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Cranford
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
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Publisher's summary
Cranford, Elizabeth Gaskell's best-known work, is a humorous account of a nineteenth-century English village dominated by a group of genteel but modestly circumstanced women. This is a community that runs on cooperation and gossip, at the very heart of which are the daughters of the former rector: Miss Deborah Jenkyns and her sister, Miss Matty. But domestic peace is constantly threatened in the form of financial disaster, imagined burglaries, tragic accidents, and the reappearance of long-lost relatives.
By eschewing the conventional marriage plot with its nubile heroines and focusing instead on a group of middle-aged and elderly spinsters, Gaskell does something highly unusual within the novel genre. Through her masterful management of the novel's tone, she underscores the value and dignity of single women's lives even as she causes us to laugh at her characters' foibles. Charles Dickens was the first of many readers to extol its wit and charm, and it has consistently been Gaskell's most popular work.
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Classic 19th Century “sensation novel”
- By Susan on 08-20-19
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Le Pere Goriot
- By: Honoré de Balzac
- Narrated by: David McCallion
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Honoré de Balzac uses his classic style of detail to describe a most controversial setting in his novel Le Pere Goriot. The story takes place in Paris just after the fall of Napoleon in 1819. The story focuses on three characters, Rastignac, a student who wants to try and make it big in the capital, Vautrin, an interesting and funny character who is also quite mysterious, and the main character, Goriot, that carries a heavy burden that only a loving parent would endure.
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A minor masterpiece
- By Jack Rock on 03-04-18
By: Honoré de Balzac
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A Room with a View
- By: E. M. Forster
- Narrated by: Rebecca Hall
- Length: 7 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In this rich new audio production, acclaimed British American actress Rebecca Hall brings one of E. M. Forster's most admired works to life in this classic tale of human struggle. A charming young Englishwoman, Lucy Honeychurch, is wooed by both free-spirited George Emerson and wealthy Cecil Vyse while vacationing in Italy. Though attracted to George, Lucy becomes engaged to Cecil despite twice turning down his proposals. On hearing of the news, George confesses his love, leaving Lucy torn between marrying the more socially acceptable Cecil or George, the man she knows would bring her true happiness. Should Lucy choose social acceptance or true love?
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A lovely performance, and a wonderful story
- By Robert on 01-19-19
By: E. M. Forster
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The Shuttle
- By: Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Narrated by: Tabi That
- Length: 19 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Rosalie Vanderpoel, the daughter of an American multimillionaire marries an impoverished English baronet and goes to live in England. She all but loses contact with her family in America. Years later her younger sister Bettina, beautiful, intelligent and extremely rich, goes to England to find what has happened to her sister. She finds Rosalie shabby and dispirited, cowed by her husband's ill-treatment. Bettina sets about to rectify matters.
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More than Lovely
- By jTacy67 on 01-17-18
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Father Goriot
- By: Honoré de Balzac
- Narrated by: Bill Homewood
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
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Impoverished young aristocrat Eugene de Rastignac is determined to climb the social ladder and impress himself on Parisian high society. While staying at the Maison Vauquer, a boarding house in Paris's rue Neuve-Sainte-Genevieve, he encounters Jean-Joachim Goriot, a retired vermicelli maker who has spent his entire fortune supporting his two daughters. The boarders strike up a friendship and Goriot learns of Rastignac's feelings for his daughter Delphine. He begins to see Rastignac as the ideal son-in-law, and the perfect substitute for Delphine's domineering husband. But Rastignac has other opportunities too....
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Astounding performance
- By Laurence Grey on 04-05-21
By: Honoré de Balzac
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Daisy Miller
- By: Henry James
- Narrated by: Ellie Kendrick
- Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Travelling in Europe with her family, Daisy Miller, an exquisitely beautiful young American woman, presents her fellow countryman Winterbourne with a dilemma he cannot resolve. Is she deliberately flouting social convention in the outspoken way she talks and acts, or is she simply ignorant of those conventions? When she strikes up an intimate friendship with an urbane young Italian, her flat refusal to observe the codes of respectable behaviour leave her perilously exposed.
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loved the story
- By Dominick Garcez on 02-18-23
By: Henry James
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A vivid and affectionate portrait of the residents of an English country town in the mid-19th century, Cranford describes a community dominated by its independent and refined women, relating the adventures of Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, two middle-aged spinster sisters striving to live with dignity in reduced circumstances. Through a series of satirical vignettes, Gaskell sympathetically portrays changing small town customs and values in mid-Victorian England....
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Quietly, subtly sweet and heartwarming
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Mrs. Gaskell was so far ahead of her time
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Written at the request of Charles Dickens, North and South is a book about rebellion that poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Gaskell expertly blends individual feeling with social concern and her heroine, Margaret Hale, is one of the most original creations of Victorian literature. When Margaret Hale's father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience she is forced to leave her comfortable home in the tranquil countryside of Hampshire....
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Delightful
- By Sally on 01-04-10
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Wives and Daughters
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Prunella Scales
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Superb! Story and Narration A++
- By Jo on 05-24-10
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Wives and Daughters
- By: Elizabeth Gaskell
- Narrated by: Josephine Bailey
- Length: 26 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Wives and Daughters, Elizabeth Gaskell's last novel, is regarded by many as her masterpiece. Molly Gibson is the daughter of the doctor in the small provincial town of Hollingford. Her widowed father marries a second time to give Molly the woman's presence he feels she lacks, but until the arrival of Cynthia, her dazzling stepsister, Molly finds her situation hard to accept. Intertwined with the story of the Gibsons is that of Squire Hamley and his two sons.
