Deerbrook (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Victorian Village Novel of Rival Sisters, Social Gossip, Moral Trials, and Provincial RealismBy Harriet Martineau
Length24h 6m
About this audiobook
Harriet Martineau's Deerbrook (1839) is a capacious novel of provincial life, centering on the rival affections, moral trials, and social misunderstandings surrounding the Ibbotson sisters, Hester and Margaret, and the village surgeon Edward Hope. Written in a lucid, analytical style, it combines domestic realism with ethical inquiry, anticipating later Victorian studies of community, reputation, and conscience. Its close attention to gossip, class feeling, medical duty, and women's emotional education places it in the lineage between Jane Austen and George Eliot. Martineau (1802–1876) was already renowned as a political economist, journalist, and social theorist before turning to full-length fiction. Her deafness, Unitarian background, reformist commitments, and disciplined habits of observation shaped her understanding of social interdependence. In Deerbrook, she transforms the methods of the moral essay and sociological sketch into narrative form, dramatizing how private conduct is never separate from public consequence. This novel is recommended to readers interested in the origins of Victorian realism, women's writing, and fiction as moral investigation. Patient, intelligent, and socially acute, Deerbrook rewards attention with a richly textured portrait of community life and the difficult education of sympathy.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length24 hrs 6 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJul 24, 2020
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
26Chapter XXII.
2Introduction
27Chapter XXIII.
3Synopsis
28Chapter XXIV.
4Historical Context
29Chapter XXV.
5Chapter I.
30Chapter XXVI.
Show all chaptersShow less
6Chapter II.
31Chapter XXVII.
7Chapter III.
32Chapter XXVIII.
8Chapter IV.
33Chapter XXIX.
9Chapter V.
34Chapter XXX.
10Chapter VI.
35Chapter XXXI.
11Chapter VII.
36Chapter XXXII.
12Chapter VIII.
37Chapter XXXIII.
13Chapter IX.
38Chapter XXXIV.
14Chapter X.
39Chapter XXXV.
15Chapter XI.
40Chapter XXXVI.
16Chapter XII.
41Chapter XXXVII.
17Chapter XIII.
42Chapter XXXVIII.
18Chapter XIV.
43Chapter XXXIX.
19Chapter XV.
44Chapter XL.
20Chapter XVI.
45Chapter XLI.
21Chapter XVII.
46Chapter XLII.
22Chapter XVIII.
47Chapter XLIII.
23Chapter XIX.
48Chapter XLIV.
24Chapter XX.
49Chapter XLV.
25Chapter XXI.
50Analysis
More from Harriet Martineau
Society in America (Vol. 1&2) (Annotated)Harriet Martineau28h 51m$2 · $0.00
Feats on the FiordHarriet Martineau4h 5m$2 · $0.00
How to Observe: Morals and MannersHarriet Martineau4h 5m$1 · $0.00
The Billow and the RockHarriet Martineau6h 3m$2 · $0.00
Son ChristopherHarriet Martineau4h 49m$2 · $0.00
The HampdensHarriet Martineau6h 57m$2 · $0.00
The Essential Faith of the Universal Church; Deduced from the Sacred RecordsHarriet Martineau4h 29m$2 · $0.00
Principle and Practice: The Orphan FamilyHarriet Martineau3h 56m$1 · $0.00
Society in America (Summarized Edition)Harriet Martineau6h 55m$2
The Peasant and the PrinceHarriet Martineau6h 4m$2 · $0.00
L'isola dell'auroraHarriet Martineau2h 18m$8 · $0.00
The History of Western TravelHarriet Martineau23h 17m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Novels, Short Stories and Autobiographical WritingsFyodor Dostoyevsky270h 59m$2 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 9m$0.99 · $0.00
Charles Dickens: Complete Works (Annotated)Charles Dickens818h 55m$0.99 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen & Brontë Sisters (Annotated)Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë204h 15m$0.99 · $0.00
The Complete Works: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, Patrick & Branwell BrontëCharlotte Brontë, Anne Brontë, Emily Brontë138h 12m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Annotated)Oscar Wilde126h 19m$2 · $0.00
L. M. Montgomery – Premium Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry & MemoirsLucy Maud Montgomery155h 1m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of the Brontë Family Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë140h 13m$2 · $0.00
