Original Penny Readings: A Series of Short Sketches

Captivating Literary Sketches from Victorian EnglandBy George Manville Fenn
Listen with Sir Michael Caine™ and 1,000+ voices
Length8h 47m

About this audiobook

George Manville Fenn's "Original Penny Readings: A Series of Short Sketches" is a remarkable collection that exemplifies the Victorian fascination with accessible literature. Through a series of vivid sketches, Fenn artfully captures the everyday lives and struggles of the common people, blending realism with a touch of sentimentality. His prose is characterized by a lively and engaging style, rich descriptions, and an undercurrent of social commentary, making this collection a poignant reflection of 19th-century England. The sketches invite readers to empathize with the characters, drawing them into varied social contexts ranging from urban poverty to rural existence. Fenn, a prolific author and advocate for social reform, was influenced by the changing landscapes of his time. His early experiences as a teacher and his commitment to improving literacy among the working class led him to produce engaging yet instructive narratives. Fenn'Äôs awareness of social inequities fueled his storytelling, embedding a sense of urgency within his writing that aims not only to entertain but also to enlighten. "Original Penny Readings" is highly recommended for readers interested in Victorian literature, social history, and the power of short form writing. Fenn's ability to craft relatable characters and evoke emotional responses makes this collection a timeless exploration of humanity's trials and triumphs.

Audiobook details

GenreGeneral Fiction, Historical Fiction
Length8 hrs 47 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateApr 25, 2021
LanguageEnglish

Table of contents

1Introduction
2"A Series of Short Sketches"
3Chapter One.: Paying the Footing.
4Chapter Two.: Aboard a Light-Ship.
5Chapter Three.: K9—A Queer Dog.
Show all chapters
6Chapter Four.: Waiting for ’Arry.
7Chapter Five.: A Rogue in Grain.
8Chapter Six.: A Cabman’s Story.
9Chapter Seven.: J. Weltus.
10Chapter Eight.: My Fare.
11Chapter Nine.: Spots on Life’s Sun.
12Chapter Ten.: Dining with Cabby.
13Chapter Eleven.: K9’s Adventure.
14Chapter Twelve.: A Vulgar Tongue.
15Chapter Thirteen.: From Real Life.
16Chapter Fourteen.: A Wheel of Misfortune.
17Chapter Fifteen.: A Sea Breeze.
18Chapter Sixteen.: Told in the Dusk.
19Chapter Seventeen.: Mephitic Fumes.
20Chapter Eighteen.: On the Great Deep.
21Chapter Nineteen.: Martha Jinks’s Egsperiences.
22Chapter Twenty.: A Struggle for Life.
23Chapter Twenty One.: The Evils of a Wig.
24Chapter Twenty Two.: To be Sold by Auction.
25Chapter Twenty Three.: A Placard.
26Chapter Twenty Four.: Cast Ashore.
27Chapter Twenty Five.: The First Stray Hair.
28Chapter Twenty Six.: A Piece of Assurance.
29Chapter Twenty Seven.: The Decline of the Drama.
30Chapter Twenty Eight.: In the Hooghly.
31Chapter Twenty Nine.: A Tale of the Great Passion.
32Chapter Thirty.: Found in the Street.
33Chapter Thirty One.: A Weird Place.
34Chapter Thirty Two.: A Common Object.
Cutlass and CudgelGeorge Manville Fenn10h 20m3.7 (11)$2 · $0.00
The King's SonsGeorge Manville Fenn1h 14m$2 · $0.00
Charge! A Story of Briton and BoerGeorge Manville Fenn12h 49m$2 · $0.00
The New Mistress: A TaleGeorge Manville Fenn10h 53m$2 · $0.00
A Little WorldGeorge Manville Fenn16h 20m$2 · $0.00
A Double KnotGeorge Manville Fenn15h 9m$2 · $0.00
The King's Esquires; Or, The Jewel of FranceGeorge Manville Fenn8h 42m$2 · $0.00
The Queen's ScarletGeorge Manville Fenn9h 1m$2 · $0.00
The Rosery FolkGeorge Manville Fenn7h 53m$1 · $0.00
The Bag of DiamondsGeorge Manville Fenn5h 17m$2 · $0.00
Yussuf the Guide; Or, the Mountain BanditsGeorge Manville Fenn10h 24m$2 · $0.00
Trapped by Malays: A Tale of Bayonet and KrisGeorge Manville Fenn11h 43m$2 · $0.00
The Mynns' MysteryGeorge Manville Fenn8h 25m3.5 (30)$1 · $0.00
The Sapphire CrossGeorge Manville Fenn12h 2m$2 · $0.00
King of the CastleGeorge Manville Fenn14h 48m$2 · $0.00
The Powder MonkeyGeorge Manville Fenn1h 2m$2 · $0.00
Jungle and Stream; Or, The Adventures of Two Boys in SiamGeorge Manville Fenn10h 8m$2 · $0.00
The Vast AbyssGeorge Manville Fenn14h 18m$1 · $0.00
One Maid's MischiefGeorge Manville Fenn21h 7m$2 · $0.00
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.6 (4.6K)$29 · $0.00
Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingsolver21h 3m4.5 (949.4K)$46 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van Pelt11h 17m4.4 (1.7M)$29 · $0.00
Black History CollectionFrederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois27h 9m4.6 (2.6K)$18 · $0.00
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
White HotIlona Andrews13h 18m4.5 (136.9K)$5 · $0.00
The Ghost by the Billabong (The Matilda Saga, #5)Jackie French14h 58m4.6 (773)$33 · $0.00
Cast in BloodMichelle Sagara16h 35m4.6 (607)$33 · $0.00
The Captain Blood Trilogy (Annotated)Rafael Sabatini29h 20m4.6 (1K)$3 · $0.00
Ship of the Line (Annotated)Cecil Louis Troughton Smith11h 13m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
The George Orwell CollectionGeorge Orwell24h 46m4.5 (14.4K)$12 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 38m4.5 (9.2K)$2 · $0.00
Driving ForceElle James4h 58m4.6 (407)$20 · $0.00
When God Calls the HeartBrian Bird, Michelle Cox3h 24m4.6 (439)$10 · $0.00
Five Little IndiansMichelle Good10h 34m4.5 (64.5K)$29 · $0.00
Lolth's WarriorR. A. Salvatore13h 20m4.6 (2.4K)$33 · $0.00
The Things We Cannot SayKelly Rimmer13h 48m4.5 (359.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du BoisHonoree Fanonne Jeffers29h 49m4.5 (58K)$8 · $0.00
Going PostalTerry Pratchett11h 23m4.5 (189.9K)$29 · $0.00
Lieutenant Hornblower (Annotated)C. S. Forester11h 41m4.5 (2.9K)$2 · $0.00
Rilla of InglesideLucy Maud Montgomery11h 44m4.5 (48.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Viennese DressmakerKathryn Gauci11h 46m4.5 (2.1K)$23 · $0.00
The Man in the Brown Suit & They Came to BaghdadAgatha Christie15h 43m4.6 (495)$33 · $0.00
Under the Light of the Italian MoonJennifer Anton12h 28m4.5 (5.3K)$23 · $0.00
Jubilee, 50th Anniversary EditionMargaret Walker15h 43m4.5 (9.5K)$25 · $0.00
Pride and PrejudiceJane Austen14h 44m4.4 (4.7M)$2 · $0.00
Flying Colours (Annotated)Cecil Louis Troughton Smith9h 26m4.4 (10.1K)$2 · $0.00
With Love from HarlemReShonda Tate13h 48m4.5 (2K)$6 · $0.00
Sweet Home Highland ChristmasMay McGoldrick, Jan Coffey2h 54m4.5 (1.4K)$7 · $0.00
Rilla of InglesideL. M. Montgomery12h 25m4.4 (67.5K)$2 · $0.00
Death Comes for the Archbishop (Annotated)Willa Cather9h 13m4.4 (4.7K)$2 · $0.00
The Alice NetworkKate Quinn15h 7m4.4 (887.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Goddess of WarsawLisa Barr13h 4m4.4 (36.4K)$33 · $0.00
The Ohio River Trilogy: Betty Zane, The Spirit of the Border & The Last TrailZane Grey29h 8m4.4 (1.8K)$1 · $0.00
The Attic ChildLola Jaye14h 46m4.4 (21K)$33 · $0.00
Martyr of the CatacombsJames De Mille3h 41m4.5 (744)$1 · $0.00
Quo VadisHenryk Sienkiewicz22h 52m4.4 (62K)$21 · $0.00
Bring Up The BodiesHilary Mantel14h 35m4.4 (150K)$33 · $0.00
By the Shores of Silver LakeLaura Ingalls Wilder7h 38m4.4 (103.7K)$1 · $0.00

