The Old Curiosity Shop (Unabridged‪)‬

I love Dickens and I love this reader's voice. I wish he would do other Dicken's books. This recording is not flawless. The reader makes several halting starts at words and you can hear paper being moved and other sounds in the background. It is just not a polished studio performance with great editing. However, the reader's voice is so great for Dickens that I would like to hear more of him.

George Hagan does a superb job as a reader for this story. As another reviewer has pointed out, there are a few flaws in the recording, but they are so few in number that they do not detract from the narration. Hagan draws from a variety of English accents to bring each character to life and create an almost palpable sense of personality for each “Dickensian” persona. Dickens demonstrates his genius for narration in this story, bringing a range of expression to the characters that is extraordinary. Dickens’ comic wit, both in narrative description and character conversation, is delightfully entertaining, and Hagan captures adroitly the nuances of conversation so one is drawn into scenes and given a rich experience of the story.

This is the classic tale of little Nell and her grandfather as they suffer at the hands of the demonic Quilp and thus flee to the English countryside, throwing themselves upon the mercy of their fellow citizens. A great read, made all that more enjoyable by Hagan’s voice acting skill.

Highly recommended.

I decided to be adventurous and read something by Dickens ---though I usually read current fiction. Wow. The characters are vivid and quirky. This is hours of entertainment. Because I am not accustomed to the language of Dickens' London, I found that I needed to concentrate and really pay attention, but that wasn't asking too much because the story is so interesting. The narrator is fabulous. Take yourself out of the modern era long enough to read (or listen to) something wonderful from another century, and you will be better for it, whether it is this book or another.