Sketches by Boz: Volume 2 cover art

Sketches by Boz: Volume 2

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Sketches by Boz: Volume 2

By: Charles Dickens
Narrated by: Peter Joyce
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The ‘sketches’ in this... volume are more the substance and length of short stories illustrating the development of the tools of the Masters trade: farce, parody, irony, black humour and wonderful one liners which unerringly hit the mark.

The ensuing narrative, however, brings the listener bumpily back to earth with a reminder of the mean and often tragic lives that were being endured in the busy, uncaring metropolis. The stories are in the following order and entitled; The Dancing Academy, Shabby Genteel People, The Prisoners Van, The Boarding House, Mr Minns and his Cousin, Sentiment, The Tuggses’ at Ramsgate, Horatio Sparkins, The Black Veil, The Steam Excursion, The Great Winglebury Duel, Mrs Joseph Porter, A Passage in the life of Mr Watkins Tottle, The Bloomsbury Christening, The Drunkards Death.

©2011 Assembled Stories (P)2008 Assembled Stories Classics
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Critic reviews

About Assembled Stories: Over the years the national press have reviewed Assembled Stories titles as "excellent", "remarkable", "entrancing", "superb", "magic for sure", "masterly", "wonderful", "a class act" and "a splendid example of audio at its best".
"Peter Joyce is the most remarkable one-man band in audiobook publishing. Joyce, an experienced actor, reads them all himself." (The Independent)
All stars
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Much as Ioved the first volume of these famous articles for their bringing to life of Victorian London, these short stories are trite,melodramatic in parts, and altogether disappointing.
I’m sure the reading is all right but you can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.
Whereas volume 1 represents Dickens at his brilliant and most lively observation of life in general, this second shows him at his maudlin and sentimental nadir: audiences in his time probably lived this and there!s no reason to think Dickens would have read this stuff any differently from this production, so I can at least give it marks for authenticity but I!d rather have left zBoz with my enjoyment and admiration intact than try for a second helping and get indigestion.

A profound disappointment

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