The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Charles Dickens
Read by Alan Chant
The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the final novel by Charles Dickens. The novel was left unfinished at the time of Dickens' death, and readers have often speculated what the ending might have been. The novel is named after Edwin Drood, but it mostly tells the story of his uncle, a Jekyll-and-Hyde-esque choirmaster named John Jasper, who is in love with his pupil, Rosa Bud. Miss Bud is Drood's fiancée, and has caught the eye of the high-spirited and hot-tempered Neville Landless, who comes from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) with his twin sister, Helena, and immediately makes an enemy of Drood. It is hinted strongly that Jasper is the murderer, but it is not known whether Dickens had a surprise in mind. (Summary from Wikipedia) (0 hr 21 min)
Chapters
The Dawn | 11:31 | Read by Alan Chant |
A Dean, and a Chapter Also | 32:34 | Read by Alan Chant |
The Nuns' House | 34:05 | Read by Alan Chant |
Mr Sapsea | 29:44 | Read by Alan Chant |
Mr Durdles and Friend | 18:46 | Read by Alan Chant |
Philanthropy In Minor Canon Corner | 30:14 | Read by Alan Chant |
More Confidences Than One | 25:46 | Read by Alan Chant |
Daggers Drawn | 27:15 | Read by Alan Chant |
Birds in the Bush | 43:34 | Read by Alan Chant |
Smoothing the Way | 40:40 | Read by Alan Chant |
A Picture and a Ring | 42:00 | Read by Alan Chant |
A Night With Durdles | 39:50 | Read by Alan Chant |
Both At Their Best | 31:49 | Read by Alan Chant |
When Shall These Three Meet Again? | 39:30 | Read by Alan Chant |
Impeached | 24:57 | Read by Alan Chant |
Devoted | 31:11 | Read by Alan Chant |
Philanthropy, Professional and Unprofessional | 42:41 | Read by Alan Chant |
A Settler in Cloisterham | 23:52 | Read by Alan Chant |
The Shadow on the Sun-dial | 21:37 | Read by Alan Chant |
A Flight | 30:10 | Read by Alan Chant |
A Recognition | 15:40 | Read by Alan Chant |
A Gritty State of Things Comes On | 50:16 | Read by Alan Chant |
The Dawn Again | 53:23 | Read by Alan Chant |
Reviews
An exceptional recording
Philippe Horak
Dickens' final novel, left unfinished at his death in 1870, is a mystery story much influenced by the 'Sensation Novel' as written by his friend Wilkie Collins. The action takes place in an ancient cathedral city and in some of the darkest places in Victorian London. Drugs, disappearances, sexual obsession, disguise and a possible murder are among the themes and motifs. A sombre and menacing atmosphere, a fascinating range of characters and Dickens' usual command of language combine to make this an exciting and tantalising story. Many thanks to Mr Chant for his breathtaking recording. A true delight to listen to. It will appeal to all enthusiasts of classic British literature and to the distinguished listener!
Hours of enjoyment
daryoung
This reader was absolutely perfect for this book. The narrator's British accent was perfect for Dickens, and his character voices had all of the color that Dickens is so good at creating in his characters. I'll definitely look for this reader again.
Too bad it wasn't finished
TwinkieToes
Nicely read, although I agree that some of the voice characterizations made it hard to understand the words. I also had to adjust the sound files so that they weren't so drastic in volume fluctuations (between deep-chested male voices and quieter narration, for example). My biggest complaint are the bells at the start and end of each file. Nice atmosphere at first, but they got annoying very quickly! I'm glad LibriVox doesn't allow such sound effects anymore.
Jo
Brilliant reading - thank you very much to the reader for recording this, and to librivox for making it available. I appreciated the warnings about how close we were getting to the (unfinished) ending, and the endnotes as well. Thanks again.
A LibriVox Listener
Great recording! Thanks a lot to the narrator! I saw the movie on tv and got curious, and listening to this is even better!
great novel, great reading
A LibriVox Listener
the reader is excellent! now I have to find one of the "finished" versions to listen to.
fabulous
Ragereader
Well read, and my only complaint about the book is that Dickens did not live to finish it!
One of the BEST READERS, I LOVE to listen to him.
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