In the 1840s, Charles Dickens wrote five stories with strong social and moral messages. The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home is the third of these stories.
Following the home life of John Peerybingle, the story introduces the many people in John’s family and life, along with a cricket that acts as the guardian angel of the family. Like its predecessors, this story also contains heavy social and moral implications. However, it differs from A Christmas Carol and “The Chimes’ in that its main theme focuses on actions that affect the family rather than action affecting society as a whole.
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"Heartwarming stories I am assuming are sketches for Christmas Carol."
— Rachael (4 out of 5 stars)
“Simon Prebble’s warm, engaging narration immediately draws listeners into the glow of this Dickens story. Prebble imitates the voices of characters young and old, currying his British accent and using rhythms, pauses, and chirps to define the depth and personality of each character. This novella is the third in the author’s series of five Christmas books, the most popular being A Christmas Carol. This tale features a wise and persuasive cricket who is nestled atop a hearth. When a situation rears its head, the little creature rescues the disquieted victim by speaking of love and understanding. Prebble captures such heartfelt moments with a soft vocal tonality. So curl up on your favorite loveseat with a cup of cocoa and savor this sweet treat.”
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Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England, the second of eight children in a family continually plagued by debt. A legacy brought release from the nightmare of debtors’ prison and child labor and afforded him a few years of formal schooling. He worked as an attorney’s clerk and newspaper reporter until his early writings brought him the amazing success that was to be his for the remainder of his life. He was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, and he remains popular, responsible for some of English literature’s most iconic characters.