The Cricket on the Hearth

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Jim Dale

Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

The holidays are upon us, and this year Audible is very happy to present to our members one of Charles Dickens’ most popular Christmas stories, The Cricket on the Hearth. This holiday classic (original subtitle: “A Fairy Tale of Home”) tells the innocent, picturesque, and charming story of a poor family and their would-be guardian angel; in short, a delightful vision of Victorian Christmas. As always, a great story calls for a great voice, so we’ve brought in legendary actor and record-breaking Audie and Grammy award-winning narrator Jim Dale (The Night Circus). Happy holidays and happy listening!

Public Domain (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Thank you!

Thank you for the wonderful gift Audible! I love being a member!! Jim Dale is AMAZING. If you had him read the phone book, I would pay a lot of money to download it. I appreciate that it was said, "Performed by Jim Dale." He doesn't just read the story, each time he reads, it's a masterful performance!

Dickens+Jim Dale=A Very Merry Christmas for me. Thank you again!

And what was the point of the cricket again?

I'm not really sure the point of this story. The characters didn't really progress, except for Tackleton, and I found his reformation a little hard to believe. And the point of the cricket? I guess I was expecting something more.

I was terribly disappointed in this onel.

What did you like best about The Cricket on the Hearth? What did you like least?

This was Dickens at his erudite worst. Too many long introspections and big words for such a simple minded plot. Even Jim Dale couldn't make this one enjoyable.

Hard to Follow

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The writing could be more clear. It was hard to determine who was talking because there were so many characters.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I might go see it.

Crazy and delightful!

Any additional comments?

Thank you, Audible, for the most wonderful holiday gift. That snowy, icy night in Boston three days ago resulted in a 3 hour commute home for me, and the time was transformed into a joy. God bless the crickets every one!

Great imagery

I had previously seen an old animated adaptation of this, which I wasn't overly fond of, but I thought I'd give it another chance. I quite liked the imagery and how Dickens really brought everything to life, and made not only the principle actors but also the dog and the kettle into vivid characters. It had a lot of the typical dismal outlook and wearied states of life you often get from Dickens (which usually depress me so much as to deter me from reading his works), but the spots of brightness and goodness shine through.

Only for kids

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No. Story didn't move very fast and could not keep my interest enough to follow the story. My wife actually fell asleep.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No

Any additional comments?

Didn't finish the book.

That was so much fun!

A little hard to get used to the English used by Dickens. Soon it became a rollicking tale!

Classic with current theme

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

I would recommend for those who enjoy the simple heartwarming classic

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Not a thing

What aspect of Jim Dale’s performance would you have changed?

He was excellent!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No

NOT "DICKENSIAN" ENOUGH

I'm a big Dickens fan, having read just about every work available. I even appreciated the feel and look of the HBO critically acclaimed series "The Wire" - its dark production look and cinematic street level shots were repeatedly referred to as "Dickensian". I know those aspects made that show my favorite show of all time and has been touted by top critics as "the best show in the history of television". As for Dickens, his books and any resulting film versions are always masterpieces. Yet, this one didn't quite get it for me. Maybe I'm too jaded (a cricket and a teapot deep in a convo?) Or not jaded enough (a cricket and a teapot deep in a convo?) 😄. I guess every song in a artist's repertoire doesn't make the charts at "#1 with a Bullet". Criticizing this book would be like calling a Michael Jackson album a dud because it only sold 5 million copies instead of its predecessor's 10 million units. The narrator is in his usual great form which goes a long way towards helping out this story. But the book was FREE so maybe I should just count my blessings. A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYBODY! A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL THE WORLD! 🎄🎍🎁🎉🎅