Charles Dickens (1812-1870), one of the most important contributors
to the canon of English literature, wrote such classics as Oliver
Twist, A Christmas Carol, and David Copperfield.
Tanya Agathocleous is an associate professor of English at Hunter
College and the Graduate Center, CUNY, where she teaches classes on
Victorian literature and on colonial and postcolonial studies. She
is the author of Urban Realism and the Cosmopolitan Imagination in
the Nineteenth Century (2011), a Broadview edition of Joseph
Conrad's The Secret Agent, a young-adult biography of George
Orwell, and several academic articles on a range of
nineteenth-century literary topics. She has also written for Public
Books and Los Angeles Review of Books. She is currently the vice
president of the North American Victorian Studies Association.
"No story in the first person was ever better told."
This beloved classic from Dickens follows the life and adventures of a six-year-old orphan named Pip as he makes his way and comes of age in 19th-century England. Simon Prebble turns in a solid performance in this audio edition, offering up a lush and resolutely dramatic reading and creating a panoply of unique voices and accents for the book's many characters. But while Prebble's performance is lavish, it fails to distinguish itself from the scores of previous audio productions of Dickens's novels. Still, his reading remains a pleasure and a well-orchestrated introduction to the world of Dickens-one that could serve as a wonderful opportunity for both fans and those new to the author's work. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
With a major new film adaptation of Great Expectations coming soon to the big screen, now is a good moment for an updated audio edition of this classic story of an orphan boy's rise from poverty to gentility, thanks to the help of an unknown patron. One of Dickens's finest works, it is, all at once, the heartrending tale of unrequited love, a deep mystery with a shocking resolution, and an often exciting action story. VERDICT Simon Prebble's powerful narration brings Dickens's colorful dialog alive and will make the book's 18-plus hours seem so many minutes. During this bicentennial year of Dickens's birth, this audiobook should be a slam-dunk acquisition for most libraries. [See "Charles Dickens: Our Mutual Friend," LJ 2/15/12, for more Dickens titles in audio.]-R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
"No story in the first person was ever better told."
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