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If you love Jane Austin, read this
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Ruth
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Overall
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The orphaned heroine Ruth, apprenticed to a dressmaker, is seduced by wealthy Henry Bellingham who is captivated by her simplicity and beauty. Their affair causes her to lose her home and job to which he offers her shelter, only to cruelly abandon her soon after. She is offered a chance of a new life though shamed in the eyes of society by her illegitimate son. When Henry reappears offering marriage she must choose between social acceptance and her own pride.
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Fallen Woman Finds Redemption
- By Susan on 12-06-12
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- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
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Mary Barton
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When her father assassinates Henry Carson, his employer's son and Mary's admirer, suspicion falls on Mary's second admirer, Jem, a fellow worker. Mary has to prove her lover's innocence without incriminating her own father.
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Mrs. Gaskell was so far ahead of her time
- By Pat on 08-20-13
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North and South
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- Length: 18 hrs and 20 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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Written at the request of Charles Dickens, North and South is a book about rebellion that poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Gaskell expertly blends individual feeling with social concern and her heroine, Margaret Hale, is one of the most original creations of Victorian literature. When Margaret Hale's father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience she is forced to leave her comfortable home in the tranquil countryside of Hampshire....
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Delightful
- By Sally on 01-04-10
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Wives and Daughters
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- Length: 25 hrs and 21 mins
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Molly Gibson, the only daughter of a widowed doctor in the small provincial town of Hollingford, lost her mother when she was a child. Her father remarries wanting to give Molly the woman's presence he feels she lacks. To Molly, any stepmother would have been a shock, but the new Mrs. Gibson is a self-absorbed, petty widow, and Molly's unhappiness is compounded by the realisation that her father has come to regret his second marriage.
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Superb! Story and Narration A++
- By Jo on 05-24-10
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If you love Jane Austin, read this
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Overall
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The orphaned heroine Ruth, apprenticed to a dressmaker, is seduced by wealthy Henry Bellingham who is captivated by her simplicity and beauty. Their affair causes her to lose her home and job to which he offers her shelter, only to cruelly abandon her soon after. She is offered a chance of a new life though shamed in the eyes of society by her illegitimate son. When Henry reappears offering marriage she must choose between social acceptance and her own pride.
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- Unabridged
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A great reader reads a great writer
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Brilliantly read
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Les Misérables: Translated by Julie Rose
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One of the great classics of world literature and the inspiration for the most beloved stage musical of all time, Les Misérables is legendary author Victor Hugo’s masterpiece. This extraordinary English version by renowned translator Julie Rose captures all the majesty and brilliance of Hugo’s work. Here is the timeless story of the quintessential hunted man—Jean Valjean—and the injustices, violence, and social inequalities that torment him.
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A Book that Made Me a Better Person
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A Classic interpretation of a Classic tale
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Far from the Madding Crowd
- By: Thomas Hardy
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- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Story
Gabriel Oak is only one of three suitors for the hand of the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene. He must compete with the dashing young soldier Sergeant Troy and the respectable, middle-aged Farmer Boldwood. And while their fates depend upon the choice Bathsheba makes, she discovers the terrible consequences of an inconstant heart.
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Another Classic!
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By: Thomas Hardy
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Cranford
- By: Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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This classic novel has been thrice adapted for the screen by the BBC. Mary Smith relates the story of her time with middle-aged spinster sisters Miss Matty and Miss Deborah. Witty, poignant, and often ironic, Cranford is the tale of what these two women will do to remain respectable, proper, and kind with only moderate means.
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A Lovely Relaxing Listen
- By Tami on 09-18-12
What listeners say about Cranford
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kindle Customer
- 06-02-21
Delightful
This is a lovely, cozy story and the narrator did a wonderful job. Definitely recommend.
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1 person found this helpful
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- lola work
- 08-15-22
A warm and funny book
A warm and funny book about a small town in Victorian England peopled with people we all know. Delightful!!
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- Mary Boyd
- 10-12-22
A Classic but…
I enjoyed other Elizabeth Gaskell novels Wives and Daughters, North and South and Ruth. But this is not my cup of tea, I appreciate a novel without the marriage plot but it makes me sad that for so many single women their lives were so limited. I am encouraged that society has broadened the opportunities for women and it was worth the read as a Gaskell fan.
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- MLE
- 01-15-21
when you've run out of Austen
Mrs Gaskell will keep you going until it's time to reread. Charming, funny, tragic. Terrific narrator.
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2 people found this helpful
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- REM
- 12-04-21
delightful
love this gem. a delightful, funny, heart warming, and tearful story about characters you come to care about. Elizabeth Gaskill's diamond.
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- Happy Happy Hippo
- 08-08-22
Wat 😶
I think this is the kind of book that is best read and not heard. I had a hard time following it. -well at least for me. I'm this way with Jane Austen and Dickens. Unless I already know the story, it's hard to understand the scene.
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- Stephanie
- 02-24-21
Struggled to engage with narration
I stopped ‘listening’ half way through. The story is delightful and I’m contemplating paying for the version narrated by the actress Prunella Scales (sample is terrific). This version didn’t hold my attention. My mind kept drifting away. When I tried harder to concentrate on it I just got bored. It’s not bad. Just not for me.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Debby Miller
- 01-06-22
Enjoyable, low-key, but enjoyable
Each chapter tells its story and expands the comforts of the community. Life is good in Cranford.
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- Jennifer Murray
- 05-06-22
Very good narrator
I didn’t have any issues with the narration. I thought the entire thing was just as it should be. I’m sure a polished actor would make it that much better but as it stands, it’s a perfectly fine piece.
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- Myranda Holgerson
- 11-20-20
Read the reviews first! ;)
I was in a hurry to get into this book as I was in a deadline for bookgroup... if I'd understood it was originally written as vignettes for a serial column in a magazine I might not have been as confused. Having now discussed it, I will enjoy it much more the second time ;)
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9 people found this helpful