The Old Curiosity Shop

The Audible Dickens Collection

Preview

Failed to add items

Sorry, we are unable to add the item because your shopping cart is already at capacity.

Add to basket failed.

Please try again later

Add to wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Remove from wishlist failed.

Please try again later

Adding to library failed

Please try again

Follow podcast failed

Unfollow podcast failed

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.

Try for £0.00

More purchase options

The Old Curiosity Shop

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Jessie Buckley

Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £19.90

Summary

Exclusively from Audible

In true Dickensian fashion, The Old Curiosity Shop offers a humorous yet devastating depiction of both the most honourable and most corrupt members of 19th-century English society.

Hailed by Queen Victoria as being ‘interesting and cleverly written', The Old Curiosity Shop introduces listeners to the uniquely colourful characters of Nell Trent, her young friend, Kit, her doting grandfather and the evil moneylender to whom they all fall prey, Daniel Quilp.

A gentle and caring young orphan, Nell works in her grandfather’s shop alongside her only friend, the honest and hardworking Kit.

Upon discovering that their shop and income have been gambled away and are now in the hands of the wicked and grotesquely deformed Daniel Quilp, Nell and her grandfather are forced to flee from their hometown and throw themselves on the mercy of strangers; forever to be hunted by the malevolent ghosts of their past.

First published in 1841 in serial form, The Old Curiosity Shop experienced worldwide success and was praised by the public and critics alike. In this modern and original adaptation, Jessie Buckley delivers an astute and powerful performance which is guaranteed to intrigue listeners from the start.

Public Domain (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

Charles DickensJessie BuckleyAudible StudiosThe Audible Dickens Collection

Classics

Witty

Funny

British Fiction

Classics Witty Funny British Fiction

Summary

Exclusively from Audible

In true Dickensian fashion, The Old Curiosity Shop offers a humorous yet devastating depiction of both the most honourable and most corrupt members of 19th-century English society.

Hailed by Queen Victoria as being 'interesting and cleverly written', The Old Curiosity Shop introduces listeners to the uniquely colourful characters of Nell Trent, her young friend, Kit, her doting grandfather and the evil moneylender to whom they all fall prey, Daniel Quilp.

A gentle and caring young orphan, Nell works in her grandfather’s shop alongside her only friend, the honest and hardworking Kit.

Upon discovering that their shop and income has been gambled away and is now in the hands of the wicked and grotesquely deformed Daniel Quilp, Nell and her grandfather are forced to flee from their hometown and throw themselves on the mercy of strangers; forever to be hunted by the malevolent ghosts of their past.

First published in 1841 in serial form, The Old Curiosity Shop experienced worldwide success and was praised by the public and critics alike. In this modern and original adaptation, Jessie Buckley delivers an astute and powerful performance which is guaranteed to intrigue listeners from the start.

Public Domain (P)2018 Audible, Ltd.

Behind the scenes with Jessie Buckley

We talked to the narrator of The Old Curiosity Shop

0:00

Most relevant

First things first: In my view, Dickens was a writer of such greatness that even works falling into the second rank of his output trump the absolute pinnacle of many another popular author. This story, then, though far from his best, is still well worth reading.
It's also well worth listening to but not with this particular reader.
To give her her due, Jessie Buckley has a very pleasant reading voice and enunciates very well.
However, she gives the impression of reading the words without actually listening to their meaning. Whilst the words are correct, the emphasis and intonation are not. Dickens' sentences are frequently long and complex and J.Buckley often sounds as if she's finding her way through them for the first time, with little idea of what he was trying to say by the end. This sort of thing often happens once or twice in an audiobook when the reader clearly loses concentration momentarily but, in this case, it's continual and persistent. There are barely two sentences together that are correctly read. It is jarring for the listener and, for me, detracts from appreciation of the story.
I wouldn't recommend Jessie Buckley reading this kind of work. I'm not suggesting she's a bad reader per se - it's just a case, I'm sure, of a mismatch between reader and book.