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Jack Maggs: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,749 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
With scars on his back and silver in his pocket, the huge figure of Jack Maggs strides across the rich landscape of 19th century London. As this enigmatic man moves through its streets and houses, his single-minded quest to find his son will engender love, deceit, and vengeance in the lives around him. Risking execution if he is discovered, ex-convict Jack Maggs has returned to England from Australia. Pretending to be a servant, he is hired by a wealthy London household, where he quickly insinuates himself into his employer's affairs. Although Maggs conceals his ultimate goal, the murderous demons of his past threaten to tear away Maggs' ill-fitting disguise. From polished drawing rooms to sooty rooftop garrets, Peter Carey's vivid novel takes you into a Dickensian world filled with intrigue and eccentricity. This exceptional work from a Booker Prize-winning author has captured awards and top places on best-seller lists in Europe and America.
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"This is a fun book, especially if you know anything about Charles Dickens' life. Carey tackles the task of giving voice to the Australian convict who gives Pip his inheritance, but in such a way that the character (Jack Maggs) interacts with Dickens. It's a commentary on the appropriation of identity and the inherent dangers that lie in the dictatorship that it entails. But it's also a quick, enjoyable read even if you just skim the surface and stick to the plot. Carey's writing is colorful, authentic and likable."
— Kristen (4 out of 5 stars)
Jack Maggs Listener Reviews
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" I been reading too much non-fiction, it was good to get back into a page turner of a fiction. Not his best, but Peter Carey is turning into my default author if I'm looking for something to read. "
— Mike, 1/13/2014 -
" I didn't finish this book. I felt little Jack Maggs or for where the story was going. "
— Cathie, 11/18/2013 -
" I love Dickens, and Carey has sampled freely from Dickens' work and his life (the character of Tobias Oates contains parallels to the life of Charles Dickens, for example; and Maggs is clearly based on Magwitch of Great Expectations). But Carey's novel is original nonetheless, and written with a lively, period-flavored but not over-the-top style. The mysteries and coincidences and twists are enough to pull the reader along into the tale, and the flawed characters are compelling. "
— Ann, 11/18/2013 -
" An interesting rework of the basic plot of Great Expectations. Halfway through the book I started to realize that the two stories had many similarities, then it all started to come together further forging the links between them. I enjoyed the Dickensian tone of the book and the way that the author developed the characters. Also, I liked the ending for Jack Maggs in this story versus that for Magwitch in Great Expectations. "
— Steven, 11/17/2013 -
" Another book I read along with a high school student I am tutoring--this one was better than I was expecting it to be. I think it's considered to be loosely based on, or maybe a response to, Great Expectations. It's a pretty gripping tale of murder, intrigue, old-timey London--all that good stuff. "
— Melissa, 11/13/2013 -
" I just couldn't do it. I tried and gave it a good effort. But I got to page 50 and just could not go any further. "
— Lisa, 11/8/2013 -
" Peter Carey's own telling of the story contained in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations. If you liked Dickens, you'll truly enjoy this filling in of the 'missing bits." "
— Peter, 10/24/2013 -
" I loved this book even though I have never read Great Expectations. It made me feel like I was a 12 year old reading a classic that you just don't want to put down. Now I will have to read Great Expectations. "
— Colleen, 7/30/2013 -
" I read this in tandem with Great Expectations for my book club. Reading it added a fresh point of view to a slightly timeworn classic. "
— Tina, 6/1/2013 -
" I thought that this was an amazing story and so well written. Peter Carey created a journey for his title character that is absorbing and full of depth. "
— Casey, 3/13/2013 -
" good, funny, follows a hardened Australian (outlaw) forced to be a coachman "
— Ceradwen, 11/12/2012 -
" good and entertaining but just a little too aloof to really settle into "
— Sandyboy, 9/6/2012 -
" One of my personal favourites. Excellent story-line, real embodiment of the gritty world of 19th Century London. "
— Edwardsims, 2/21/2012 -
" Found this story rather interesting, not a favourite however I kept on reading. It raises some interesting issues when you dig a bit deeper. "
— Jenna, 2/18/2012 -
" I've read this novel once before, and I just read it again in order to teach it. It's SO smart, and I'm more astounded on the second read by just how layered and intricate and allusive it really is. And, to say it again, SMART. "
— Christie, 10/19/2011 -
" thanks to my sis for recommending this retelling of Great Expectations from another point of view. Excellent Read! "
— David, 8/27/2011 -
" It's a good time. Loosely based on Great Expectations with a Pip-like character and a Magwitch-like character. Nicely written. "
— Laura, 2/4/2011 -
" good and entertaining but just a little too aloof to really settle into "
— Sandyboy, 12/10/2010 -
" Written in the spirit of Charles Dickens. I greatly enjoyed this book. "
— Mckayd229, 10/11/2010 -
" Sharply written reinvention of Dickens and some of his Great Expectations characters. If I had one criticism, it would be that the ending was a big abrupt, but I still enjoyed the book immensely. "
— Jenny, 9/29/2010 -
" thank you peter carey for making it necessary for me to reread great expectations. "
— Jenny, 9/16/2010 -
" I read this in tandem with Great Expectations for my book club. Reading it added a fresh point of view to a slightly timeworn classic. "
— Tina, 9/4/2010 -
" I've read this novel once before, and I just read it again in order to teach it. It's SO smart, and I'm more astounded on the second read by just how layered and intricate and allusive it really is. And, to say it again, SMART. "
— Christie, 7/9/2010 -
" The best novel I have read in a while. Great characters, good plot, good dialogue. I really liked it. "
— Jim, 6/28/2010 -
" Meeeeeh. Competently written, but the characters were yawn-a-rific, and the plot moved about as quickly as an old person who just took a bottle of Ambien. "
— Alissa, 5/6/2010
About Peter Carey
Peter Carey is the author of ten previous novels and has twice received the Booker Prize. His other honors include the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Born in Australia, he has lived in New York City for twenty years.
About Steven Crossley
Steven Crossley, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, has built a career on both sides of the Atlantic as an actor and audiobook narrator, for which he has won more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a nominee for the prestigious Audie Award. He is a member of the internationally renowned theater company Complicite and has appeared in numerous theater, television, film, and radio dramas.