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Hard Times (Abridged) Audiobook, by Charles Dickens Play Audiobook Sample

Hard Times (Abridged) Audiobook

By: Charles Dickens
Hard Times (Abridged) Audiobook, by Charles Dickens Play Audiobook Sample
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Read By: Harriet Walter Publisher: CSA Word Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 2.00 hours at 1.5x Speed 1.50 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: March 2010 Format: Abridged Audiobook ISBN:
4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 (4.00) - 12 listener ratings
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Publisher Description

'Now what I want is Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life....' So says Thomas Gradgrind in Dickens' immortal story set in the North of England in the 19th century.

Gradgrind, a local industrialist, gave this advice to his children, set against a backdrop of huge wealth and even huger poverty, where the rich marry for money and the poor cannot afford to divorce. The greed leads to gambling and the rich rule over the poor, who suffer terribly. As Gradgrind grows older, he begins to question his stringent approach to education...though is it already too late for his own children?

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"I really liked this novel despite the apparent lack of happiness and luck on the part of the characters. Again the characters are taken on a learning curve and the hard Louisa Gradgrind transforms in front of the reader. That typical happy ending is lacking but the characters are reconciled. "

— Charlotte (5 out of 5 stars)

Hard Times Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 3.8 out of 53.8 out of 53.8 out of 53.8 out of 53.8 out of 5 (3.80)
5 Stars: 2
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1 Stars: 1
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
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Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
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  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " Dickens is what he is - and I love it. Is it over-long? Yes. Is it overly sentimental and moralistic? Yes. Great, super, smashing! I feel better about the world after reading Dickens. Contemporary literature needs more humanity and less criticism - is that ironic? "

    — Tj, 6/21/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " i have study this at colege and it was really good novel expressing the age of machines & factorys with all of thier negative aspects on humans. "

    — Roseunderwater, 6/19/2011
  • Overall Performance: 1 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 51 out of 5

    " Gosh I didn't like this book! It's so depressing and I felt I missed Dickens' message because of it. "

    — Drucilla, 5/25/2011
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5

    " Hard Times is my favourite of Dickens' punishment of the false and annoying. There is not a revenge sweeter than having a life's worth of lies unpoured over tea and cakes. "

    — Rebecca, 5/19/2011
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5

    " From the title one can guess this is a bleak story, however, I was surprised and impressed by Mr. Dickens' sense of humour. "

    — Yolanda, 4/28/2011

About Charles Dickens

Patrick Tull (1941–2006), born in the United Kingdom, was a multitalented actor of the stage, screen, and television, as well as an award-winning audiobook narrator. He acted in numerous American television shows from 1962 to 1996, including Crossroads, and he had roles in six Broadway plays between 1967 and 1992, including Amadeus. His film credits from 1969 to 1996 included roles as Cecil in Parting Glances and Jerry the bartender in Sleepers. He served as narrator for the television series Sea Tales. He narrated nearly forty audiobooks, and his readings of The Canterbury Tales, The Letter of Marque, Monk’s Hood, The Vicar of Wakefield, and How Green Was My Valley each earned him an AudioFile Earphones Award. His narration of Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin novels was praised by novelist Stephen King as among his ten favorite audiobooks of 2006.

About Harriet Walter

Harriet Walter was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1989 for Best Actress in a Revival for her performances in Twelfth Night, A Question Of, and Three Sisters. In 1999 she was named a Commander of the Order of British Empire by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.