Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Pickwick Papers cover art

The Pickwick Papers

By: Charles Dickens, Neil Gaiman
Narrated by: Rory Kinnear, Neil Gaiman
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically.

Buy Now for £31.99

Buy Now for £31.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Nicholas Nickleby cover art
Martin Chuzzlewit cover art
The Christmas Stories of Charles Dickens cover art
Barnaby Rudge cover art
Dombey and Son cover art
Little Dorrit cover art
Our Mutual Friend cover art
The Pickwick Papers, Volume 1 cover art
Oliver Twist cover art
Great Expectations cover art
Hard Times cover art
Ghost Stories cover art
A Tale of Two Cities cover art
Sketches by Boz: Volume 1 cover art
The Claverings cover art
Jane Eyre cover art

Summary

This edition of The Pickwick Papers features an exclusive introduction, written and narrated by Neil Gaiman.  

This Audible Exclusive retelling of Charles Dickens’ first novel, The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, or as we now know it, The Pickwick Papers, is brought expertly to life by multi-award-winning actor Rory Kinnear.

A huge success, The Pickwick Papers catapulted young Dickens to fame and sold over 40,000 copies by the release of the last instalment. Stage adaptations were soon performed and merchandise quickly sold out to a public who dreamed of owning their own Pickwick cigars, song books and china figurines. 

About the book

When Samuel Pickwick decides to establish and preside over a travelling society, he unknowingly brings together three of the oddest men in all of London: Tracy Tupman, the loveless self-professed ladies’ man, Augustus Snodgrass, the poet who’s never put pen to paper, and Nathaniel Winkle, the endlessly clumsy sportsman. 

Introductions made and plans established, the ‘Pickwickians’ set off in search of new adventures outside of the confines of the city. Along with a host of other colourful Dickensian characters such as Mr Pickwick’s love-struck landlady, Mrs Bardell, and his trusty sidekick, Sam Weller. 

The Pickwick Papers manages to both move and amuse the listener as the protagonists find themselves in a whole host of bizarre situations they had not bargained for. 

About the author

With his father incarcerated, Charles Dickens had to abandon his studies at a young age and worked in a factory to support himself. Despite his short-lived education, Dickens went on to write 15 novels, various articles, novellas and short stories. He lectured and led campaigns for children's rights and education and arguably became the ultimate self-made man. Dickens had strong values, and they pervade The Pickwick Papers, which is not only one of his most comical texts but one in which he lays the groundwork for future satires expressing his deep-felt discontent with Victorian values. 

About the narrator

Rory Kinnear is an award-winning actor for his work both on stage and on screen. He is known for his portrayal of Bill Tanner in the James Bond films and is also recognisable for his television work including Black Mirror and Count Arthur Strong. His audiobook credits include Anthony Horowitz’s The Word Is Murder, Nutshell by Ian McEwan, and now this fantastic version of The Pickwick Papers.

Public Domain (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about The Pickwick Papers

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    499
  • 4 Stars
    94
  • 3 Stars
    29
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    524
  • 4 Stars
    51
  • 3 Stars
    11
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    4
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    442
  • 4 Stars
    98
  • 3 Stars
    41
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    5

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Sir! My dear sir!

Justly treasured as one of the finest literary comic masterpieces in the English language, this is a hilarious and unforgettable road trip of a mismatched company of friends, as well as a moving depiction of some of the worst injustices, vices and absurdities of life in Dicken's Britain, all of which he would develop in alter works, such as debtors prison, lawyer sharks, and the nonsense of "so-ciety."
Mr Pickwick heads a London club, the purpose of which is to both to entertain and improve its members. We have the young, accident prone Mr Winkle, the amorous Mr Tuppman, and the stalwart Mr Snodgrass as the core members, and we join them in their British travels, on the way encountering mysterious stones, unpredictable horses, lethal shooting parties, mishaps on ice, deadly misunderstandings and duels, and Mr Pickwick's misunderstood approaches to his landlady that lead to the epic lawsuit of Bardell vs Pickwick. It is this story thread that holds the story's darker themes, as we learn of the relentless and unforgiving practices of the the lawyers Dodson and Fogg in the pursuit not of justice, but of enriching themselves at the expense of the people they involve, or who involve them. This is timeless human theme, and no more relevant than today. It leads to moving and disturbing scenes in the Fleet debtors prison, as countless debtors disappear and starve forgotten within its walls.
The book strains at the seams with unforgettable supporting characters, such as the redoubtable servant Sam Weller (or "Veller), with his witticisms and Pancho like perseverance and loyalty, Mr Jingle and his servant Job Trotter, arch scoundrels, and many more.
The book belies its serial format by containing a number of tales within the tale, narrated by various characters, that range from comic tales, to ghost stories, to fable, to crime.
The narration is another standout for Audible's Dicken's Collection. Rory Kinnear is perfect for this, his range and consistency is alike wonderful, and he nails the comic ebullience of the tale. Bravo!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb reading

Much as I enjoyed Miriam Margolyes reading of Bleak House, Rory Kinnear's recording of The Pickwick papers surpasses it. The characters and humour came alive, Old Mr Weller in particular had me laughing out loud. Please Audible can somebody record some of R.S.Surtees novels, Facey Romfords Hounds and Sponges Sporting Tour are of a similar humour to The Pickwick Papers

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Truly great narration of English classic

Loved this recording. Sometimes Dickens can be a little wordy and its easy to fade out a bit if the narration isn't good. Add to that the large cast of characters and confusion sets in. Not with this recording. I loved the different characterisations of the 'cast' and this book definitely a keeper; I can imagine going back to it every couple of years for a not-so-quick Dickens fix. Its quite refreshing not to have to listen to poor narration of neurotic millenials with stress issues.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

If I could only own one book….

I’ve just completed this wonder for the third time this year, a typical year brings me back at least that many times.
I planned to be buried with a copy, need I say any more?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Perfect

One of my favourite books made even better by the wonderful and extremely well judged narration.
I'm now going to start listening from the beginning again.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A joy from start to finish

Charles Dickens and Rory Kinnear have been the most amusing companions over the past few weeks and I was sorry when this ended. Kinnear's many characterizations deserve the audiobook equivalent of an Oscar, with his Sam Weller in particular a constant pleasure. Do yourself a massive favour and buy this audiobook.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb

Dickens brought to life. Excellent acting, though some voices a little quiet in the car. Absorbing to permiate its idiosyncrasies into your life, can't wait to listen, buy it, capital idea.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Not a fan of the narration

Love the story but not sure about the narration. It started off entertaining enough but the voices soon grated on my ears.

No doubt Rory Kinnear is a very talented narrator but alas, his narration here is just not for me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Pickwick Papers

An engaging and humorous story read with great skill by Rory Kinnear. This reader (performer) makes a complex and rather rambling story easy to follow. His diction is clear and, as a result, some of the obscure Dickensian vocabulary used for atmosphere and comic effect can receive the listener's attention with the need to worry that it may have been misheard.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great listen and well performed.

Very enjoyable. Remarkable for early Dickens 😄😄😄 great listen and loved the narration by rory kinnear

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful