The Uttermost Farthing
R. Austin Freeman
Read by MaryAnn
Humphrey Challoner is a solitary old man who spent a lifetime collecting for his private museum, primarily mammals exhibiting osteological abnormalities but also 24 articulated human skeletons without any apparent defect. His friend, Dr. Wharton, is puzzled by the collection, but he humors Challoner's eccentricities and tends to him in his final illness. When Wharton inherits the collection on Challoner's death, the dark mystery that ties the collection together is finally revealed. (Summary by MaryAnn) (4 hr 56 min)
Chapters
| Ch I - The Motive Force | 35:11 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch II pt 1 - "Number One" | 18:18 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch II pt 2 - "Number One" | 20:58 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch III pt 1 - The Housemaid's Followers | 18:14 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch III pt 2 - The Housemaid's Followers | 18:02 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch IV pt 1 - The Gifts of Chance | 21:45 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch IV pt 2 - The Gifts of Chance | 22:32 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch V pt 1 - By Products of Industry | 17:18 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch V pt 1 - By Products of Industry | 18:56 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch VI pt 1 - The Trail of the Serpent | 29:22 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch VI pt 2 - The Trail of the Serpent | 29:05 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch VII pt 1 - The Uttermost Farthing | 23:55 | Read by MaryAnn |
| Ch VII pt 2 - The Uttermost Farthing | 22:38 | Read by MaryAnn |
Reviews
Enthralling!
geonorman
I was captivated from beginning to end. Why has this gem eluded me for 50 years? It's refreshing to have a main character so removed from stereotypes. As to the lack of political correctness, it just adds more flavour by revealing 'the times' of the writer. When I listened to this tale I felt like I did when I first read Treasure Island, Dracula, the Time Machine and so on. Hats off to the reader. She captured the essence of the story. She's a superb talent who is right up there with the best narrator's I've listened to on BBC and CBC.
suspense! thriller! mystery!
jaded_grl
five star for the reader who does an excellent job with reading and recording AND five star for the writer of this fantastic book. a tale of revenge, vigilante, and shrunken heads! a fast moving story that keeps your interest and has all the details that draw a picture.... a morbid picture of one mans quest to find the man with the ringed hair. reminds me some of the demon barber of fleet street.
Creepy!
benefitsingers
This was a really macarbre. It is a tale of vigilante justice and also early criminology. I liked the criminal anthropology aspect of it. I don't really believe in vigilante justice but I certainly understand that often it appears that our justice system fails us. The narration of the story was very good and overall I call it a creepy good read.
A good book
mikezane
A curious collection of skeletons is willed to a scientist. The history of those skeletons is something most unexpected. An interesting vigilante story. His reasoning on how criminals are treated and why they become criminals is interesting. I believe he echoes the frustrations that most people feel when they see criminals escape from justice. The reader was excellent.
The Last Farthing
potuc
The reader for this book reads very clearly, pretty dang good job done by MaryAnn there! However, the book is kinda all about killing random dudes, a bunch of 'em don't even seem "evil..." and, of course, pulling it off as "satire," that's, like, not my cup of tea, right there. Also, there's not as much actual story as I would've liked, that brute violence sorta takes up a lot of room, also like WOW there is a lot of racism here, seems like the entire book is filled with racist attitudes, bad even for the time! Ah, well, such is life... though we may not wish it, our wishes cannot make the follies and errors of the past vanish... sorry for all the, ah, "not-so-elegant-grammar" in this review, I find that such a writing style can make an otherwise tiring piece of text seem far more interesting to the casual eye... but then again, who's gonna read this stupid review anyway? Ha!
Case lesson or satire?
Kydiana
I agree with TheBookworm's comments, except I'm not so sure the blatant racism which pervades the story isn't actually satire. Certainly, the "science" of eugenics was alive and flourishing at the time it was written, but the racism/stereotyping is so over-the-top that I think even readers of the time would have seen how ridiculous it was. For example, the protagonist, who is smugly confident of the superiority of his own race, class and nationality, is in actuality guilty of the very defects which he ascribes to those whom he considers inferior to himself. Indeed, in the end it is his own racism which frustrates him from realizing his goal.
A Great Book & Reader
Mr G
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Definitely 5 hours of driving or doing chores made that much more enjoyable. I was sad for it to end. I think every man has his limits before at some point he snaps. Very relatable. Ignore the moaners leaving negative comments. If we all tip-toed around each other daring never to offend a single person on the planet, can you just imagine how boring a book would be now?
Ok— I tried to read this a second time
Lynn Witherington
I’ve always liked RAustin Freeman. He delves into the details of whatever interests him- I mean metal working, or supplying pit props to the mining industry… But lately I realized he is the most driven anti-Semite I’ve encountered in any fiction book. So now I don’t enjoy him any more, just dreading there’ll be a moneylender or vulgar billionaire in the next scene.