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The Old Curiosity Shop cover art

The Old Curiosity Shop

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Anton Lesser
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Summary

Death, innocence, sacrifice and corruption - The Old Curiosity Shop is vintage Dickens. Provoking an unprecedented outpouring of public grief when it was first published, it follows the story of Little Nell and her feckless grandfather. Forced to leave their magical shop of curiosities in London, they are pursued across the English countryside by the grotesquely evil dwarf Quilp. They escape - but at what cost?

Part tragedy, part allegory, this is Dickens at his most intense; drawing on his own experiences, he weaves a story of extraordinary emotional power.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2009 Naxos Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Old Curiosity Shop

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Good old Charlie!

Would you listen to The Old Curiosity Shop again? Why?

No. It was beautifully written and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but it should be enjoyed for what it is. Don't delve too deep.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Old Curiosity Shop?

The opening scene, the walk, the encounter, the intriguing revelations. Gorgeous.

What does Anton Lesser bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Mr Lesser is an extraordinarily talented narrator. He manages to evoke so many larger than life characters who are working within a long and complex plot, he is funny,sad, sympathetic and downright horrible, Brilliant!

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a lot!

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10 people found this helpful

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Hooked very early on!

Fantastic book, I was nervous about the style of writing but I understood it all and enjoyed it! Waffles a bit in places but very enjoyable.

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10 people found this helpful

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Another Dickens classic

I have somehow managed to avoid reading this Dickens' novel until now and I don't know why. From the opening page Dickens draws you in with characters so rich in character that you want to loathe, pity or follow them with intrigue.

Just when you think that things cannot get any worse for the poor long-suffering characters, Dickens sticks the boot in. The storyline is however, lifted throughout with charming, witty and eccentric characters that keep you 'turning the page' - metaphorically as I listened on Audible!

The narrator on this occasion was perfect for the tale, making the characters come to life.

A heart-warming experience.

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7 people found this helpful

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And so things pass away, like a tale that is told

This was an excellent book, the characters were brilliant.
It is Very well read
Entertaining and funny and emotional.

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6 people found this helpful

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Fantastically moving

Beautifully read and acted, a great story. It is a wonderful way to "read" the classics because the narrator conveys such understanding that actual reading would perhaps not reveal.
It is for anyone who wishes to be easily familiar with a great novel.
Thank you Anton Lesser.

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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story and Brilliantly Narrated!

A great story with polarized characters. Daniel Quilp is just brilliantly conceived and very malevolent, though hugely entertaining. The main story of the Grandfather and little Nell is tragic and heart-rending, but there's a lot more besides which brings about some great twists and surprises along the way. Anton Lesser is brilliant throughout, particularly his Quilp

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    5 out of 5 stars

Pulled me away from my Playstation--Sacrilegious

Just finished listening to it. A beautifully written book, with vividly described scenes and characters that are brought to life by the remarkable vocal talents of the narrator who for me not only reads at just the right pace but also interprets the book just as I imagine Charlie D would have wanted it to be. Outstanding job this story is one you may never forget. I am just gonna have to buy another Dickens/Lesser combination and ‘Little Dorrit’ looks quite tasty (not literally of course).



Spoiler following: damn that ending. As the Audible descriptions says the book caused an outcry when first published and I can see why. Isn’t there enough misery in the world? I so badly wanted the book to have a happy ending that it was almost painful to listen to the last few chapters again. Loses half star for that Mr. Dickens!!!

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Masterpiece

Once again Dickens proves that he is the greatest writers of all time. A classic that everyone should hear.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Great reader but not my favourite Dickens

The reader was brilliant, especially his portrayal of Quilp. However, this was not my favourite Dickens. I can usually put aside minor irritations as conventions of the era but I found the saintliness of Nell began to grate after a while. Also, the fact that she was always referred to as 'the child'.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

The Curiosity of Time

This is a book that I returned to approximately 35 years after reading it at school ? and very fond and vivid memories of the opening scenes being read out loud to the class with the homework to fill in the bits and then read it to its conclusion. The opening chapters still burn very bright in the memory ? based on the brightly drawn characters of Daniel Quilp, Kit Nubbles and the onomatopoeic Dick Swiveller. Each leaps back into the imagination untouched by time and ready to entertain.
The domestic scene where Quilp returns unexpectedly to disrupt his wife and her mother sitting around with their cronies is one of the funniest scenes in literature ? and there are so many common-place references that stand this book at the centre of London life.
A welcome stroll down memory lane ? sometimes a little winding and slow ? and, paradoxically a little too quick in parcelling up the ending. But, nonetheless the Dickens cannon is at the centre of the English novel and a welcome return to times gone by brought freshly into mind.

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2 people found this helpful