The Pickwick Papers
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4.4 • 190 Ratings
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Publisher Description
In May 1827, the Pickwick Club of London, headed by Samuel Pickwick, decides to establish a traveling society in which four members journey about England and make reports on their travels. The four members are Mr. Pickwick, a kindly retired businessman and philosopher whose thoughts never rise above the commonplace; Tracy Tupman, a ladies' man who never makes a conquest; Augustus Snodgrass, a poet who never writes a poem; and Nathaniel Winkle, a sportsman of tremendous ineptitude.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
With true artistry, narrator David Timson brings to life the misadventures of the Pickwick Club. In Dickens's first novel, Samuel Pickwick (founder and president of the eponymous club) and three "Pickwickians" travel outside the comforts of London to document life in the English countryside. What follows is a succession of incidents filled with eccentric characters and social commentary. Clocking in around 32 hours, this audio edition would be an arduous task for any narrator, but Timson embraces this intimidating assignment with admirable aplomb. Whatever the scenario presented in prose, he matches the tone and keeps the story moving at a steady clip. He perfectly captures the author's many characters, providing spot-on vocal characterization for each one. This is an outstanding listen for both fans of Dickens and those new to his work.
Customer Reviews
Very good story, mediocre ePub
There are two important parts to every scanned ePub: the story, and the formatting.
In this case, the ePub is made from scanning a book. The spelling appears to be correct, but there are many other errors.
Many, many paragraphs are run together, some capitalization is missing, some sentences are missing spaces between them. I think you are getting the idea. Someone should have proof-read the ePub, carefully comparing the electronic version to the printed version. But, the book is free—how much can I complain?
As to the story, it is a pleasant tell, witty and entertaining. It follows the meandering travels of the "reverenced" Mr. Pickwick, founder of The Pickwick Club, whose well-to-do members travel through England seeking pleasant adventures.
I believe the stories were originally published as monthly installments in a magazine: that format was probably best for this story which meanders much and crescendoes little.
I would have given the book 5 stars had it not been for all the formatting errors in this ePub edition. Someone should have proofed the to work.
Pickwick papers
different Dickens. Early chapters interesting but predictable. Improves many fold as it progresses. As usual it is the "blue collar" characters who are the best drawn. A very different and engaging read. Don't miss!
Interesting
I read the book for class and even though it is lengthy, it has many good parts nonetheless and Sam Weller is one of the best characters I’ve seen in a book