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An insight into past times. Brilliantly descriptive work. Trotty is simply a sweetheart. A nice short story for new year.

Typical dickens

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