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Nicholas Nickleby

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
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  • Summary

  • When 19-year old Nicholas Nickleby is left destitute after his father's death, he appeals to his wealthy uncle to help him find work and to protect his mother and sister. But Ralph Nickleby offers little help and proves to be both hard-hearted and unscrupulous, leaving Nicholas to make his own way in the world.

    Nicholas' adventures take him to Yorkshire boarding school, Dotheboys Hall, and then back to London, meeting an extraordinary gallery of rogues and eccentrics along the way. Like many of Dickens' novels, Nicholas Nickleby is characterised by his outrage at cruelty and social injustice, but it is also a flamboyantly exuberant work, revealing his comic genius.

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    Public Domain (P)2018 Audible, Ltd
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Episodes
  • Part 1

    Part 1
    Sep 24 2018

    Nearly nineteen-year-old Nicholas Nickleby suffers a change in fortunes when his father dies, leaving him, his sister Kate and his mother in financial need. They approach their distant uncle, the businessman Ralph Nickleby, for aid. After much consideration, and not before making enquiries through the family’s acquaintance Miss La Creevy, Ralph begrudgingly agrees to help them. He suggests that Nicholas should take a job as assistant schoolmaster at Dotheboys Hall, a school in Yorkshire run by one-eyed Mr Squeers.

    Nicholas agrees on the condition that his mother and sister are cared for. The next day Ralph arranges a meeting with Squeers, who has come to London to collect pupils, and successfully persuades the schoolmaster to take Nicholas on. After departing from his uncle, Nicholas meets Newman Noggs, Ralph’s curious assistant. When Nicholas happily explains about his new position and change in fortune, Noggs reacts peculiarly but offers no explanation.
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    1 hr and 45 mins
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  • Part 2

    Part 2
    Sep 24 2018

    Nicholas prepares to leave for Yorkshire and asks little Miss La Creevy to care for his mother and sister. With some misgivings, Nicholas goes to meet Squeers and begins to question his treatment of the schoolboys. As they begin to depart, Ralph, accompanied by Kate and Mrs Nickleby, come to say goodbye. As Nicholas bids them farewell, Newman Noggs appears and quietly passes him a mysterious letter. And so, Nicholas, Squeers and the boys begin their coach journey to the north accompanied by a range of other passengers.

    Following an unexpected accident, the passengers move to the nearby public house and entertain one another with stories. Later, Nicholas sees Dotheboys Hall for the first time and is introduced to the hard-nosed Mrs Squeers. He despairs at his new position but is determined to continue for the welfare of his mother and sister. He remembers the mysterious letter and reads it.
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    1 hr and 55 mins
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  • Part 3

    Part 3
    Sep 24 2018

    Nicholas begins his job as assistant schoolmaster at Dotheboys Hall and sees the poor conditions of the pupils and their education. He tries to remain hopeful but becomes increasingly aware that his uncle Ralph has deceived him and begins to worry about his family. Nicholas befriends a bedraggled, disabled boy called Smike who was left with Squeers as a child. Meanwhile, Mrs Squeers and her daughter Fanny discuss Nicholas, and Fanny after meeting him, begins to grow affectionate towards him.

    Nicholas joins Fanny, her friend Tilda and John, Tilda’s fiancé, for a game of cards and unwittingly offends everyone around the table. Back in London, Ralph finds Kate a position at the dress shop of the extravagant Mr and Madame Mantalini and agrees to provide Kate and Mrs Nickleby with new lodgings.
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    1 hr and 46 mins
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Classics
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What listeners say about Nicholas Nickleby

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Profile Image for ELIZABETH HAYES

narrator

narrator was remarkable! story is classic Dickens and lots of lovely twists and turns to keep the interest going.

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Highly recommendable

Fabulous narration, absolutely loved every minute of it! Did not want the story to end.

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Profile Image for patrick martin

Sentimental with a lot of very silly characters

Great story told by an excellet narrator. The female charchters are mainly silly or beautiful and perfect. The male characters are either good and saintly or somewhere between bad and pure evil.

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Profile Image for Ellen Johnston

simply beautiful

What a simple and beautiful story! made me cry...and laugh out loud. loved it very much. timeless!

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Profile Image for Amazon Customer

The first time I've made it through a Dickens tale

Kobna Holdbrook-Smith read superbly, he has a wonderful voice. And Dickens wrote a great tale with engaging characters. I'm embarrassed that it's taken me this long to complete one of his books. Listening to it on Audible, I believe, made all the difference!

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Profile Image for Pauline King

Wonderful

Dickens characters dance off the pages in this wonderful presentation. I haven't read this book for many years and to return to the story in spoken format was a joy. Highly recommended if you want to acquaint, or reacquaint, yourself with Dickens world.

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Profile Image for vicster

Classic Beautifully rendered tale

the corruption of money versus the goodness of kindness and truth- classic in every sense

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Profile Image for Doug

an absolute delight

the last Dickens story on my bucket list and well worth the wait. Charming characters given such wonderfully unique personalities by the excellent Kobna Holdbrook-Smith

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The Heart Of Man

Charles Dickens so captures the good and evil of his times. The narration though at times long drums up a thorough picture and evokes such emotion as to allow oneself to be transported to that day and time so as to become a silent bystander as opposed to a reader.

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Profile Image for T. Little

Masterful!

Holdbrook-Smith's performance is a tour-de-force and does justice to one of the greatest novels written in English. The narration is superb! I have no doubt that Charles Dickens would have loved it, too.

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