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The Chimes

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The Chimes

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
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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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The Chimes was written one year after A Christmas Carol. Both are turn of the year tales of ghostly warnings and visions, for many years they were equally prized but, while A Christmas Carol remains a perennial favourite, The Chimes is largely forgotten. I think that's a shame because The Chimes avoids the common Dickensian trope that the solution to destitution is a rich benefactor. (See Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, Martin Chuzzlewit and, of course, A Christmas Carol.)

The picture of working class destitution in The Chimes is as hard as anything Dickens ever wrote; there's poverty, hunger, prostitution, ugliness and despair. And there's no jovial rich man riding to the rescue in a carriage and pair. The rich don't care, the "charitable" will suggest you look elsewhere. Yes, there is redemption, this is Dickens after all, but it doesn't come from above. Well worth a read.

A Forgotten Classic

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I very much enjoyed this classic Victorian ghost story. Richard Armitage does such a wonderful job of bringing it to life. His pace and emphasis is spot on. He brings a weighty tone to the narrator, which suits a ghost story, while performing the characters' words with real theatre. Wonderful!

Superb

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Richard Armitage excellent as always.
With great alacrity I would’ve bet my vittles Dickens did not write this. Either that or he was in junior school at the time.

Mildly amusing.

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I'm not usually a fan of Charles Dickens, but if you stick with the slow start, it's well worth it. Richard Armitage's voices are fantastic and definitely make the book. Recommended.

A lovely Christmas story!

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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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