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The Pickwick Papers

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The Pickwick Papers

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Walter Zimmerman
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About this listen

This is the story of the celebrated Pickwick Club, with the good Mr. Samuel Pickwick as its founder and general chairman.

The members are to report to the club on their journeys, adventures, and observations of characters and manners. Dickens creates a vivid picture of England in taking his characters along the nostalgic highways and byways of this majestic isle. This remarkable first novel made Dickens famous and has remained one of the world's best-known works. With its scores of delightful, improbably-named characters, The Pickwick Papers brims over with joyous fantasy, infectious good humor, and a touch of the macabre.

Click here to see all the titles in our Charles Dickens collection.Public Domain (P)1987 Jimcin Recordings Classics Witty

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Editor reviews

Walter Zimmerman’s bright, crisp performance allows the comedy to shine in Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers.

Dickens’ first novel, published in 1837, concerns a club formed by Samuel Pickwick. The duty of its members is to travel through London and the English countryside and report on their adventures. Their loosely connected adventures showcase Dickens’ gift for creating eccentric characters, like the notorious trickster Alfred Jingle and Pickwick’s loveable cockney servant, Weller.

Adopting various voices for dialogue, Zimmerman does justice to Dickens’ fictional creations and their shifting English accents.

Critic reviews

"The great example of everything that made Dickens great....a supreme masterpiece." (G.K. Chesterton)
All stars
Most relevant  
The reader's voice did not suit the book, and was not easy to listen to.

Poor reading voice

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I wouldn't presume to comment on the book itself, I'm a scientist not an english literiture specialist. However, the reading is absolutely dreadful. It felt a bit weird that the reader was american, it seemed odd with Dickens, but I have listened to many beautiful readings with american accents. Unfortunately, the reader gives a very good impression of never having done anything like this before! There is no inflection to his voice, everything is in the same, flat monotone with no feel for the meaning of what he is saying. It honestly feels like it was computer generated.

There is an infinitely superior reading on audible in two parts; save up your credits and buy that one, you probably won't get through the whole thing in one month anyway.

A truly horrible reading...

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I should have listened to a sample of this as I was horrified to find it was read by an American. I couldn't listen to it. Intellectually I know Dickens was very popular in America, but even so. You wouldn't listen to Steinbeck read by a Brit.

American reader!

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This is a truly remarkable reading of one of Dickens’s favourite novels. Writing at the age of 23 this is Dickens‘s only comedy written in a sunburst of creativity and wonderfully brought to life by Zimmerman who is somehow able to recreate 19th-century accents of both men and women from different classes and regions of England. If you love Dickens you will love this reading of this work. For the purists the American accent for the non-speaking parts takes five minutes to adjust to!

Yes, American reader, but perfect Pickwickian accents!

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