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Cranford
- Narrated by: Prunella Scales
- Length: 6 hrs and 45 mins
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Cranford
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Summary
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.
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What listeners say about Cranford
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Claire Henry
- 21-01-20
The Feast of Reason and the Flow of Soul.
A lovely story by Elizabeth Gaskell with a wonderful narration. Thoroughly enjoyable. Am lookinh forward to listening to more classics. Definitely recommend!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr K P Stratfull
- 26-08-21
Lovely novel
Such an approachable classic.Easy to understand and follow and very funny.Fantastic narration by Prunella Scales who couldn't have been a better choice with her beautiful clear accent and characterisations.Loved it!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Cogito Ergo Sometimes
- 09-10-20
This one's an absolute cracker.
Scales is an absolute genius. She's one of my top five amazing narrators, and this is such a lovely book. So much feeling. Gaskell + Scales = Perfect.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Philip
- 15-08-16
Sublime!!
Elizabeth Gaskell paints a wonderful, and at times hilarious, picture of female propriety, friendship and mutual support in 19th century Northern England. A beautiful performance of a timeless classic by Prunella Scales. Highly recommended!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr M Kerssemakers
- 13-10-21
A Classic still relevant today
Always a good read, which translates very well to audible books. it might seem old fashioned but underneath its relevancy to the nature of humankind remains relevant.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mary Carnegie
- 14-04-21
A gentle story
I’ve read the novel a couple of times in the past but there’s something soothing about listening to it read by an appropriate narrator. Prunella Scales does sometimes read too fast, so I preferred 0.9 speed. The petty snobbery of small town life is sharply observed, in this provincial town where women predominate in the middle class, but counterbalanced by acts of kindness and generosity.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 06-02-24
Warm and engaging
I’ve never read any Elizabeth Gaskell novels , but I would definitely read more . It’s a cleverly crafted novel , warm and engaging. I would recommend.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- P Ronney
- 04-06-24
You won't be sorry with this choice
A timeless story of friendship and how people come together even in times of troubled, shared events - filled with amusing moments along the way. As one might expect Prunella Scales brings a touch of class to the whole thing, raising it to a well above average tale of ordinary folk. Highly recommended!
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- 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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13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- 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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