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Wives and Daughters
- Narrated by: Prunella Scales
- Length: 25 hrs and 21 mins
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Wives and Daughters
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Summary
Exclusively from Audible
Molly Gibson, the only daughter of a widowed doctor in the small provincial town of Hollingford, lost her mother when she was a child. Her father remarries wanting to give Molly the woman's presence he feels she lacks. To Molly, any stepmother would have been a shock, but the new Mrs. Gibson is a self-absorbed, petty widow, and Molly's unhappiness is compounded by the realisation that her father has come to regret his second marriage.
Although Molly resents her stepmother, she befriends her new step-sister, Cynthia, who is loveable, but worldly and troubling. The audiobook chronicles their maturation into womanhood within the confines of the gossiping and watchful society of Hollingford.
As Molly matures and falls in love she learns to judge people for what they are, not what they seem. Through Molly, the social values and changes of early 19th-century England are brought to life in this timeless representation of human relationships. The audiobook is more than just a nostalgic story of village life, it offers an ironic critique of mid-Victorian society.
Known as her last, longest, and perhaps finest work, it was not quite complete when Gaskell died suddenly in 1865. The last section was written by Frederick Greenwood.
Narrator Biography
Prunella Scales is a classically trained stage actress but is best known for her role as Sybil Fawlty in the BBC comedy Fawlty Towers (1975-1979) and for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in A Question of Attribution (1991) for which she was nominated a BAFTA. Her film appearances have included Stiff Upper Lips (1997), Howard's 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), Horrid Henry: The Movie (2013) and a guest appearance in the popular BBC radio comedy Cabin Pressure (2013). Julian Barnes' The Lemon Table and Anne Fine's Charm School are among the many audiobooks Prunella Scales has narrated.
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What listeners say about Wives and Daughters
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anne
- 16-05-20
Fantastic
Loved, loved, loved it. Listened to it during Lockdown and was a highlight of my day, totally cutting me off from reality. The narrator, Prunella Scales is so talented with all different accents ,pitches and tones. I am so sorry it is finished.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Elizabeth
- 05-01-20
Gives Jane Austen a run for her money
A superlative drama from Mrs Gaskell, superbly narrated by Prunella Scales. I didn’t notice it’s length at all, and was bitterly disappointed that Mrs Gaskell died before quite finishing it - well I knew that was the case before I began, but I was so caught up in the vicissitudes of the characters that I could hardly bear it when Mrs Gaskell’s masterly voice came to it’s sad end. But I loved the respecting tone of the bereaved editor of the journal in which it was published as a serial, when he narrated to the “dear readers” that of the end which Mrs Gaskell has revealed to friends before she died. Well worth listening to. Now I am going to treat myself to enjoying again the equally wonderful North and South
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Laura Soper
- 27-09-21
Beautiful storytelling
This book is a perfect study of character and everyday life in a quiet village. It takes its time but you realise how worth it that time is. Prunella Scales is the perfect reader for this and really does it justice. I would highly recommend!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kilmeny
- 18-02-22
A joy to listen to
I knew I’d enjoy Gaskell’s novel as I’d read it before, but Prunella Scales’s reading was an unexpected delight. She captured the characters perfectly and with what seemed like effortless ease! I highly recommend this.
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- Mrs J R Edwards
- 13-08-22
splendid read
Loved it, narration was fabulous amazing characters...ahead of its time. thoroughly recommend this to anyone.
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- Susan S.
- 09-02-23
Amazing!
Absolutely brilliant from start to finish - a massive number of hours but width every minute!
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- Nichola Mollison
- 26-06-23
Wives & Daughters
A wonderful story & so beautifully told. Always one of my favourites to come back to
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- Amazon Customer
- 05-05-23
Wonderful
I really enjoyed this. I loved the characters, which were brought to life so brilliantly by Prunella Scales. Cynthia is definitely my favourite :-)
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- Daniel Mackinnon
- 17-02-24
Fantastic voices, captured the era beautifully
The pace and the accents of the characters captured the way in which the book was written perfectly
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Philadelphus
- 01-06-07
Superb characterisation by a first class reader
At first I thought Prunella Scales' relatively low-key reading a little dull, but as I Iistened my way through this lengthy classic I came to hear that she has it brilliantly right: a more hyped-up reading would have grown impossibly tiring. Her characterisations of the wearisome Mrs Gibson, the overbearing countess, Cynthia, the Squire and others are spot on, with never a doubt about what each is thinking and feeling behind their words. She even overcame the only drawback of the book - that Molly and Roger are so spotlessly white, and their relationship so lacking in tension, that I have always found it difficult to take a full interest in whether or not they come together.
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42 people found this helpful