Showing results by narrator "Tadhg" in All Categories

James Joyces classic collection of short stories about life in Dublin in the early 20th century.

Reputed to be Eliot's favorite novel, Silas Marner is set in the early years of the 19th century. Marner, a weaver, is a member of a small congregation in Lantern Yard. Falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit, he leaves his home and lives a solitary life near the village of Raveloe. Under the Greenwood Tree, Hardy's second novel, was published in 1872 and became the first of his great series of Wessex novels.

The Pickwick Papers was Dickens' first novel. Retired businessman and confirmed bachelor Mr. Samuel Pickwick, Esquire, embarks on a journey through the English countryside accompanied by three fellow "Pickwickians": Mr. Tupman, Mr. Snodgrass, and Mr. Winkle. It is a joy to hear of their misadventures in search of stories and characters of interest and the repeated efforts of the quick-witted Sam Weller (Mr. Pickwick's manservant) to rescue them all from disaster.

> Oliver Twist is notable for its unromantic portrayal by Dickens of criminals and their sordid lives, as well as for exposing the cruel treatment of the many orphans in London in the mid-19th century. The alternate title, The Parish Boy's Progress, alludes to Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, as well as the 18th-century caricature series by William Hogarth, A Rake's Progress and A Harlot's Progress.

"Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe" is a novel by George Eliot. Her third novel, it was first published in 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a reclusive weaver, in its strong realism it represents one of Eliot's most sophisticated treatments of her attitude to religion.

It was love at first taste for fifteen-year-old Tadhg Hickey when he drank a can of Scrumpy Jack on the night of his exam results. Straight away it provided a cure for that constant feeling of 'something wrong, something not quite right', a way of numbing anxiety and childhood trauma. He realised he was extraordinarily good at drinking and energetically threw himself into a life of pubs, parties and staying pissed, while also managing to become a comedian. But alcohol had the last laugh.

"Jude the Obscure" is a tragic novel by Thomas Hardy that explores the struggles of a young man from a poor background who dreams of becoming an academic. Set in the late 19th century, the story takes a deep dive into societal constraints, morality, and relationships. With vivid descriptions and complex characters, this audiobook offers a compelling and thought-provoking experience.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is Joyce's semi-autobiographical first novel. It traces the early life of Stephen Dedalus and his inner struggle with the oppression of Irish society and the Catholic Church, ending with his awakening as a poet and writer and self-imposed exile from Ireland.

Cousin Phillis is considered one of the finest examples of "the short story". Focusing on the unexpected friendship between seventeen year old Paul Manning and his second cousin Phillis Holman the story is simple and uncomplicated. Its true beauty is in the gentle unfolding and narrative style that Gaskell employs so well.

Far from the Madding Crowd is Thomas Hardy's fourth novel. It centers on the lives of five characters: Gabriel Oak, Bathsheba Everdene, Mr Boldwood, Sgt. Troy, and Fanny Robin. The plot involves love, loyalty, death, and betrayal, and all this is delivered to us in Hardy's most eloquent prose. The images of character and nature are painted for our mind's eye with sublime style.

David Copperfield is the eighth novel by Charles Dickens. It was first published as a serial in 1849-50 and as a book in 1850. Many elements of the novel follow events in Dickens' own life, and it is often considered his veiled autobiography. It was Dickens' favorite among his own novels.

Our Laodicean Paula Power, the daughter of a wealthy Victorian railway engineer, is the sole inheritor of the ancient De Stancy Castle. The castle requires much modernization and repair so she sets about securing a young, up-and-coming architect, George Somerset, to undertake the project. Immediately captivated Somerset falls in love with our heroine but alas, he is not her only suitor. Paula, "the modern flower in a mediaeval flower-pot" while attracted to him yearns for the dashing Captain De Stancy and the aristocratic background he represents.

First published in 1766, the loveable and innocent Dr Primrose and his family have given pleasure to all that have read it. The story opens with the vicar losing his fortune and moving to another parish. What follows is a tale of love, deceit, betrayal, humour and a hidden hero... It was one of Charles Dickens favorite books and a source of inspiration to him. No further recommendation is needed. Enjoy.

Under the Greenwood Tree, Hardy's second novel, was published in 1872 and became the first of his great series of Wessex novels. The book, subtitled A Rural Painting of the Dutch School, tells the endearing tale of a group of church musicians who accompany the hymns at the local Mellstock parish choir and we follow the fortunes of one of its member, Dick Dewy, who falls in love with the new school mistress, Fancy Day.

James Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet. His short story "The Dead", the concluding story in Dubliners, often considered as one of the best works of short fiction, concerns a Christmas-time gathering in Dublin. With a beautiful use of language and the epiphany common to all the stories in Dubliners, this book will remain in your thoughts long after the final emotional passages.

Reputed as Eliot’s favourite novel Silas Marner is set in the early years of the 19th century. Marner, a weaver, is a member of a small congregation in Lantern Yard. Falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit, he leaves his home and lives a solitary life near the village of Raveloe. Dedicating his life to weaving and hoarding gold for the next 15 years, circumstances beyond his control shape his destiny and when his gold is stolen, he is rescued from despair by the arrival on his lonely hearth of a beautiful little girl, whom he adopts.

A Christmas Carol has never been out of print since it was first published in 1843, and no wonder! This ghostly little book creates the feeling of Christmas that we still enjoy today. Marley was dead... and so too was Christmas to Scrooge. Haunted by three spirits on Christmas eve the old miser is taken on a journey to his past, his present and his future. With such memorable characters as Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit it will warm your heart with favorite memories, and remind you how the true Christmas spirit comes from giving with love.

The Return of the Native (1878) is one of Hardy's most popular novels. Set on the brooding Egdon heath it traces the lives and loves of five people. Clym Yeobright, the native, returns to Egdon from a successful career in Paris to pursue a dream of educating the poorer local people. Eustacia Vye, a young woman unhappy with life on Egdon wishes for love and life in a city. Damon Wildeve, an innkeeper and ex-engineer is a young womaniser.

Far from the Madding Crowd is Thomas Hardy's fourth novel. It centers on the lives of five characters: Gabriel Oak, Bathsheba Everdene, Mr. Boldwood, Sgt. Troy, and Fanny Robin. The plot involves love, loyalty, death, and betrayal, and all this is delivered to us in Hardy's most eloquent prose. The images of character and nature are painted for our mind's eye with sublime style.

The Pickwick Papers was Dickens's first novel. Retired businessman and confirmed bachelor, Mr Samuel Pickwick esquire, embarks on a journey through the English countryside accompanied by three fellow "Pickwickians", Mr. Tupman, Mr. Snodgrass and Mr. Winkle. It is a joy to hear of their misadventures in search of stories and characters of interest and the repeated efforts of the quick-witted Sam Weller (Mr. Pickwicks manservant) to rescue them all from disaster.