Cranford
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Cranford
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Narrated by:
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Prunella Scales
About this listen
Exclusively from Audible
A vivid and affectionate portrait of the residents of an English country town in the mid-19th century, Cranford describes a community dominated by its independent and refined women, relating the adventures of Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, two middle-aged spinster sisters striving to live with dignity in reduced circumstances.
Through a series of satirical vignettes, Gaskell sympathetically portrays changing small town customs and values in mid-Victorian England, in a community governed by old-fashioned habits and dominated by friendships between women. Her wry account of rural life is undercut, however, by tragedy: with such troubling events as Matty's bankruptcy, the death of Captain Brown and the unwitting cruelty of Peter Jenkyns.
Gaskell was an accomplished writer who had many of her stories published in Charles Dickens' magazine Household Words. She was also friends with Charlotte Brontë and after her death, her father, Patrick Brontë, chose Gaskell to write The Life of Charlotte Brontë.
Narrator Biography
Prunella Scales is a classically trained stage actress but is best known for her role as Sybil Fawlty in Fawlty Towers (1975-1979) and for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in A Question of Attribution (1991), for which she was nominated for a BAFTA.
Her film appearances have included Stiff Upper Lips (1997), Howards End (1992) and Wolf (1994). She was awarded the CBE for her services to drama in 1992 and the Patricia Rothermere Award for her contributions to British Theatre in 2001. More recent appearances have included the mini-series The Shell Seekers (2006), a production of Carrie's War at the Apollo Theatre (2009) and Horrid Henry: The Movie (2013).
Julian Barnes’ The Lemon Table and Anne Fine’s Charm School are among the many audiobooks Prunella Scales has narrated.
Public Domain (P)2014 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Cranford
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs
- 13-08-15
Cranford
A real delight and completely unexpected. Although I knew the story from the television adaptation I was quite unprepared for the wit and humanity of the writing. It made me laugh and cry and who better to read it to you than Prunella Scales.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- ROSALIND BUCK
- 21-09-21
Fascinating, sensitive detail, excellent performan
Scales is an excellent reader and it's delightful to discover Gaskell's writing with all its sensitive detail through her performance
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- TT, London
- 01-02-20
a perfect classic
Such a pleasure to revisit this funny, tender story so beautifully read by the wonderful Prunella Scales
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mel
- 02-10-21
Sweet & engaging
A simple story, very sweet, plenty of tragedy but also hope & courage. Very well read by Prunella Scales, who has great voice inflection - I could happily listen to her read the directory :-)
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Chris Wells
- 11-10-23
Entertaining, Great Narration.
This is definitely not my usual type of book. I do, however, like to try to mix things up from time to time. I had an audiobook version of Cranford that I’d picked up sometime along the way for free. It’s an excellent reading by Prunella Scales who brings life to each and every character so perfectly. So, the story, well it’s been called ‘a nineteenth century soap-opera’ and that, I think covers it perfectly. We follow narrator Mary Smith, although we only learn her name late on, while she tackles the trials and tribulations of the gentile society ladies of the small town of Cranford. I understand that the book was first released as a serial with each part published separately. This can be seen from the tale as it progresses. You could argue that not a lot gets resolved by the end, and you’d be right, but I enjoyed the story for the journey rather than the destination. As I’ve said, not my usual thing, but I did enjoy it not least for the wonderful dialogue and phrases of the time. If you can, try to get a copy of Prunella Scales' reading if you’re at all interested in this classic tale. She more than does it justice.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 04-06-24
Wonderful narration by Ms Scales brought Cranford alive and relevant. So many characters yet easy to familiarise self with them.
Narration very good..clear and excellent annunciation
Not sure that I disliked any of this book
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mrs U
- 06-06-24
A heart- warming classic
Prunella Scales does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life. It's the perfect pick me up.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 11-12-21
Gentle
A lovely gentle story, ideal for relaxing.
I enjoyed the historical social context and some of the humour.
Lower score as I missed the romance and grit of North and South.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- MicT
- 29-08-18
Such a lovely story
I loved this story and the narration is brilliant. It’s funny and witty and really enjoyable. The kind of book I was sad because it was the end and I really want to go back and listen to the whole thing again right away!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Claire
- 09-03-20
Delightful
Thoroughly enjoyed listening to this novel. Prunella Scales is an excellent narrator and the story is delightful
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