Hard Times
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Hard Times
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Narrated by:
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Martin Jarvis
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By:
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Charles Dickens
About this listen
Exclusively from Audible
Despite the title, Dickens's portrayal of early industrial society is less relentlessly grim than that in novels by contemporaries such as Elizabeth Gaskell or Charles Kingsley.
Hard Times weaves the tale of Thomas Gradgrind, a hard-headed politician who raises his children Louisa and Tom without love and to have no empathy, their lives completely devoid of beauty, culture, or imagination. Only after a series of crises does their father realise that the manner in which he raised his children has ruined their lives.
Other characters include Sissy, the circus girl with love to spare who is deserted and adopted into the Gradgrind family, as well as the honest mill worker Stephen Blackpool and the bombastic mill owner Josiah Bounderby.
The story is a vehement condemnation of industrialisation and its dehumanising effects on its workers and communities in mid-19th-century England. George Orwell praised Dickens and the novel for its 'generous anger.'
Concentrated and compressed in its narrative form, Hard Times is at once a fable, an audiobook of ideas, and a social story that seeks to engage directly and analytically with political issues.
It may be one of Dickens's shortest works but it is also one of his triumphs.
One of eight children, Dickens came from a very poor family, with his father eventually being sent to debtor's prison. At the age of 12, Dickens was forced to start work in a blacking factory in order to help clear the family debt. His troublesome childhood likely contributed to some of the novel's ideas and lent him a sympathetic voice for the poor.
Due to his vivid depictions of the poverty-stricken, 'Dickensian' has ingrained itself in the English language, becoming the choice word to describe an unacceptable level of poverty.
Narrator Biography
Martin Jarvis is one of Britain's most admired actors. His audiobook output is legendary. He is described in Vanity Fair as 'the Olivier of audiobooks' and 'genius of the Spoken Word' in the LA Times. Award-winning recordings range from titles by Charles Dickens, P.G. Wodehouse, and Michael Frayn to thrillers by Jeffrey Archer, Wilbur Smith, Ian Fleming, and Dick Francis.
Martin Jarvis has starred in many acclaimed West End and National Theatre productions and received the Theatre World Award as Jeeves on Broadway. Numerous UK television appearances encompass Law & Order, Doctor Who, Endeavour, Inspector Morse, and The Forsyte Saga. In America: Murder She Wrote, Numb3rs, Cosmos and Walker, Texas Ranger. Films include Titanic, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Wreck-It Ralph. Videogames: 'Alfred' in Batman, 'Finn McMissile' in Cars.
Martin is invested by HM the Queen as Officer of Order of the British Empire (OBE).
Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Hard Times
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Pamela
- 13-08-20
Martin Jarvis breathes life into Dickens.
Hard Times is a story concerning Thomas Gradgrind's strict upbringing of his children to avoid culture and beauty and anything that is not scientific with complete zealousness. And so other matters and events lead onward to lessons and realizations. There are as usual with Dickens' writing wonderful descriptions and some awkward plot development . But that to one side Martin Jarvis is wonderful as always in his perfomrance.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Peter Lindsay
- 18-04-21
Fabulous
Martin Jarvis’ superb theatrical reading makes this a truly memorable experience. I recommend to anyone revisiting Dickens.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- david E
- 30-10-15
Two Geniuses
Martin Jarvis brings out breathtakingly well the wonderful variety of Dickens' extraordinary characters. Listening, I often laughed out loud and sometimes was moved to tears.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sufra
- 05-05-19
Brilliant
I'm not going to review Hard Times as it has been done many times before by more able people than me but I will say that Martin Jarvis's ability to bring this story to life is fabulous. Well worth listening to even if you're not a Dickens fan. I wasn't particularly until I listened to this version.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- carolyn king
- 18-01-18
A Wonderful Experience
Hard Times is a Dickens novel that I didn't know at all, so it has been a true delight to experience this version of the story. Martin Jarvis's different voices brought the memorable characters alive. This is a wonderful version, highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Judi
- 15-11-22
Brilliantly read
This is a classic Charles Dickens story. He uses words and phrases in a masterly way. The reading of the book by Martin Jarvis is exceptional. He brings the characters to life which adds to the enjoyment of the book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- SussexSue
- 04-03-17
I loved it!
This is the 2nd unabridged Dickens that I've bought from Audible. Both have been narrated by the brilliant Martin Jarvis. I'm definitely going to see if there are any more available.
Dickens is a great novelist: in turns both comic and gripping, always humane.
Martin Jarvis brings all the characters alive. If I read Dickens ( or other Victorian novelists) I sometimes get impatient and do them the injustice of skipping descriptive passages. But Martin Jarvis is such a good narrator that those parts are as easy to listen to as moments of action or dialogue, and I can really enjoy Dickens's language.
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Trevor
- 18-01-12
hard times
A thoughtful book ,showing peoples feelings,and how they may or may not change,beautifully read.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anomalous Monist
- 26-01-17
Cartoon story, but magnificently brought to life
Would you consider the audio edition of Hard Times to be better than the print version?
Yes. The story is contrived and a bit silly, and the characters have no depth or psychological insight as George Eliot's do. But that's not what Dickens does. He's a different kind of novelist. He draws these wonderful cartoon characters, magnificent caricatures, and there are riches here. "I am Josiah Bounderby of Coketown!" And the ghastly, embittered fallen genteel Mrs Sparset, who hates her benefactor so: and poor Gradgrind, with his utilitarian education programme; and the ghastly lover; and one of the best, the circus proprietor. All these characters leap into life because Martin Jarvis performs then brilliantly. He is an enchanter. You don't notice or mind the silly bits in between, and he enacts these figures so brilliantly that it is all just a huge pleasure. The man is a genius. .
What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)
The ending isn't the best bit. It's okay - just mediocre Dickens. The middle third of the book is better.
What does Martin Jarvis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Life! Vivacity! Empathy! Fantastic, histrionic performances that are much larger than life. These characters are not realistic - they are caricatures, but wonderful ones. Martin Jarvis lets you enjoy their wonderful utter ridiculousness.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No; just as I normally listen, which is when cycling or when doing tedious chores.
Any additional comments?
It's a wonderful audiobook, entirely because of the Martin Jarvis performance. Warmly recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- fourflowers
- 02-11-17
Brilliant narration
A good yarn whose characters were expertly brought to life by Martin Jarvis, the narrator. Highly recommended.
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