Hard Times

The Audible Dickens Collection

By: Charles Dickens, Jeremy Paxman

Narrated by: Bertie Carvel, Jeremy Paxman

Length: 10 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

This exclusive recording of Hard Times contains a unique introduction by Jeremy Paxman in which he takes us through Hard Times as his favourite Dickens title.

To give it its full title, Hard Times - for These Times was Charles Dickens' 10th novel and the only one not to have any scenes set in London. It was first published in 1854 and depicts the struggles that were born as a result of the industrial revolution.

About the book

'Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life.' So says Thomas Gradgrind, a wealthy, utilitarian school board superintendent. Father to Tom and Louisa, he shapes the minds of all the young children, including his own, with the exception of only one: the circus-born Sissy Jupe.

As the novel progresses, we see the lives of these three young children unfold, shaped by the beliefs and values they've been taught by their respective fathers and educators. Growing into a beautiful yet miserable young lady, Louisa is wed off to an associate of her father's. Tom, dulled by his strict upbringing, becomes a dissipated, hedonistic gambler, and Sissy, their imaginative, creative and selfless guiding light, seeks to repair the damage done to her friends by years of utilitarian training.

About the author

With his father incarcerated, Charles Dickens had to abandon his studies at a young age and set to work in a factory so as to support himself. Despite his short-lived education, Dickens went on to write 15 novels and various articles, novellas and short stories. He lectured and led campaigns for children's rights and education and arguably became, unlike Josiah Bounderby, the ultimate self-made man.

About the narrator

Known for his versatility and for "making monsters and demons understood", Bertie Carvel has twice won the Olivier Award: for his performances as Miss Trunchbull in Matilda and Rupert Murdoch in Ink. On television he was Jonathan Strange in Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, Nick Clegg in Coalition and the cheating husband in Doctor Foster. In this definitive audiobook of Hard Times, Carvel's presence and range shine through to gripping effect.

Public Domain (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

Perfect narrator for Dickens

While Dickens’ moralizing summarizing of events can be tedious at times, his characters
and humor shine with Bertie Carvel’s narration.

Social change, serialized

Charles Dickens is very large-hearted in any of his social commentary and though I don’t always fall in love with any of the characters or find the story less-than-concise, I love how much he loves people and wants them to be well. Often, the picture of everyday life is one of resilience and if it is of weakness, I can’t remember a place where Dickens doesn’t write with a foundation of compassion.

Bertie Carvel is an excellent reader, always, and I like knowing all the work he does to promote equality and justice in his own sphere is a thread alongside Dickens. More audiobooks by Carvel, please (and I genuinely mean that bc I own all the other ones he’s done).

Fantastic performance!

The narrator captured the voices brilliantly, and the delivery was laugh out loud funny in places. A great listen!

Sad but true

The story is a reality in many lives even today. Don’t listen if you are easily depressed for this is truly a tale of people experiencing hard times.
The narration is very good and easily understood when different characters speak. A talent that should be admired. I visualize a dark and gloomy community. I recommend this book to everyone so that we remember there is a society of this nature.

Powerful performance!

Bertie Carvel is masterful in his command of the voices & accents of each character/cast member. He deftly captures the whole emotional range—from caricaturish absurdity to gravitas—of the novel. I hope he performs other Dickens masterpieces ! 💙💜💛

One of Dickens’s best!

Hard Times isn’t as well known to many readers as his more popular novels, yet it has its own brilliance! It’s shorter so the reader doesn’t see as complex of plots and as many characters as his longer novels. Yet, this story has memorable characters and a theme that brings about an unforgettable message that is timeless.

I enjoyed this audio version of one of my favorite Dickens. A great reread!!

Excellent book and excellent performance

This is an excellent one of Dickens' works. I have reviewed some here that unless you are a committed Dickens fan, you could pass on, but this is one that is worthy of Dickens' reputation. Paxman's introduction was useful in making me aware of the critique of Utilitarianism in this work, but even if you didn't know that, you would be able to relate to the types of characters depicted. There is excellent social commentary in the voice of Sissy, still so relevant today. Here is one quote from a discussion about what she was having trouble learning in school: “And he said, This schoolroom is an immense town, and in it there are a million of inhabitants, and only five-and-twenty are starved to death in the streets, in the course of a year. What is your remark on that proportion? And my remark was—for I couldn’t think of a better one—that I thought it must be just as hard upon those who were starved, whether the others were a million, or a million million.” Of course, that was the wrong answer for the teacher. There is more like that, and I think there are such quotes that are “pearls”. I was disappointed with the ending. Given that Gradgrind Jr. basically framed someone for a theft he committed (this is not a spoiler - it becomes pretty obvious; this is not a mystery story), I think that though we can have sympathy for a father who wants to protect his son from the law (which certainly was harsh then), being an accomplice in any way to the escape of someone who should stand trial is not justifiable. It is not even the theft that was so bad, but the framing of another person, who suffered as a result, that was worse. As far as the performance, it was superb. I will definitely look out for other books narrated by Bertie Carvel.

Dickens

Everything I’ve ever read from Dickens is gold. Per the preface, I had no idea that he was not revered among some literary scholars. What a pity. A novel is only good if you write about the world as you really see it. And as far as I’m concerned, even if he earned a living by his pen, the things he wrote about were profound and important. But as is too true with history - human beings only value people long after it would do those people any good. It’s a shame that you can get a degree in literature without reading Dickens - especially in England. And: fantastic performance!

An important book about seismic social upheaval

I'm working my way through all of Dickens. I think it's a shame US high schools try teaching Dickens. I'm reading things that I, a book fiend, barely finished, didn't learn anything from, didn't enjoy, and/or don't remember anything about. Dickens' time is just far enough removed from ours that social norms, education, jobs, family expectations and the like are faintly recognizable, if at all, without life experience and a decent grasp on the history and geography of the era

Hard Times never would have been relatable to me as a 16-year-old girl - it took concentration and repeating passages and even whole chapters to "get it" as a 53-year-old woman.

That said, it was well worth the effort, as it captured an important transitional period that is still affecting our day-to-day life.