MARK TWAIN: 12 Novels, 195 Short Stories, Autobiography, 10 Travel Books, 160+ Essays & Speeches (Illustrated)Mark Twain415h 9m5.0 (2)$2 · $0.00
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m$2 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m$18 · $0.00
Ivanhoe (Annotated)Walter Scott22h 52m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of G. K. Chesterton (Annotated)G. K. Chesterton421h 37m$1.99 · $0.00
All NovelsGeorge Orwell53h 48m$10 · $0.00
The Complete Works of TolstoyLeo Tolstoy412h 44m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Louisa May Alcott (Annotated)Louisa May Alcott226h 24m$0.99 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes series - completeArthur Conan54h 8m$3.50 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
The Count of Monte Cristo (With Original Illustrations)Alexandre Dumas54h$1 · $0.00
H. P. Lovecraft: The Complete Fiction (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft50h 45m$2 · $0.00
Body Refinement in a Beast Tamer’s World, Book 1Seth Ring14h 7m$27
The Complete Works of Jane Austen (Unabridged)Jane Austen88h 8m5.0 (1)$1 · $0.00
Desperate MeasuresBrenda Jackson8h 59m5.0 (1)$28 · $0.00
Searching For ThanksgivingS.E. Smith4h 24m$20
Naughty 4Brenda Hampton7h 30m$17
The Dance with Me TrilogyShelley Shepard Gray21h 44m$35
Anne Shirley (Complete 14 Book Collection)Lucy Maud Montgomery125h 28m$2 · $0.00
The DopemanJaQuavis Coleman5h 25m$20
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m$5 · $0.00
Dark RisingJeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews13h 47m$27
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.5 (24)$29 · $0.00
Grand Opening 2Carl Weber9h 16m$20
Sons of Valor II: Violence of ActionBrian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson12h 34m$23
Malevolent MagicMildred Abbott7h 13m$17
Bikes, Toys, and Hot BoyzGenesis Woods, Shantaé13h 9m$23
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m$2 · $0.00
War LordBernard Cornwell13h 21m$33 · $0.00
Ghetto BastardK’wan7h 37m$20
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m$18 · $0.00
The Vineyard BrideKatie Winters5h 5m$15
You may also like
Mrs CraddockWilliam Somerset Maugham12h 21m$2 · $0.00
The Lost GirlD. H. Lawrence15h 17m$23
Go she must!David Garnett5h 36m$2 · $0.00
The Clayhanger Trilogy (Consisting of Clayhanger + Hilda Lessways + These Twain) (Annotated)Arnold Bennett51h 28m$2 · $0.00
The Silver LiningJohn Roussel4h 43m$2 · $0.00
By the Light of the SoulMary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman17h 24m$2 · $0.00
The MorgesonsElizabeth Stoddard12h 9m$2 · $0.00
North and SouthElizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell19h 27m$2.30
Sons and LoversD. H. Lawrence20h 7m$2 · $0.00
The Lost GirlD. H. Lawrence13h 48m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Emily Starr Trilogy: Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs and Emily's Quest (Unabridged) (Annotated)Lucy Maud Montgomery34h 54m$2 · $0.00
The Story of Waitstill BaxterKate Douglas Smith Wiggin8h 24m$2 · $0.00
The Brimming CupDorothy Canfield Fisher15h 4m$1 · $0.00
Miss EmilyNuala O’Connor7h 20m$20 · $0.00
Yonder (Annotated)E. H. Young10h 55m$0.99 · $0.00
The Life of Charlotte Brontë Volume 1Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell19h 50m$2.30
Thanksgiving StoriesHarriet Beecher Stowe, Louisa May Alcott, Andrew Lang, George Eliot, Annie Hamilton Donnell, Eugene Field, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hezekiah Butterworth, Edward Everett Hale, Sarah Orne Jewett, Susan Coolidge, Maud Lindsay, Olive Thorne Miller, Winthrop Packard, Kate Upson Clark, Alfred Gatty, Albert F. Blaisdell, Eleanor H. Porter, C. A. Stephens, J. T. Trowbridge, Eleanor L. Skinner, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Rose Terry Cooke, Edna Payson Brett, Phila Butler Bowman, Katherine Grace Hulbert, Agnes Carr, Isabel Gordon Curtis, P. J. Stahl, Sheldon C. Stoddard, Francis K. Ball, R. K. Munkittrick, E. S. Brooks, Emily Hewitt Leland, Fannie Wilder Brown, Alice Wheildon, Pauline Shackleford Colyar, H. R. Schoolcraft, L. B. Pingree, Sophie Swet24h$2 · $0.00
The Wishing CarpetRuth Comfort Mitchell6h 24m$2.40
WeedsEdith Summers Kelley12h 44m$2.30
The MidlanderBooth Tarkington11h 15m$1.20 · $0.00