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The Pickwick Papers
- Narrated by: Simon Prebble
- Length: 30 hrs and 44 mins
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The Pickwick Papers
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Summary
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (commonly known as The Pickwick Papers) is the first novel by Charles Dickens. The book became the first real publishing phenomenon, with bootleg copies, theatrical performances, Sam Weller joke books and other merchandise.
Written for publication as a serial, The Pickwick Papers is a sequence of loosely-related adventures. The novel's main character, Mr. Samuel Pickwick, Esquire, is a kind and wealthy old gentleman, and the founder and perpetual president of the Pickwick Club. To extend his researches into the quaint and curious phenomena of life, he suggests that he and three other "Pickwickians" (Mr. Nathaniel Winkle, Mr. Augustus Snodgrass, and Mr. Tracy Tupman) should make journeys to remote places from London and report on their findings to the members of the club. Their travels throughout the English countryside provide the chief theme of the novel.
Its main literary value and appeal is formed by its numerous memorable characters. Each character in The Pickwick Papers, as in many other Dickens novels, is drawn comically, often with exaggerated personalities. Alfred Jingle provides an aura of comic villainy. His misadventures repeatedly land the Pickwickians in trouble. These include Jingle's elopement with the spinster, Aunt Rachael of Dingley Dell manor, misadventures with Dr. Slammer, and others.
Critic reviews
"[T]he great example of everything that made Dickens great....[a] supreme masterpiece." (G. K. Chesterton)
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What listeners say about The Pickwick Papers
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Keith
- 02-06-21
enjoyable.
Excellent narration. I was engrossed in the story of this great classic. I thoroughly recommend this audiobook.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Linda
- 23-02-15
Pickwick Papers
It was a very enjoyable listen. I have always intended to read dickens but have been put off by the length of the main novels and have only read some of the short stories. I'm very pleased that I am now able to listen to the books in unabridged version because not only are the stories good but I can also hear the beauty of Charles Dickens prose.i especially like the fact that all the loose ends were tied up in the last chapter.(something which I don't remember from the various adaptations I have heard).
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Peter
- 01-07-11
A quite brilliant performance
I feel inadequately qualified to offer any critique on any of the writings of England's greatest novelist. The fact that they can be read &/or listened to and thoroughly enjoyed over 150 years after they were written is testimony itself to the quality of the work.
I must, however, pay tribute in this instance to quite brilliant narration by Simon Prebble.
It was truly superb throughout.
His diction & pronunciation is faultless and his impressive range of accents for the various characters who appear in this wonderful collection of tales was so brilliantly done that it there is never any confusion over who said what & to whom!
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13 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Caroline Green
- 15-03-24
Get’s better and better
I had read a great deal of Dickens on Audible and I spent some time considering which performance of Pickwick I could listen to for 30 hrs. I am afraid to say that I chose this on the basis of “least irritating”. do not know if it is the fact that the story improves, but there is no doubt that Simon Peebles’ performance also improves greatly as the tale develops. On that basis I would definitely recommend. In terms of the story, this is not Dickens’ greatest work, but it is enjoyable nevertheless.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 08-05-20
A brilliantly performed treat
I absolutely loved this and the narrator is fantastic. I didn't want it to end.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- David
- 08-06-22
Material spread too thinly
Some good set pieces, but the whole is way too long, padded out with poor quality material CD imported from elsewhere & too many unmemorable characters. There are some exceptions: Pickwick himself, both Messrs Weller and a few others. Fortunately this was a relatively youthful effort and CD’s technique improved dramatically.
Surprising mispronunciations of some quite ordinary words by the Narrator, particularly later on. Perhaps he’d had enough by then…
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