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The Dickens Library

The Dickens Library

By: Charles Dickens
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About this listen

 Step into the rich, bustling world of Charles Dickens, where every sentence sparkles with wit, warmth, and sharply observed humanity. This podcast offers his novels in their purest form; unhurried, unabridged, and allowed to shine exactly as he wrote them.

Dickens’s prose is a feast: playful yet pointed, humorous yet heartfelt, and always driven by characters so vivid they feel instantly familiar. If you’ve ever wanted to lose yourself in gripping plots, unforgettable personalities, and some of the most delightful writing in English literature, this is your invitation. Press play and let Dickens do what he does best: captivate.Public domain
Episodes
  • Hard Times - Bonus: On Strike

    Hard Times - Bonus: On Strike
    Feb 12 2026
    In which we share a railway-carriage with a frostily emphatic Mr Snapper, who insists one must choose Masters or Hands, and is much put out by any hint that human feeling ought to sit beside Political Economy. Reaching Preston, we find not riot but quiet perseverance: orderly meetings, penny-by-penny solidarity, and a grave, steadfast belief in their cause, all shadowed by the sense that this long quarrel is a national calamity widening the gulf between those who must, for everyone’s sake, learn to understand one another.
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    37 mins
  • Hard Times Chapters 35-36

    Hard Times Chapters 35-36
    Feb 11 2026
    In which we accompany the distressed Gradgrind family as they grapple with a grievous breach of trust and set forth on a secretive journey to aid a fugitive, encountering an old circus troupe that provides both refuge and melancholy reflections on loyalty and human folly. We witness the stark clash between rigid reason and compassionate humanity, embodied in the cold logic of Bitzer and the tender, if vexed, sympathies of Sissy and Sleary, as the heavy hand of consequence descends upon a once-respected household.
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    54 mins
  • Hard Times Chapters 33-34

    Hard Times Chapters 33-34
    Feb 11 2026
    In which we witness the patient hopes and fears of sincere hearts amidst the unyielding monotony of industrial life, as a mysterious absence stirs whispered suspicions and unexpected arrivals unsettle proud façades. In a clear autumnal landscape, a solemn rescue unfolds beneath a guiding star, illuminating themes of endurance, forgiveness, and the yearning for understanding within the human soul.
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    43 mins
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