The Caxtons: A Family Picture


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The quiet country life of the Caxton family is interrupted by a visit to London. There the son, Pisistratus, is offered the position of secretary to a leader in Parliament. That parliamentarian's wife was loved as a girl by both Pisistratus' father and uncle; but she had passed them both by to make a marriage better suited to an ambitious woman. By a freak of fate, Pisistratus now falls in love with her daughter Fannie.

Meanwhile, Pisistratus' uncle is estranged from his own son. Between each person's pride, the rift doesn't seem possible to settle. Pisistratus does what he can to heal the wounds and reunite the family.

A further outline of this story would give no idea of its charm. The mutual affection of the Caxtons is finely indicated, and the gradations of light and shade make a beautiful picture. Never before had Bulwer written with so light a touch and so gentle a humor, and this novel has been called the most brilliant and attractive of productions. His gentle satire of certain phrases of political life was founded, doubtless, on actual experience. - Summary modified from "Warner's Synopsis of Books Ancient and Modern, Vol. 2" (1910) (22 hr 53 min)

Chapters

Preface 3:40 Read by weezer
Part 1, Chapter 1 8:36 Read by weezer
Part 1, Chapter 2 8:53 Read by acousticwave
Part 1, Chapter 3 14:02 Read by acousticwave
Part 1, Chapter 4 20:45 Read by acousticwave
Part 1, Chapters 5 and 6 15:13 Read by acousticwave
Part 2, Chapter 1 13:53 Read by Michele Eaton
Part 2, Chapter 2 20:44 Read by Michele Eaton
Part 2, Chapter 3 21:02 Read by Peter Dann
Part 2, Chapter 4 11:17 Read by Peter Dann
Part 2, Chapter 5 13:04 Read by Peter Dann
Part 3, Chapter 1 10:58 Read by Peter Dann
Part 3, Chapter 2 9:19 Read by Peter Dann
Part 3, Chapter 3 14:26 Read by Peter Dann
Part 3, Chapter 4 14:32 Read by Peter Dann
Part 3, Chapters 5 and 6 13:53 Read by Peter Dann
Part 3, Chapters 7 and 8 17:56 Read by Peter Dann
Part 4, Chapters 1 and 2 18:14 Read by Charlotte Rose
Part 4, Chapters 3 and 4 27:05 Read by Charlotte Rose
Part 4, Chapters 5 and 6 13:33 Read by Charlotte Rose
Part 5, Chapter 1 46:09 Read by Charlotte Rose
Part 5, Chapters 2 and 3 11:47 Read by Cleon Cumberbatch
Part 5, Chapter 4 14:33 Read by TriciaG
Part 6, Chapters 1 and 2 19:01 Read by Charlotte Rose
Part 6, Chapters 3 and 4 11:46 Read by John
Part 6, Chapter 5 8:35 Read by John
Part 6, Chapter 6 and 7 14:26 Read by John
Part 6, Chapter 8 8:52 Read by Ryan Wong
Part 7, Chapter 1 19:38 Read by Ryan Wong
Part 7, Chapter 2 12:43 Read by Ryan Wong
Part 7, Chapters 3 and 4 9:58 Read by Ryan Wong
Part 7, Chapter 5 11:59 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 7, Chapter 6 8:26 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 7, Chapter 7 13:39 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 7, Chapters 8 and 9 6:47 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 8, Chapter 1 9:12 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 8, Chapter 2 13:17 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 8, Chapter 3 13:35 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 8, Chapter 4 33:49 Read by Charlotte Rose
Part 9, Chapter 1 7:38 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 9, Chapter 2 9:04 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 9, Chapters 3 and 4 14:26 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 9, Chapter 5 12:20 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 9, Chapter 6 9:22 Read by John
Part 9, Chapter 7 12:04 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 10, Chapters 1 and 2 20:11 Read by C.Gilson
Part 10, Chapter 3 23:31 Read by C.Gilson
Part 10, Chapter 4 10:57 Read by Michael Cocciolillo
Part 10, Chapter 5 9:23 Read by John
Part 10, Chapter 6 8:37 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 11, Chapter 1 22:10 Read by Tad Davis
Part 11, Chapters 2 and 3 10:04 Read by John
Part 11, Chapters 4 and 5 34:08 Read by Charlotte Rose
Part 11, Chapters 6 and 7 26:35 Read by Charlotte Rose
Part 12, Chapter 1 11:26 Read by kaylawhy
Part 12, Chapter 2 9:17 Read by John
Part 12, Chapter 3 11:59 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 12, Chapters 4 and 5 13:05 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 12, Chapters 6 and 7 31:34 Read by Tad Davis
Part 13, Chapters 1 and 2 10:59 Read by kaylawhy
Part 13, Chapters 3 and 4 22:48 Read by TriciaG
Part 13, Chapter 5 8:35 Read by John
Part 13, Chapter 6 8:17 Read by John
Part 14, Chapters 1 and 2 17:12 Read by Charlotte Rose
Part 14, Chapter 3 17:21 Read by Charlotte Rose
Part 14, Chapter 4 8:23 Read by John
Part 14, Chapter 5 17:26 Read by acousticwave
Part 14, Chapter 6 12:38 Read by Michael Cocciolillo
Part 14, Chapters 7 and 8 12:30 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 15, Chapter 1 35:56 Read by Michele Eaton
Part 15, Chapter 2 21:18 Read by Michele Eaton
Part 15, Chapters 3 and 4 19:11 Read by Michele Eaton
Part 16, Chapters 1 and 2 8:49 Read by John
Part 16, Chapter 3 15:36 Read by Tad Davis
Part 16, Chapter 4 10:26 Read by John
Part 16, Chapter 5 10:25 Read by John
Part 16, Chapter 6 9:51 Read by John
Part 16, Chapter 7 15:47 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 16, Chapters 8 and 9 11:17 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 16, Chapters 10 and 11 25:40 Read by Tad Davis
Part 17, Chapter 1 32:47 Read by Tad Davis
Part 17, Chapters 2 and 3 18:26 Read by Richard Storer
Part 17, Chapter 4 12:23 Read by kaylawhy
Part 17, Chapters 5 and 6 11:15 Read by kaylawhy
Part 18, Chapters 1 and 2 14:14 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 18, Chapters 3 and 4 11:41 Read by raghavdhandi8
Part 18, Chapter 5 14:46 Read by KevinS
Part 18, Chapters 6 and 7 20:50 Read by KevinS
Part 18, Chapter 8 29:26 Read by KevinS