The Cricket on the Hearth Audiobook By Charles Dickens cover art

The Cricket on the Hearth

Dickens on Dickens

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Cricket on the Hearth

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Gerald Dickens
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $7.62

Buy for $7.62

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

Charles Dickens' "The Cricket on the Hearth", performed by his great-great-grandson, Gerald Dickens...

A Dickens short written specifically for Christmas, "The Cricket on the Hearth" beautifully combines Dickens' masterful critique of social ills with a typically captivating narrative. In the Peerybingle family house, a cricket constantly chips, and acts as their guardian angel. Then, one day, a mysterious, elderly stranger takes lodge with the family.

Complete and unabridged, this is a must-buy for Christmas, and will bring to your family the festive cheer and seasonal warmth only Dickens could provide.

Public Domain (P)2012 Create Digital Publishing Classics Sports
All stars
Most relevant  
There were 3 stumbles by the performer. I am always surprised and disappointed that these aren’t edited. It’s digital so should not be hard or even costly. Against the backdrop of an otherwise excellent presentation it really takes me out of the story. As for the story- well, Dickens really likes to make a lot of excuses for having a sweet young thing be in love with a much older man doesn’t he…..

I liked that an actual Dickens performed the reading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a wonderful little treasure from Dickens. Narrator is also a Dickens and does a great job.
Never heard of this till I stumbled across it on Audible and I'm glad I purchased it.
Not long but very enjoyable!
What else can I say?
If you like Dickens, you'll love this.

LOVE IT! Get it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
"The Cricket on the Hearth," in my opinion, is much more enjoyable when listened to than when⁶ read in book form. Gerald Dickens brings to life a rather ponderous story with his unique style. Perhaps his ancestry makes me believe his narration to be superior than others who have read it. For whatever reason, I encourage those who may find the source material a bit difficult to enjoy, to give this version a go.

Excellent narration by Dickens" Great-Grandson

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
It is our third time reading through this book. We all enjoy it for a quiet evening.

great read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I very much enjoyed this book. I adore Dickens & love hearing it read by his great great grandson. How wonderful!! That's so fun!
Be that as it may, I noticed several times the reader misspoke words. I enjoy reading the book right along side while listening to the audio book at the same time. I noticed the reader said, "Mary" when the book reads, "May". This slight mistake, if you don't already know the story or happen to be reading it makes it confusing to the listener. It made me wonder if Audible does not have anyway to correct such simple mistakes? Seems like they should. I've used audio recording programs before & it's not that difficult to correct mistakes, so it makes me wonder why.

Aside from these small mistakes, I have to say I am totally swept away in the wonder and romance of Charles Dickens' great great grandson reading his own grandfathers great literary works. It almost feels like reaching into the past and wondering, what would it be like to sit & listen with Dickens himself for a little while. What a novelty. What a legacy Dickens has left his family. A lovely reading, for a lovely story.

Verbal mistakes but lovely none the less.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is an interesting Novella length story by Charles Dickens. It does s little known and was originally published as a holiday story. It combines the elements of longer Dickens works in a condensed story. I liked the story, but in terms of a "Christmas Time" story, "A Christmas Carol" remains my favorite Dickens story.

The best and most interesting part of this Audiobook for me is the narrator is a descendant of Charles Dickens, Gerald Dickens. I enjoyed his effort and felt that he did a fine, professional job. I did feel this story was mildly complicated. I read the story in segments on Kindle and then listened so that I was sure I was following the story. Thank You...

A Little Known Dickens Story - Novella Length

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Every year, I listen to the Dickens holiday "trilogy" - often several times - and this story is one of my favorites.

The production on this recording is to notch, with the tiny exception that Gerald makes a couple of mistakes in his recording, and the editor didn't bother to edit them out. Having said that, the expression and feeling that Gerald Dickens puts into this reading elevates it from being simple narration to a performance.

I highly recommend this book, especially for those going through some post-holiday blahs. It's entertaining and uplifting, and the more you listen the better it gets. All the hallmarks of a classic.

Tiny Flaws, Great Experience

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