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Dombey and Son

The Audible Dickens Collection

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Dombey and Son

By: John Mullan - introduction, Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Owen Teale, John Mullan - introduction
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About this listen

Audible presents an original dramatisation of Charles Dickens' Dombey and Son, first published as Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation.

A literary masterpiece in which Dickens' gift for vivid characterisation is at its best, this is the story of a powerful man whose inability to appreciate those around him leads to his lonely demise and, later, his possible redemption.

This edition features an exclusive introduction written and narrated by John Mullan, professor of English at University College London.

About the book:

Paul Dombey, owner of the shipping company Dombey and Son, dreams of having a male heir to take on the family business. With only one daughter to speak of, his resentment grows and is often manifested through the neglectful if not abusive treatment of his wife, Fanny, and child, Florence.

Following the long-awaited birth of a boy, Mr Dombey triumphantly throws himself into the care and education of his pride and joy, his son, Paul, indifferent to the death of his wife following an arduous labour.

As his daughter grows in strength, beauty and kindness, his son's sickly disposition makes him weaker and weaker by the day. Despite the bond and friendship forged between the siblings, Mr Dombey continues to despise and resent Florence, and after a period of intended rest by the seaside, the family is once more rocked by a tragic death.

A touching and unexpectedly uplifting story of change, forgiveness and familial love, Dombey and Son will keep you gripped, moved and wholly surprised until the end.

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, various articles, novellas and short stories. These include Hard Times, Bleak House, Oliver Twist, Barnaby Rudge, Little Dorrit and A Tale of Two Cities. He lectured and led campaigns for children's rights and education and arguably became the ultimate self-made man.

Public Domain (P)2018 Audible, Ltd Classics Emotionally Gripping Thought-Provoking Feel-Good Classics Literature Collection
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A sweeping, towering epic of a family in the grip of a terrible pride, Dombey and Son does not enjoy the same time in the popular sun as Dicken’s other better-known works. But more people should know it, it is Dicken’s and his richest, most ebullient, funniest, darkest, most dramatic and terrible.
The titular Dombey is the head of a wealthy, celebrated London firm, to do with shipping, I think. The novel opens with tragedy when Mrs Dombey dies during the birth of a much-anticipated son to y much carry on the family name. Dombey has a little daughter, Florence, but Florence suffers from the disadvantage of being a girl, and so is of limited value in passing on the family firm. For Dombey his pride and status is paramount. He is cold and unbending when it comes to pretty much everything else.
Meanwhile, not far away, a Mariner with a shop full of sailing goods such as compasses and telescopes, Sol Gill, and his friend Captain Cuttle, and a young lad called Walter, bond and plot their lives. Sol is trying to get his business ship-shape, Captain Cuttle is trying to stay out of trouble from his tyrannical landlady Mrs McStinger, and Walter has a position in the Dombey firm. But their lives will be borne by the current into the path of that great ship of business of Dombey and son. And so, this story, in these pages, is told.
At times, the book is unbearably oppressive, having at its heart the continuing emotional abuse of the young Florence. Then there is the sickly, ailing young Paul Dombey, a study in pathos. There are tyrannical childminders, educational hot-houses and more. There are the lethal plots of one of Dickens less well known but incredibly effective villains, James Carker, a manager in the Dombey firm, all smiling white teeth, flattery and machinations.
What a relief that this novel also fizzes with Dicken’s rich humour, running through his characters, their mannerisms, and turns of phrase. There is humour in the grimmest of situations, in the back and forth between his protagonists, and in the merciless authorial eye of Dickens himself, skewering the absurdity and self-importance of manoeuvring in ‘society,’ and the attempts at his gentler, more loveable flawed characters to make sense of the world and each other.
The novel has laugh out loud moments, sustained passages of unbearable tension, including the flight by stagecoach of one character and his violent end, moments of searing humanity, tragedy, pathos and redemption. In his enlightening and entertaining introduction to this audio edition, John Mullan tells us that at its first, serialised release grown men were reduced to public tears. This is a powerful work.
Owen Teale’s reading of this audio book is in a league of its own, you can almost imagine himself as Dicken’s himself in one of his public readings. He gets the humour and the drama bang on. Another insight Mullan gives in the introduction is that Dicken’s is really meant to be read aloud, it’s written that way, astonishing for works of such prodigious length.

