Great Expectations Audiobook By Charles Dickens cover art

Great Expectations

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Great Expectations

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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Audie Award, Classic, 2009

Considered by many to be Charles Dickens's finest novel, Great Expectations traces the growth of the book's narrator, the orphan Philip Pirrip (Pip), from a boy of shallow dreams to a man with depth of character.

From its famous dramatic opening on the bleak Kentish marshes, the story abounds with some of Dickens's most memorable characters. Among them are the kindly blacksmith Joe Gargery, the mysterious convict Abel Magwitch, the eccentric Miss Havisham and her beautiful ward Estella, Pip's good-hearted roommate Herbert Pocket, and the pompous Pumblechook.

As Pip unravels the truth behind his own "great expectations" in his quest to become a gentleman, the mysteries of the past and the convolutions of fate through a series of thrilling adventures serve to steer him toward maturity and his most important discovery of all - the truth about himself.

Public Domain (P)2008 Tantor Coming of Age Literary Fiction Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Gothic Heartfelt Witty Funny Horror Scary

Critic reviews

"The most perfectly constructed and perfectly written of all Dickens's works." (Edgar H. Johnson, Dickens' biographer)
Timeless Classic • Masterful Storytelling • Complex Characters • Rich Vocabulary • Intertwined Plots

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I didn't remember much of this from high school; however, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The narration was fantastic and the change of voice for each character made it very easy to follow the story line.

Great time of reading

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I was so engaged by Simon Vance’s narration, that the minute I I finished this Audible, I began again immediately!

Moving narration of a wonderful tale

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Simon Vance does an OK job overall reading this great novel, but why don't the audiobook producers edit out glaring misreadings and mispronunciations? In the case of this reading, within the first few minutes, Vance ruins the mood with unintentional humor by having the menacing convict snarl at Pip, " Hold your NOSE!" [sic!]--instead of the real exclamation "Hold your NOISE!" (that is, Be quiet!, Shut up!). Did the producers never read Dickens's novel? Did they not care about Vance's gaffe or hope the listeners would not notice? Cannot modern sound recordings be edited? Did the publishers release the audiobook without first listening to it? It is always a bit disconcerting to be slapped in the face by the fact that actors interpreting works of genius (or even just characters who are supposed to be well-educated) really don't understand the words they are speaking.

A Dickensian Masterpiece, Adequately Read

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This has always been a book I SHOULD have read, but never did. Simon Vance's reading was compelling and clear. It is easier for me, at this point in my life to listen to books (while driving or flying) and this is a great way for me to access the classics.

Well done and a great benefit

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The story was great, but I felt like we were racing to the finish line. I often had to go back and listen again.

It was read too quickly for me.

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