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

A book for our times

1. This narrator may be the best reader of Dickens ever. Perfect voice for it.
2. This book resonates with our time well when so many middle or even upper class people are struggling with sudden economic reversals. Dickens captures the pain, the flase pride,the class consciousness...And for those readers who believe that government is nothing but an obstacle to the progress of the people, he created the circumlocution office, perhaps the best parody of government inefficiency and graft in all of English literature. Funny, funny, fnny.

a melody of genius writer & compelling reader

Dickens and Lesser... You couldn't find a more brilliant duet!

I'm glad to see more of dickens great stories showing up with the spirited voice of Anton Lesser,.. i believe this man was born to read Dickens and Milton!

only I would like to see more unabridged, especially david cooperfield

Anton Lesser is extraordinary.

I highly recommend Anton Lesser's reading of Little Dorrit. I particularly love his character readings - Flora Finching is priceless.

Vintage Dickens! Brilliant acting!

Some reviewers suggested that this isn't Dickens best novel. I won't argue the case of whether it is or is not his best, but Little Dorrit is essential Dickens reading. I rank it up there with the other classics - Oliver Twist, Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations and Dombey and Son, to name a few. There are many favorable points to be made about this story - the powerful characters, the intriguing plot, the depiction of society and poverty in this era and his biting satire on one government department, the British Treasury, depicted by Dickens as the fictional "Circumlocution Office" whose mission is "how not to do it".
One other note - my headline for this review included "Brilliant acting" because it is unfair to describe Anton Lesser simply as a narrator. He is acting every part, no easy feat given the nature of Dickens characters. Lesser makes the story truly come to life.

Beatiful reading

Anton Lesser has a magical penetrating voice and amazing ability to create a 'theater' for his listeners. I am simply amazed at the skill. He is my new favorite narrator.

Funny, beautiful dialogue.

This is a very long, but very engaging book. The plot is somewhat intricate and I did lose track a bit as I got distracted, but it didn't matter at all -- every conversation stands on its own and the language is breathtaking. The social commentary is so, so funny, and you wind up loving even the villains.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful

What did you like about this audiobook?

I have always had a love/hate relationship with Charles Dickens, and this audioook has swung me back to love. A treasure.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

I will definitely be seeking other Dickens titles and works by the same narrator.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

This book is the BEST type of satirical. Its heart-warming, hilarious, compassionate and astute.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Anton Lesser really does justice to a world of characters. You completely forget that the narrator is male, one person...etc. Dickens is hard work and I give him full credit - an excellent job!

Little Dorrit Narrated byAnton Lesser

Anton Lesser was great. But Charles Dickens sure knows how to talk around the subject and hardly ever get to the point of the subject or name of the person who is being talked about. As a listener you have to guess allot. The best part is when Amy talks. She is strait forward and understandable. All the other adults talk in circles. What 1-5 words would all be necessary, it seems 15-30 words were used. I suppose it's the way the rich talked in those days. But it's hard to follow. If someone talked to me that way, I'd get board and walk away or I'd say; get to the point and stop talking in riddles. Different conversations come and go and it's hard to follow the direction of the story. I tend to only follow the parts when they stop talking in circles.

My Least Favorite Dickens

This is the 5th Dickens book I have listened to and the only one I haven't liked. The narrator is very good as stated by the other reviewers. However, parts of the book tend to go on and on, and if I were reading the book, I would be skipping many pages. I think he tries too hard to make his point about the issues he is parodying.

Great narration; middling Dickens

I have listened to many of Dickens' novels. The narration of this one is excellent--Lesser is a man of a thousand voices and dialects, making this a very enjoyable listening experience. Among Dickens' novels, this is not one of the best. PRobably because it was published in monthly installments of equal length, some chapters/installments had the feel of being padded. More significantly, even for Dickens, some of the characters were very one-dimensional and the plot depended too much on coincidence and, in one important point, deux ex machina. Having said this, if one is making one's way through Dickens oevre, this is worth a listen. For all its plot weaknesses and heavy handed social commentary about class, this novel has important messages about family relationships and human kindness. Finally, I couldn't help thinking about Bernie Madoff while listening--the book is oddly prescient, or stated differently, suckers are born all the time.