You may also like

BarracoonZora Neale Hurston3h 50m4.2 (49.1K)$6 · $0.00
Days on the Road: Crossing the Plains in 1865Sarah Raymond Herndon4h 59m4.0 (3.2K)$1 · $0.00
Twelve Years a SlaveSolomon Northup8h 4m4.3 (164.9K)$4.50 · $0.00
The WildlandsAbby Geni12h 12m4.1 (2.1K)$23 · $0.00
Elsa Goody, Bushranger: Thrilling, action-packed historical adventure story about a woman on a treasure hunt from a bestselling Australian author.Darry Fraser13h 48m4.1 (338)$33 · $0.00
The ExilesVivian Stuart9h 23m3.8 (1.4K)$24 · $0.00
Ride the Moon DownTerry C. Johnston18h 44m4.3 (496)$35
Fourth of July CreekSmith Henderson15h 40m3.9 (17.7K)$33 · $0.00
Twelve Years a SlaveSolomon Northup7h 48m4.3 (140.2K)$20
ChancellorsvilleJames Reasoner11h 41m4.2 (316)$21
Bunner SistersEdith Wharton3h 28m3.9 (3.3K)$15
The RavagedNorman Reedus8h 50m3.6 (4.2K)$20
PilbaraJudy Nunn13h 54m4.2 (1.1K)$33 · $0.00
Cabin Fever (Annotated)B. M. Bower5h 58m$1.20 · $0.00
The Crescent MoonAnonymous3m$1 · $0.00
The Social Security Money Code for CouplesEdward G. Morrison3h 9m$15 · $0.00
The SurvivorsSteve Braunias9h 16m3.7 (133)$29 · $0.00
A Son of the StateW. Pett Ridge6h 25m3.5 (12)$2 · $0.00
The Skipper's Wooing, and The Brown Man's ServantW. W. Jacobs4h 54m$2 · $0.00
Team LukerNell Iris43m4.3 (24)$2 · $0.00