Wives and Daughters

By: Elizabeth Gaskell

Narrated by: Prunella Scales

Length: 25 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

Exclusively from Audible

Molly Gibson, the only daughter of a widowed doctor in the small provincial town of Hollingford, lost her mother when she was a child. Her father remarries wanting to give Molly the woman's presence he feels she lacks. To Molly, any stepmother would have been a shock, but the new Mrs. Gibson is a self-absorbed, petty widow, and Molly's unhappiness is compounded by the realisation that her father has come to regret his second marriage.

Although Molly resents her stepmother, she befriends her new step-sister, Cynthia, who is loveable, but worldly and troubling. The audiobook chronicles their maturation into womanhood within the confines of the gossiping and watchful society of Hollingford.

As Molly matures and falls in love she learns to judge people for what they are, not what they seem. Through Molly, the social values and changes of early 19th-century England are brought to life in this timeless representation of human relationships. The audiobook is more than just a nostalgic story of village life, it offers an ironic critique of mid-Victorian society.

Known as her last, longest, and perhaps finest work, it was not quite complete when Gaskell died suddenly in 1865. The last section was written by Frederick Greenwood.

Narrator Biography

Prunella Scales is a classically trained stage actress but is best known for her role as Sybil Fawlty in the BBC comedy Fawlty Towers (1975-1979) and for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in A Question of Attribution (1991) for which she was nominated a BAFTA. Her film appearances have included Stiff Upper Lips (1997), Howard's End (1992), and Wolf (1994). She was awarded the CBE for her services to drama in 1992 and the Patricia Rothermere Award for her contributions to British Theatre in 2001. More recent appearances have included the mini-series The Shell Seekers (2006), a production of Carrie's War at the Apollo Theatre (2009), Horrid Henry: The Movie (2013) and a guest appearance in the popular BBC radio comedy Cabin Pressure (2013). Julian Barnes' The Lemon Table and Anne Fine's Charm School are among the many audiobooks Prunella Scales has narrated.

Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

A great novel

So many wonderfully rich characters in this story will give you hours of peaceful listening pleasure. Prunella Scales was a testy wife in Faulty Towers, the great bbc comedy.
As a narrator though, she is able to mould her beautiful voice giving life to each character in the book. Male or female, young or old each with a distinct tone. She is amazing. Meet love, envy, greed, ambition, death, beauty and class distinction. The best Elizabeth Gaskell novel.

Only one problem...

Be forewarned. I listed to this very long and delightful book all the way to the point where it suddenly says "and we'll never know what happens because the author died." This is quite literally right at the point where the story is about to climax. I still suggest it, but now you know what I did not.

This book has no ending as the author died

There was a lot to like about this book...beautiful writing style, good character development. I started having a bit o a time keeping up with who all the characters were and remembering "who was who". I think it would have helped if the author had assigned unique names to the characters. I find this makes it easier to remember who they are in the story. The main character, Molly...again, same as in the author's other book "North & South", the main character is just too good to be true. Polly Purehart in a bustle. The step-sister, Cynthia, is very well developed, as is he mother Hyacinth, however, I do think the story would have been a lot more interesting if these two had been a bit nastier. They were both pretty benign. I do think some of the agendas each of these two women had were very clever, but with further development of their lack of character could have been tremendous. One thing that struck me is at the end of the book, the narrator said that based on the authors records before she died, Molly would have probably ended up traversing the African wilds with Roger. Um...I dunno...the woman had a cold and seemed to be on her deathbed fo weeks due to that...a cold, for crying out loud. She also faints at the emotional perils of other people...not even really her own perils. I don't see how someone like that would survive a nomadic existence in Africa, just sayin. I also was miffed that the seller never mentioned before I purchased the book that the author died before she finished it! I like to know how the book I'm reading ends, I guess I'm funny that way.

First class view of days long gone

Prunella Scales gives a fabulous portrayal of the characters created by the imperious Elizabeth Gaskell. The beautifully woven threads in the epic story paint such a picture of period
life as you dream

No ending! So sad...

A beautiful story, well written and entertaining. Unfortunately, the author died before finishing.... the story ends abruptly and without closure. I would have loved to have read the conclusion but the story is wonderful just the same. Such a loss to us all...

Classic

The story is a true work ok greatness. All her books are wonderful. The audio performance is flawless.

Best Book of the Year!!!

Elizabeth Gaskell is a tour de force in literature. Everything about this work is perfection. Even the narration garners a 10-star review. I love this book and wish it could have gone on and on...

Perfection.

This book would only have been more beautiful if Elizabeth GASKELL could have finished her final chapter. As it is, the journey is so sweet and wonderful that you can handle that slight letdown at the end—especially if you search the ending on YouTube. 😊 Wonderful reading by Prunella Scales!

Prunella Scales is stupendous !

Ms Scales narration brings each character to life with the artistry of the very best actors. But this story gets a bit tiresome with all the fretting and babbling

Very good

I enjoyed this book very much. The author was so good at bringing me into the story