Little Dorrit

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Anton Lesser

Length: 35 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

William Dorrit has been a resident of the Marshalsea debtors prison for so many years that he has gained the nickname "The Father of the Marshalsea". However, his suffering is eased by his close bond with youngest daughter Amy, or "Little Dorrit".

The dashing Arthur Clennam, returning to London after many years in China, enters their lives, and the Dorrits' fortunes begin to rise and fall.

A biting satirical work on the shortcomings of 19th century government and society.

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Public Domain (P)2008 Naxos Audiobooks

NO ONE Writes Like Dickens!

THIS BOOK! Characters - ten plus; plot - ten plus; Anton Lesser's reading - ten plus. I had seen the BBC production of Little Dorrit with Claire Foy and loved it. It was good preparation for diving into the lengthy Audible book. Dickens' writing thrills me. His descriptions are so vivid that I can totally picture his characters. For example, Mr. Dorrit, who has spent much of his life in a debtors' prison, is so prideful, that it is actually painful to listen to. Two of his children follow in his footsteps, and whether in poverty or riches, they are just incredibly full of pride. Little Dorrit is just the opposite. Whether poor or rich, she is humble, good, honorable. But the way Mr. Dorrit treats his loving daughter when they become wealthy is so hurtful, that I wanted to smack him for his treatment of the only one of his children who actually cared about HIM. Mrs. Clennam is such an example of extreme religious piety, that it would make a person loath religion if it were based on people like she is. She is spiteful, hateful, wretched to everyone around her, all the while clinging to her Bible. Then, there are the characters that are delightful and provide comic relief; Mr. Pancks, Flora Flinching and her Aunt, Mrs. Plornish, the Barnacle family, Mrs. General, who is filled with Prunes and Prisms, as she tries to educate the Dorrits. I loved Little Dorrit and Mr. Clennam; both good to the core. As I sit here and think of the variety of characters in this book, I am astounded at how many unique individuals there are....none are alike. There are several subplots about a government office that is totally incompetent, a Ponzi scheme that sounds all too familiar to modern day life, a beautiful young lady who marries a jerk, the murdering Frenchman and his evil doings, and underneath it all, they mystery of Do Not Forget. I would not have enjoyed this book at an earlier time in my life. I would not have been able to appreciate Dickens writing. But, I am at a point now where I like detailed description, challenging plots, rich character development, all of which this book has. It is definitely one of my favorite Dickens books. And, a big shout out to Anton Lesser who was fantastic as the reader!

Little Dorrit is a big hit

I love the narrator. Sounds like Phillip, from Netflix "The Crown". Read beautifully with terrific inflection

Not Dickens's Best But Beautifully Read

I was disappointed with Little Dorrit; the book is not nearly as good as Bleak House or Our Mutual Friend. Dickens's writing is always at its weakest with his tiresomely good female characters. The plot is preposterous and a little dull.

Anton Lesser's performance is outstanding. He brings all the characters to life in their own voices and mannerisms; it's worth the price of the audiobook to hear his interpretation of Flora Finching.

Charles Dickens: The Writer of Troubles

Little Dorrit is possibly one of Dickens' greatest stories encompassing the experience of a lifetime beset by poverty, riches and poverty again. It is also a story of betrayal, love and perfect charity.With such engaging characters as Amy Dorrit, Mr Pancks, Flora and Mr Flintwinch this story is a delight to listen to.

A match made in heaven

I am a serious Anton Lesser fan. I love his acting and I love his narration. Dickens, as always, present the reader with a whole slew of people, and Lesser seems to be able to pull an infinite number of characters out of his hat. And they are all terrific, that's the thing. It's as though he has spent hours honing each character's voice and manner of speaking. His reading of the book shouldn't even be called narration; he just assumes the mantle of the book, and becomes it.

I've listened to all of Dickens' work, and this is the last. I tried it with a different narrator but was turned off by the character of Little Dorrit. I decided if anyone could get me through it, Anton Lesser would, and I'm glad I went for this one. It's top-notch Dickens: great plot, great characters, and he is very, very funny when he wants to be. Still not thrilled with the title character; I think it's the extreme and endless self-sacrifice that makes me uncomfortable. But the book is well worth it, and even more so with Anton Lesser on board. You cannot do any better for Dickens narration! It is 35 hours long and I would have been happy to keep going.

Anton Lesser is a true actor.

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

Yes, because Anton Lesser's work deserves to be witnessed. The book is good, obviously. My interest in it was piqued by the BBC series recently aired on tv, but the book fills in a lot of gaps.

What does Anton Lesser bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

There is a HUGE array of characters and Anton brings EVERY ONE of them to life with an amazing instinct for accent and enunciation. Dickens is no easy task master, but Anton's unwavering dedication to utterly differing vocal strains was art at its best.

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

The death scene of the brothers.

Any additional comments?

Dickens scares me a little with his power of portraying a flaky, babbling woman to such an extent.

LESSER IS SUPERB

Brilliantly narrated by Anton Lesser. Brings all characters to life. Another great classic from Dickens

Superb Read of Classic Dickens!

Little Dorrit may not be the first title to come to mind for many lovers of Charles Dickens’ work. Nevertheless, this book is a superior offering with a little of everything – romance, mystery, drama and adventure, all highlighting social plight, poverty, wealth, the frustration of endless bureaucracy, and the ability to filter out what is really important in our lives. All these themes resonate as deeply today as they did at the time Dickens wrote them. And although some may find this story a little more slowly developed than, say, Oliver Twist or Great Expectations, it is well-worth the listen.

I am especially enthusiastically about this title due to Anton Lesser’s SUPERB reading of it. Mr. Lesser is a masterful narrator whose voice expertly captures all the male voices, including the wily quick-spoken Mr. Pancks, the irascible Flintwinch, the jovial and kind-hearted Mr. Meagles, and the earnest sincerity of Arthur Clennam. His female voices range from the shy and quietly gentle Little Dorrit, through the childlike outbursts of Maggie, to a tremendously amusing and breathless Flora! He gives just the right dramatic and comedic pauses, bringing the text marvelously alive to your imagination. Never have I heard a narrator capture ALL the voices, male and female, so richly and accurately and with such great acting skill. I cannot praise him highly enough!!

This is a beautifully told story and one I will revisit. Please save one of your monthly credits back for this very worthwhile classic, brilliantly read by one of the finest audio talents of our time!

Superb rendering of one of Dickens’ best novels

Anton Lesser is an ideal reader for Little Dorrit. He intelligently and convincingly renders Dickens’ diverse cast of make, female, foreign characters of equally diverse strata of society. It would be hard to imagine a finer reading of this novel.

Amazing acting

All the characters were so well acted, especially Flora. I think this is one of the best readings of a Dickens novel ever.