Dombey and Son

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

Length: 40 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Classic, 2013

It was after the publication of Dombey and Son that the literary reputation of Charles Dickens as a world-class writer was finally and irrevocably established. And what had served to stimulate this unparalleled imaginative genius was the very city he lived in: London. Dickens routinely walked anywhere from 10 to 20 miles every day through the narrow, winding streets of the great city on the Thames. And what a city! London in the mid-19th century was easily the largest, most spectacular metropolitan area in the world. By Dickens' day there were four million souls living there.

The novel centers around Mr. Dombey, a wealthy merchant who struggles to cope with the death of his wife and the care of his infant son as the story opens. He hires a nurse to bring up little Paul. Meanwhile, other new characters are brought into the story, including Captain Cuttle, Sol Gills, and Walter Gay.

As their lives come into contact with the Dombey household, complications arise. When Dombey discovers that Walter, a lowly clerk in his office, is infatuated with his daughter, Florence, he sends him to the West Indies to prevent any possibility of a romance developing, and, with the disappearance of the lad in a storm, his purpose is apparently fulfilled. But destiny deals Mr. Dombey a fatal blow in his quest to glorify the firm Dombey & Son. The rest of the novel deals with Dombey's reaction to his unforeseen tragedy.

Public Domain (P)2012 Audio Connoisseur

Poor narration, coughing, clearing throat,

Any additional comments?

Excellent book, very poor narration, too many noises in the background, turning pages, clearing throat, coughing, I have listened to many, many books on audible and this is the worst narration of any book that I have heard. Not good for an excellent book.

Great narrator!

I have read some reviews which fail to do justice to the narration. Charton Griffin, in my opinion, brilliantly brought to life the multifarious characters with just the right ironic edge.

Quite a slog but worth it as a Dickens fan…

…not so sure about others. A friend once told me she didn’t care for Dickens because he was paid by the word. I told her that didn’t bother me because “I love all the details”. Not so much with this one. The padding was showing to an annoying extent. There lovely moments of joy, sorrow and tenderness but too many times of unnecessary tedium. On the other hand, Charlton Griffin’s superlative ability with voices was a treat. He made the long lists more bearable and the most moving passages even more affecting. I’m not sorry I listened.

A Rare Dickens Story with a Heroine

The story is grossly sentimental and "preachy" to my way of thinking. However, it's an important and rare look into Dickens' views of family dynamics. I can only recall Bleak House as another major work with a female heroine. In Dombey, Florence is not very interesting as a character (Edith is much more so), but what Dickens uses his dolls for to remark on the roles of fathers and daughters and husbands and wives, et. al. Is.
The narrator is fantastic and I'm curious to see try out his others readings especially as they seem to tend in the classics domain. I wonder what lead him to this book, but I am glad he took the task.

Amazing narrator for a new Dickens novel for me

This novel is the most excruciatingly painful description of parental child-abuse I have ever heard. I know no one has even started this novel. I confess that the reason I bought it was because it gave me 41 hours for my credit! The narrator, Mr. Griffen, brought the novel vividly to life, and his choices for the accompanying music were inspired. He and Mr. Dickens are a heavenly match! More novels, please, Mr. Griffen!!

Excellent Narration

Would you consider the audio edition of Dombey and Son to be better than the print version?

This story with it's many characters can be hard to follow, but the audible version with Charlton Griffin's narration makes this story come alive. This has been the best I've heard on Audible, with old and young, male and female voices... I thought it was more than one narrator.