Martin Chuzzlewit

The Audible Dickens Collection

By: Charles Dickens, William Boyd - introduction

Narrated by: Derek Jacobi, William Boyd - introduction

This exclusive recording of Martin Chuzzlewit starts with a unique introduction written and narrated by William Boyd, author of Any Human Heart and A Good Man in Africa.

First published in 1842, Martin Chuzzlewit is the last of Charles Dickens' picaresque novels. Despite poor sales at the time, Dickens considered it his best work, and it is now regarded as one of the most significant literary depictions of 19th-century America.

Horrified by the ongoing use of slavery in the self-professed 'land of the free', Dickens returned home after his first trip abroad with an extreme distaste for American laws and, equally, their frequent use of spitting tobacco. Dickens turned to his pen once again and created a story which satirically centres around the selfish and greedy Chuzzlewits.

About the book:

Deeply distressed at thought of his singularly money-minded family circling around his inevitable death bed, when Old Martin Chuzzlewit comes across a young and kindly orphan girl, he immediately decides to take her into his employment. Offering her a comfortable living in exchange for her care and protection, Martin rests easy in the knowledge that her comfort will last only as long as he does; upon his death, Mary the orphan will find herself on the cold and dirty streets from whence she came. To his great dismay, Old Martin's plan is foiled when his own grandson and main heir, Martin Chuzzlewit Junior, declares his undying love for Mary and his consequent intention to marry her.

This Audible Original dramatisation follows the Chuzzlewit household from this point on, as relationships are born and tested, old feuds are reignited and the ever-present vultures start to close in. A lesson in the dangers and consequences of looking only after number one, the narrative remains highly relevant to this day and is expertly narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi.

About the author:

With his father incarcerated, Charles Dickens had to abandon his studies at a young age and set to work in a factory so as to support himself. Despite his short-lived education, Dickens went on to write 15 novels, various articles, novellas and short stories. These include Hard Times, Bleak House, Oliver Twist, Barnaby Rudge, Little Dorrit and A Tale of Two Cities. He lectured and led campaigns for children's rights and education and arguably became the ultimate self-made man.

About the narrator:

Sir Derek Jacobi is an English actor and stage director, best known for his illustrious stage career and his appearance in films such as The Day of the Jackal, Gladiator, Gosford Park and, most recently, Murder on the Orient Express. He is the recipient of two Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy, and in 1994 he was knighted.

Sir Derek has also recorded over 100 audiobooks, including Roald Dahl's George's Marvellous Medicine, Anthony Horowitz's Moriarty, and many works of classic fiction. A lifelong Dickens fan, Sir Derek is delighted to lend his dulcet tones to this recording of Martin Chuzzlewit as part of Audible's Definitive Dickens collection.

©2018 Charles Dickens (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

Wonderful reading!

Derek Jacobi's reading made me laugh out loud, and I loved much of this novel. Some of the American material was hard work, but overall loved it.

Loved it.

Dickens at its sarcastic best.
Spectacular performance by Derek Jacobi.
I know readers and performers are a matter of taste, but I am not sorry to have chosen this performance.

Far from his best

Legend has it that Dickens thought Martin Chuzzlewitt was his best novel. He was wrong.

My least favorite Dickens

As a huge Dickens fan, I have to say MC is one of my least favorites so far. I’m an American who’s not in a particularly patriotic mood right now, so it’s not even the terrible caricature of our country that bothers me. I mean, he was writing in the time of slavery. We deserved any and all biting critique. But it just lacks something when compared to Dickens’s other work.

I suppose it’s possible that my feelings might be different if it were a better performance. Sir Derek Jacobi is one of the finest English actors living, but his extremely strange and decidedly unskilled attempts at American accents are downright offensive. Just absolutely horrible.

Derek Jacobi is MAGNIFICENT!!!

Especially his rendition of Sarah Gamp is fantastically funny. So good at the voices. What a wonderful performance.