Pride before the fall

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This is a work of genius, performed by a master - Owen Teale is superb. This is a thrilling story of love and redemption, with mesmerising characters and a terrific plot- Dickens at his absolute best.

Genius

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Read this book years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it, so thought I’d give the audio a go. The story is never dull, surprising for a novel of this length and as usual Dickens characters are larger than life. However, Owen Teale absolutely nails this. His narration brings them alive and I still laugh thinking of his ‘Mr Toots’ and ‘ Cap’n Cuttle’. Really lovely listen all the more enjoyable for Teale’s reading.... thankee, it’s of no consequence.

A fabulous performance

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Dombey and Son follows the fortunes of a shipping firm owner, who is frustrated at the lack of a son to follow him in his footsteps. “What was a girl to Dombey and Son!" It’s very much a story of ambition, pride and family values and what can happen if you get your priorities wrong. But despite its main theme of ‘son and heir’ and the title of the book, Dombey and Son is the only Dickens novel apart from Bleak House to feature a heroine. In this case it is Florence Dombey.

The first two chapters represent Dickens at his very best in conception and writing. There is pathos, grief and humour, three of the main elements you’ll find in any of his books. Dombey and Son sees Dickens at his satirical best but with added shades of darkness and complexity.

The main ingredient of any Dickens novel however are it’s memorable characters and Dombey has them in abundance. I particularly liked Captain Cuttle, ‘A gentleman in a wide suit of blue, with a hook instead of a hand attached to his right wrist; very bushy black eyebrows; and a thick stick in his left hand, covered all over (like his nose) with knobs. He wore a loose black silk handkerchief round his neck, and such a very large coarse shirt collar, that it looked like a small sail.’ And of course a Dickens novel wouldn’t be complete without a dastardly villain. Initially you would consider that to be Dombey himself, a man built on pride, obstinacy and cruelty in his dealings with his daughter. But then we meet ‘Mr Carker the Manager, sly of manner, sharp of tooth, soft of foot, watchful of eye, oily of tongue, cruel of heart, nice of habit.’ Dombey can be proud and cruel, however his motives and behaviours are always apparent. Carker, on the other hand, is more sinister and he conceals his true intentions. At times Dombey and Son can be quite dark. Dickens main target here is Victorian values, arranged marriages and the plight of women in Victorian society.

Dombey and Son is a large tome, 1144 pages in the kindle version, over 41 hours on Audible. For the most part the story moves along quite well and does maintain both interest and entertainment, but I did find a few chapters that were less interesting and I felt occasionally Dickens seemed to be labouring to get to his point. The other criticism I would make is the ending (don’t worry I won’t reveal any plot spoilers) I felt the tidying up of the loose ends of some of the storylines a little forced, as if Dickens was trying to restore order to the world he had pulled apart. These are minor criticisms though, Dombey and Son is a classic Dickens novel with classic Dickens characters. I loved his description of London and the coming of the railways and also the description of Dombey’s house which at one point borders on gothic.

I have listened to a few Audible books now and no matter how good the book is, the narration can make or break it. In this case it enhances it. Owen Teale’s narration is second to none, it’s brilliant, especially his characterisations which are superb. The best narrator I have heard so far.

Classic Dickens brilliantly narrated.

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Owen Teale brings Dickens' text to life. He superbly utilises a rich palette of vocal colour as he crafts each character. The net effect is to draw one ever deeper into the drama. It goes without saying that it's a great tale. Outstanding!

Tell Teale Dickens.

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