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The Old Curiosity Shop cover art

The Old Curiosity Shop

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: George Hagan
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Summary

The Old Curiosity Shop is a novel by Charles Dickens.

The plot follows the life of Nell Trent and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop in London.

Charles Dickens is arguably the greatest novelist England ever produced. His innate comic genius and shrewd depictions of Victorian life - along with his memorable characters - have made him beloved by readers the world over.

Please note: This is a vintage recording. The audio quality may not be up to modern day standards.

Public Domain (P)2009 RNIB

What listeners say about The Old Curiosity Shop

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Characters Brought to Life

'One would have to have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without dissolving into tears...of laughter.'

(Oscar Wilde)

If this was Wilde's rather unkind view of the novel's main character, then what hope have we, at the beginning of the 21st Century of taking Dickens' novel seriously.

There are however many things to recommend the novel, above all the author's generous sympathy to mankind which suffuses the whole tale with a warm glow. There is the portrayal of the demonic Daniel Quilp, deliciously unprincipled and there is the sense of being transported to another world. Totally alien, this is a time and place where death was expected, prepared for and frequently talked about. What is baffling to a modern reader is why any of Dickens' contemporary readers can have been in any doubt about his heroine's fate would be. She frequents graveyards, talks to sextons and reflects upon an early death so often that the author must have be exasperated that anyone should doubt the turn his plot would take.

Though not the easiest or most appealing of his works for the modern reader, there is plenty here to interest the Dickens devotee and as usual the reliable George Hagan brings the characters to life unerringly.

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17 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Superb narrator

It is not for me to comment on Dickens and this review is purely on the audiobook. I was not raised with Dickens and chose this as a lockdown experience, going for a full 26-hour work rather than an edited version.
This was not my first choice of narrator, and it comes with a warning that it is an older reading and maybe not up to modern standards. But I sampled them all, and this one suited me well. His reading was nicely paced and lent authority to the words.
I have enjoyed narrator and story immensely and would happily make the same choice again.

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14 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Contemporary Issues

Probably one of Dickens' more sentimental novels, it is nevertheless an enjoyable read / listen. It is read expressively by George Hagen, who brings the characters alive with a distinctive voice for each. In some ways the tale reflects contemporary issues - the grandfather with an addiction to gambling; lawyers with a disrespect for the law; the melancholy child reared in unwholesome circumstances; the perils of self seeking; the nature of honour and the nature of deceit.

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6 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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The Old Curiosity Shop

Husband really enjoyed this. He is a Dickens fan I'm not but I may listen to this as he really enjoyed it. He preferred this version over the Anton Lesser version.

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6 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Curiosity

Narrator was great, Dickens characters terrific, howver I think story was just a bit too long!

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

excellent narration even for an old performance

wonderful story told by a great narrator. his voices were brilliant and Quilp was made to sound as evil as he was. enjoyed very much

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Wonderful story for all time

Somehow I managed to not read this book throughout my lifetime, but I'm so glad I found time for it now. it is such an uplifting book, even though there is a lot of sadness in it. I very much enjoyed the telling of it.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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beautiful

loved the story it was really beautiful, nice, cosy overall a great book to read

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Thoroughly entertaining listen

The characters in this book evoke quite a range of emotions in the listener and, while it can go at a sedate pace in places, it keeps the reader wanting to find out more about the journeys of its main characters. I recommend it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Not Dickens' finest work, but well worth it

George Hagan provides excellent narration (albeit with rather fuzzy sound) of a lesser work by Dickens. Still well worth a listen for marvellous characters such as Quilp and Richard Swiveller.

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