In the squalor of a textile town, successful businessman and arch-pragmatist Thomas Gradgrind, proclaiming that he is a self-made man, teaches his children to suppress their imaginations and embrace hard facts. He arranges the marriage of his daughter Louisa to Josiah Bounderby, an unattractive, boastful manufacturer who is 30 years older than she.
Gradgrind believes that he has succeeded as a father when his son Thomas goes to work in Bounderby's bank. When Tom steals from his employer and Louisa flees the horrors of her marriage, Gradgrind must acknowledge the error of his lifelong devotion to facts and utility in this classic Dickens work.
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"Shorter and quicker-moving than some of Dickens' stuff, this is a good introduction to his later writing. Some ridiculously absurd characters - Mrs. Sparsit is one of the greatest characters in all Dickens, I think - and some great comic writing, along with the sentimentality Dickens seems unable to resist." — Nathan (4 out of 5 stars)
"Shorter and quicker-moving than some of Dickens' stuff, this is a good introduction to his later writing. Some ridiculously absurd characters - Mrs. Sparsit is one of the greatest characters in all Dickens, I think - and some great comic writing, along with the sentimentality Dickens seems unable to resist."
" Interesting use of literary devices, such as repetition and alliteration, but I just couldn't enjoy this. I am slightly prejudiced against Dickens, I admit, as I am not a big fan of his works "
" Reading it for my Bachelor thesis and loving it. Dickens rocks! ;) "
" Mixed feelings about this. Could have given it two ,or even one star in places "
" I love the classics, but Charles Dicken's writing is always predictable, regurgitated storylines. They are just "meh" to me. This one was just bland. I wasn't sucked in, didn't connect with the characters and couldn't wait for it to end. "
" Charming language. Quite a sophisticated text. "
" Preachy and dated...not the greatest Dickens "
" I read it 13 years ago and i didnt fully understand how nice and painfully true in the same time . but i guess when i grew up and read it one more time i realized how great book it is :) "
" I really really liked this book, recomend it. "
" One of the lesser-known Dickens' works...but well worth it. "
" Usually Dickens's novels run a little long for me, but this is a short one. It discuss the brutality of 19th century school system. Of course, it is not all gloom and doom. There is that spunky kid who will overcome his education and be a fine gentleman. My favorite Dickens. "
" A very good book - not the best, but in the Dickens vein of castigating the pompous, greedy and self-important. Go get 'em Charley! It was a mild distraction that some of the characters spoke in very heavy dialect that could be very hard to understand. "
" I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I would have expected. If you have to read Dickens for class at any point, I honestly recommend this. "
" i had to read this one for a class. it was actually pretty good, if you like charles dickens, which i don't. this is one that served me by expanding my experience of literature. but i didn't really love it. "
" Brutal- BRUTAL!!!! Oh the pain- This is Dickens at his blackest- You'll never guess why they call it hard times! "
" I love Charles Dickens but this book was quite depressing. "
" I really like Dickens. Not my favorite, but I enjoyed reading it. "
" 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. "
" 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? "
" 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. "
" Gosh I didn't like this book! It's so depressing and I felt I missed Dickens' message because of it. "
" 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. "
" From the title one can guess this is a bleak story, however, I was surprised and impressed by Mr. Dickens' sense of humour. "
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.
Paul Scofield is noteworthy for his striking presence and distinctive voice. He won a Tony Award for his role in A Man for All Seasons, and an Academy Award for the same role in the film adaptation.
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