The Pickwick Papers

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: David Timson

Length: 32 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The Pickwick Papers, Dickens's first novel, is a delightful romp through the pre-Reform Bill England of 1827. Samuel Pickwick and the rest of the Pickwickians are some of the most memorable of all Dickens's creations, and it is a joy to hear of their adventures in search of "interesting scenes and characters", and the repeated efforts of the quick-witted Sam Weller to rescue them all from disaster.

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Public Domain (P)2012 Naxos AudioBooks

Delightful humorous episodes dramatically presented

The creativity and genius of the great storyteller Charles dickens is delightful entertainment. And, David Timson is unparalleled in his dramatic presentation, able to bring out the character and nuances of communication of each of such a great variety of characters; he is a superb thespian.

Take the plunge!

I almost quit listening to this book at the beginning, but I persevered and I'm glad I did. Lots of laughs, a real romp as one reviewer described it. It wouldn't be Dickens without some pathos and many of the really serious or sad scenes are more asides loosely written into the story.
How he ever managed to hammer this tale together as a beginning author shows why he became a classic author.
I very much enjoyed this book and I will listen to it again!

Fledgling Dickens Flaps His Wings of Future Genius

The entertaining central conceit of Charles Dickens first novel, The Pickwick Papers (1836), is that that "immortal gentleman," Mr. Pickwick, an "extraordinary," "colossally minded," "truly great" "man of genius," is in fact a chubby, balding, bespectacled, pleasure-loving, middle-aged man whose good nature and naivete land him in a series of comical scrapes from which not even his streetwise and philosophic servant Sam Weller is always able to extract him unharmed. As a wealthy retired businessman, Mr. Pickwick's only occupation is traveling around England eating and drinking and investigating human nature with his three absurd friends and followers (the ersatz sportsman Mr. Winkle, the so-called poet Mr. Snodgrass, and the aged, rotund wannabe ladies man Mr. Tupman), ostensibly reporting their doings to the Pickwick Club in London, of which Mr. Pickwick is founder and president.

As Mr. Pickwick indulges in his hobby of studying the drama of life in different (at first ideally comfortable) settings and guises, as he falls into embarrassing fixes, and as he hears stories from the people with whom he converses, Dickens satirizes sports, reform religion, the legal system, political parties, stock brokers, dismal debtor's prisons, contentious husbands and wives, pretentious literary circles, foolish scholarly associations, and grotesque social pretensions. He also celebrates liberal, big-hearted, good-natured people like Pickwick and his countryside gentleman friend Mr. Wardle, romantic marriages, rustic and hospitable coach inns and simple and solid coachmen, and pleasurable festivals like Christmas. He even at one point includes a Christmas story featuring a Scrooge-like sexton in need of a good supernatural scare.

The novel is a picaresque series of set pieces tied together by a few recurring strands, like the ways in which the paths of the adventurer-"stroller"-actor-con-man Mr. Jingle and his servant/friend Job Trotter and of Pickwick and co. repeatedly cross each other, in which the legal suit of Bardell vs. Pickwick increasingly plagues the affable man, and in which Pickwick's disciples inconveniently fall in love. The novel is not a bildungsroman, for the fully mature Mr. Pickwick passes through his experiences largely unchanged. Instead, he acts as a catalyst for other people's changes, and as the novel progresses, especially in the last third, Mr. Pickwick's aspect as (as his servant Sam Weller puts it) an angel in tights and gaiters and spectacles comes to the fore.

Sam Weller is a great character: cockney, loyal, brave, strong, wise, and possessed of funny mannerisms: pronunciation of w as v and v as w, comical nicknames for people ("Vere does the mince-pies go, young opium eater?") and hilarious comparisons of present situations to exaggeratedly apt and usually violent prior cases (Wellerisms), as when he says, "Business first, pleasure afterwards, as King Richard the Third said wen he stabbed t'other king in the Tower, afore he smothered the babbies." Or 'Vich I call addin' insult to injury, as the parrot said ven they not only took him from his native land, but made him talk the English langwidge arterwards.' Or "Wery sorry to 'casion any personal inconwenience, ma'am, as the house-breaker said to the old lady when he put her on the fire."

David Timson gives an inspired reading of the novel, particularly with supporting characters like Sam Weller, his father, and the sleepy "fat boy" servant Joe. Every word he reads sounds just as Dickens must have intended it to be read. Although he greatly increases the pleasure of the novel, I did think (especially in the early going) that he lays on Dickens' comical cheek a bit thickly as the third person narrator.

