Mr. Harrison's Confessions
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Read by NoelBadrian
It is asserted that the inspiration for Elizabeth Gaskell's marvellous stories of Cranford was her childhood home of Knutsford, a small town in Cheshire and to where she returned for a while as a young woman. This assertion is born out by an essay she wrote in 1849 entitled The Last Generation in England, in which she writes about "The town in which I once resided ...". There can be little doubt when reading this that it provided her with the template for Cranford.
In 1851 the year she began to write Cranford, she also wrote a novella entitled Mr. Harrison's Confessions. It describes the life of a country doctor in a small provincial town. Mrs. Gaskell's model for this town could also only have been Knutsford which she knew and loved so well. The story revolves around the arrival in the town of a young doctor and the attempts of the ladies of the town to place his status within their society and of course to find him a suitable wife. It is often thought of as a prequel to Cranford
Both of these pieces together with the novels, My Lady Ludlow and Cranford were used by the BBC to create the Television series Cranford in 2007. (Summary by Noel Badrian) (3 hr 49 min)
Chapters
00 - The Last Generation in England | 22:14 | Read by NoelBadrian |
01 - Chapters 1 and 2 | 31:20 | Read by NoelBadrian |
02 - Chapters 3 and 4 | 17:43 | Read by NoelBadrian |
03 - Chapters 5 and 6 | 24:55 | Read by NoelBadrian |
04 - Chapters 7 and 8 | 21:25 | Read by NoelBadrian |
05 - Chapters 9 to 13 | 19:37 | Read by NoelBadrian |
06 - Chapter 14 | 24:22 | Read by NoelBadrian |
07 - Chapters 15 to 19 | 21:32 | Read by NoelBadrian |
08 - Chapters 20 to 24 | 21:56 | Read by NoelBadrian |
09 - Chapters 25 to 31 | 24:11 | Read by NoelBadrian |
Reviews
very sweet and interesting story
DarthLaurel
Fascinating details about life and etiquette along with a sweet love story. Lots of interesting characters and a slice of what life was like in a small town in England. Short and well worth a listen. EXCELLENT reading by the narrator.
Charming Story
KK
Mrs. Gaskell never fails to provide a captivating story made all the more charming by the thought that these are true accounts. Humor and humiliation are interwoven in the gossip and misunderstandings of a little provincial village of the 19th c in England.
Lovely
lgordon
A very sweet and funny little story by a talented writer. The reader has a nice calm voice and pronounces all of the words clearly. I would highly recommend this to people who enjoy writers such as Dickens or even Jane Austen.
a window on early 19th century manners
Cindy
It is hard, in the 21st century, to believe that people acted as they are portrayed in this book. Amusing misunderstandings caused by being too polite never happens today. The reader is very good indeed.
A LibriVox Listener
More delightful small town living from one of the best to ever write about it. Read beautifully, thank you!
Beautiful and witty!
Sondra Cataldo
I loved the reading. Charming little story!
CBO
Thank you dear reader. What a delight!
val
A sweet, funny story read perfectly.