English Pronunciation Audio

"Chesterton asserted that time would show that Dickens was not merely
one of the Victorians but incomparably the greatest English writer of his time; and Shaw
coupled his name with that of Shakespeare. It is the conviction of the present writer that
both these judgments were justified. Dickensthough he cannot of course pretend to rank
where Shakespeare has few companionswas nevertheless the greatest dramatic writer
that the English had had since Shakespeare, and he created the largest and most varied
world."Edmund Wilson

When the starving French masses rise in hate to overthrow a corrupt and decadent government,
both the guilty and innocent become victims of their frenzied anger. Soon nothing stands in the
way of the chilling figure they enlist for their causeLa Guillotinethe new invention for efficiently
chopping off heads.

This is Charles Dickens's compelling portrait of the results of terror and treason, love and supreme
sacrifice.

This captivating tale, set in London and Paris at the time of the French Revolution, uses the contrasts
between the cities' "beliefs" to reveal the central choice confronting every society and each individual:
Should a person work to change society or should the revolution occur within his heart? The story
climaxes with a supreme sacrifice of selfless love which will not leave the listener
unmoved.

Charles Dickens (1812 –1870) was born in Landport, Portsea, England, the second of eight children in a family continually plagued by debt. A legacy brought release from the nightmare of debtors' prison and child labor and afforded him two years of formal schooling. He worked as an attorney's clerk and newspaper reporter until his early writings brought him the amazing success that was to be his for the remainder of his life.

Frederick Davidson is a recipient of the Golden Voices Award and numerous Earphones Awards. After performing for years in many BBC radio plays, he came to America in 1976. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks.