Great Expectations

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Length: 20 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

A terrifying encounter with an escaped convict in a graveyard on the wild Kent marshes; a summons to meet the bitter, decaying Miss Havisham and her beautiful, cold-hearted ward Estella; the sudden generosity of a mysterious benefactor - these form a series of events that change the orphaned Pip's life forever, and he eagerly abandons his humble origins to begin a new life as a gentleman.

Public Domain (P)2008 Audio Connoisseur

Critic reviews

• Audie Award, Classic, 2010
• Audie Award, Solo Narration - Male, 2010

Excellent reading but for the background music

This is an excellent reading of one of Dickens' greatest works. The only drawback is the occasional use of background music, which is wholly unnecessary and a bit schmaltzy. However, there isn't much of this, and I would highly recommend the reading nonetheless.

Terrific listen!

Charlton Griffin is my favorite narrator and he does not disappoint in this excellent rendition of the Charles Dickens classic. He does such an amazing job with all the different voices, from the young Pip to the adult version, as well as all the other characters, male and female. I first was introduced to his work in Sherlock Holmes which was excellent as well. I highly recommend this version to anyone interested in this book.

DIVINING HUMAN NATURE

Charles Dickens’ art is in divining human nature, and making readers care for heroes that covet and receive natural justice. Every character in Dickens’ “Great Expectations” (and there are many) are good and bad, heroes or villains that receive just rewards; at least, by the turn of the final page.

Pip is Dickens’ main character. Pip is a young orphaned boy, living with his sister and her husband. The husband is Joe Gargery, a perfect surrogate father to Pip. Joe is kind and nurturing with a simple view of life. Joe neither judges nor condemns Pip’s growth to manhood. His shrewish wife is counterpoint to Joe’s nature. She gives depth to Joe’s character by contrast to his ideal goodness. Her shrewish habits show too much pride, little understanding and no empathy for others. Pip learns and exhibits all of Joe’s and his wife’s characteristics as he grows to manhood. Pip is not perfect; i.e. he is burdened by human nature, the fault of being human.

“Great Expectations” is a wonderful story. It entertains while offering lessons for living life. Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you is the credo of those who believe in natural justice; i.e. human nature is rewarded by a just measure of reward and punishment. At least, that seems Dickens’ view of life. There are other beliefs, less just, and consequently less comforting.

Awesome audio

I had to read this book in highschool freshman year. I was struggling and mom bought me tapes to listen too. after reading i decided i liked the book and donated the tapes to my teacher. worst mistake of my life. I searched high and low for the same series when i came upon this version. I was excited cause it was the same version i had in highschool 5 years ago. The audio is great and i like the different voices for characters.

Great Narrations

If you haven't tried any of Charlton Griffin's productions for Audio Connoisseur, released through Audible, treat yourself to his reading of this classic Dickens novel. The many characters of the novel are brought to life masterfully.

Superbly Written and Flawlessly Narrated

If it is possible to improve upon Dickens' work via narration, Griffins has managed to achieve that most difficult of feats. Each character is uniquely brought to life via his tempo, tone, and inflection. The book is brought to life in a rare manner indeed.

I spend an average of about 10 hours a week listening to audiobooks and this one is in a class by itself.

The best narrator!!!

I sampled all the narrations and then selected this one for “great expectations”, considered one of the best works of fiction of all time. Truly a genius in how he tells the story and acts the voices of each character- Mr. Charlton Griffin is sublime. I will go on to listen to more of his narrations ASAP!

Great Story. Excellent narration

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely. Charlton Griffin's narration makes a classic story come alive and truly memorable. Will listen to this again!

What about Charlton Griffin’s performance did you like?

His portrayal of each character. His chosen voice matches their character precisely!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Constancy in the end. While many of Pip's earlier decisions were vain and foolish, his true character shines through at the end.

Any additional comments?

Buy it and listen. You will not be disappointed!

Great choice!

Classic novel with excellent narration, highly recommended audio book if you enjoy Dickens and the classics.

Even After All These Years

Some 60 years ago, in a one-room, one-teacher school house of 8 grades and 16 students, our teacher read Great Expectations to us as part of our heads-on-your-desks rest time (for her sanity, I am sure). I loved it then and now. Charlton Griffin reads wonderfully, capturing the tone of Dickens's characters and the pace of the plot. This is old fashioned storytelling that any modern critic could fault, but I loved relaxing and letting the reading take over my thoughts like it did when I was a child. No plot summary can even hint at the power of Dickens to capture his reader' imaginations.