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Shirley

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Shirley

By: Charlotte Brontë
Narrated by: Anna Bentinck
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About this listen

 Set in the industrialising England of the Napoleonic wars, a period of bad harvests, Luddite riots, and economic unrest, Shirley is the story of two contrasting heroines and the men they love. One is the shy Caroline Helstone, trapped in the oppressive atmosphere of a Yorkshire rectory, whose life represents the plight of single women in the 19th century. The other is the vivacious Shirley Keeldar, who inherits a local estate and whose wealth liberates her from convention.(P)2007 Isis Publishing Ltd. Classics Fiction Historical Fiction England

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All stars
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To my mind Shirley is Charlotte Brontë best novel. This narration is brilliant. Highly recommended

Much praise

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THIS BRONTE STORY I DIDN'T KNOW OF SO I WAS SCEPTICALE BUT ENJOYED GREATLY THANKS TO ALL.

A DIFFERENT CLASSIC BROUGHT TO LIFE

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What wonderful story teller is Charlotte Brontë! Characters are so vivid in their complexity, fancies, loves, fear, dreads, battles, moral and ethics… She chronicles the everyday life and pledge of women in nuance and allows the reader to become a fly on the wall… I loved this maybe even more than ‘Villette’ , which is another triumph

Rich and full of life

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I have a tear in my eye at the end of this book. I will miss it, so beautifully written by Charlotte Bronte, it's almost poetic, beautiful descriptions of the landscapes and the surroundings. So much depth and wisdom and compassion of the inner feelings of how the two main characters felt. The men that they loved. How the world treats them and what is expected of them. Charlotte was a feminist, a true romantic and a realist. Her work here is genius to me. And Anna Bentinck was perfect for reading this book, just beautiful! The right tones in the voices, I felt like Charlotte Bronte was reading this book out loud to me. For me this is a beautiful novel, and I will definitely listen to it again in the future. Thank you to Charlotte for writing so beautifully and thank you to Anna for reading it so beautifully. 🙏

A Beautifully Written Novel By Charlotte Bronte

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Well forgotten by me anyway. I have recently been re-reading and listening to many of the better known 19th century novels and have really enjoyed them. Most recently I read and listened to Jane Eyre and then Villette which are both well known. However, Shirley meant little to me and I was pleased to find an audio edition available. Like both novels already mentioned Shirley deals with the plight of the poor 19th century woman through the character of Caroline Helstone (and her mother), but also the difficulties facing a rich one, Shirley, as well. It also comments on the behaviour of the clergy and the uprisings in the Yorkshire textile industry. The story held my attention and it was beautifully written. While none of the main protagonists really pleased me I did care about what came of them. When listening to the Tenant of Wildfell Hall I really wished I had downloaded the abridged edition but I didn't regret any of the time spent listening to this and importantly it was beautifully read.

The forgotten Bronte novel

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very nice company to keep this book is. unfortunately I don't speak French, so some things I didn't understand, but I don't think it affects the enjoyment of this book.
very lovely experience and an excellent story nicely read. thank you.

nice company

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a good story on the whole but a bit long winded, some unnecessary details

A prolonged tale

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Pure escapism! Love these 19 century novels. Very interesting from a social and economic history perspective. Long! Great for listening to while doing the drudgery.

A great Yorkshire tome

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Well narrated. Bentinck captures the right tone and makes distinction between the characters by giving him or her a different voice and accent. I like this, because I do not get confused about who is speaking and it makes the novel more animated. In addition Bentincks (first person) narrative mode is pleasant, not nasal e.g.

Very nice to listen to

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hard going initially but wonderful language and great feminist exploration. Yorkshire textile industry early days

Shirley deserves a read!

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