Nicholas Nickleby

The most gorgeously theatrical of all Dickens's novels, Nicholas Nickleby follows the delightful adventures of a hearty young hero in nineteenth-century England. Nicholas, a gentleman's son fallen upon hard times, must set out to make his way in the world. His journey is accompanied by some of the most swaggering scoundrels and unforgettable eccentrics in Dickens's pantheon. From the dungeon-like Yorkshire boys' boarding school run by the cruel Wackford Squeers to the high-spirited stage of Vincent Crummles's extraordinary acting troupe, Nicholas Nickleby is a triumph of the imagination, bursting with color, humor, and poignant social commentary. "[Robert Whitfield] covers the gamut from effete snob to exhausted street urchin, and not only manages to keep them all straight, but infuses into every one a distinct personality. This is a feast!" -- AudioFile Magazine 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. Robert Whitfield, winner of numerous Earphones Awards, was born in England. He worked for ten years as a radio news announcer for the BBC and as a narrator for the Royal National Institute for the Blind in London. In addition to narrating for Blackstone Audio, he is involved in numerous stage-acting projects in the United States and Europe.