In The Pickwick Papers appear many flashes of Dickens' particular genius that he fully develops in his later books: inventive, vivid, and rich descriptions; great lines worthy of re-reading and savoring; singular characters marked by human foibles, funny mannerisms, and strange names; imaginative set-pieces that linger in the mind; self-reflexive statements about novel writing; tear-jerking sentimentality; angry social conscience; open-minded view of class and culture; keen vision of human folly, villainy, and kindness; and so on. But often I found myself wandering during Dickens' extended riffs or interpolated tales (some of which don't absolutely need to be in the novel), and the overall story is not as compelling as those in his future books. Thus, fans of Charles Dickens should surely read/listen to The Pickwick Papers, but people new to his work should probably start with more classic books like David Copperfield and Great Expectations.

A comedy of circumstances

A very enjoyable book. There are lots of characters and the narrator does very well to make them clear. I typically listen when driving and keeping up with minor characters was difficult, If you like comedy and institutional comedy (1800's style) then you should like this book. It was much different then Dickens later books, as the evil characters were mocked to some degree in this book.
It is not my favorite Dickens, but as it is his first Dickensian's need to read it.

I especially like your early, funny ones.

That’s the oft-repeated heart cry of filmmaker Sandy Bates’ fans in Woody Allen’s film, Stardust Memories (before he went all artsy and serious, Sandy made popular comedies). While that’s not an exact parallel to the career of Charles Dickens, I have to admit that, about halfway through, say, Hard Times, I start missing his earlier, funnier ones.

And, even with its few brief, poignant episodes of tragedy, this earliest of Dickens’ novels remains his funniest; in the 183 years since the first installment appeared, I'm betting no one has ever wished it was any shorter. Perhaps inevitably, in this maiden effort—and a baggy, voluminous, picaresque one at that—some loose ends dangle. Mr. Pickwick’s outburst at Mr. Winkle on the skating pond (“You are a humbug, sir…I will speak plainer, if you wish it. An imposter, sir.”) looks like a serious breach, yet never develops beyond that chapter. Sam Weller’s love note to his Mary, signed in Mr. Pickwick’s name (in doggerel rhyme, no less), fails to complicate that gentleman’s already complicated breach-of-promise difficulties with his former landlady. Nevertheless, as the last chapter heading declares, everything concludes “to the satisfaction of everybody” including the reader. Ironically, this most sentimental of all the major Victorian writers never raises more laughs than when spoofing sentimentality.

David Timson’s performance stands comparison to Colin Firth's reading of Graham Greene's End of the Affair, or Alan Rickman's of Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native: one of those rare instances of an absolutely perfect match of novel and narrator. I had no idea the man had so many voices inside him.

Wonderful story, unmatched narrator

What about David Timson’s performance did you like?

My favorite narrator among a field of excellent narrators. David Timson's ability to consistently and engagingly apply unique tonations to the myriad of characters is amazing. This was a great book but the best part of it was Mr. Timson's narration.

A must read...hear

Loved the prose - disjointed but woven together - bringing to the fore the great art of story telling
The reading out was superb. It makes it more fun and to life than simple reading from the book.
Would definitely recommend to the anyone wanting to immerse themselves in the pleasure of English language than anything else. Kids of today's sms world should read this.
Of course, it is a bit of "all is well that ends well" type, quite predictable as a story.

A delight

One of my favorite books, by one of my favorite authors, read by one of my favorite narrators. Mr Pickwick and Sam Weller are the Don Quixote and Sancho Panza of 19th century English literature. A delight from start to finish.

Great narrator, Dickens ebbs and flows

What did you love best about The Pickwick Papers?

Dickens develops his characters wonderfully and he uses language to evoke humor and illuminate the human condition.

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

I like the serial format, but I prefer Dickens's other novels for reading straight through.

What about David Timson’s performance did you like?

Master of impressions. Consistent voices throughout for each character. A one-man dramatic performance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed but not uproariously. Amusing.

Any additional comments?

I would definitely listen to David Timson again, and I wish I could hear him do more Dickens.

The Excellance of Dickens

after reading Dickins biography, I've could imagine him writing Pickwick Papers. it is pure genius and quite enjoyable