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Audiobooks Narrated by Tadhg Hynes
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Wessex Tales is a collection of six short stories written by Hardy in the 1880's. If you've never read Hardy they'll serve as a good introduction to his writing. Though not as comprehensive as his major works they do contain all the ingredients that make him instantly recognisable. Thomas Hardy was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist, in the tradition of George Eliot, he was also influenced both in his novels and poetry by Romanticism, especially by William Wordsworth. He gained fame as the author of such novels as Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the d'Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895). The bulk of his fictional works were set in the semi-fictional region of Wessex and explored tragic characters struggling against their passions and social circumstances. Hardy's Wessex is based on the medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom and eventually came to include the counties of Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Hampshire, and much of Berkshire, in south west England.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is Joyce's semi-autobiographical first novel. It traces the early life of Stephen Dedalus and his inner struggle with the oppression of Irish society and the Catholic church, ending with his awakening as a poet and writer and self-imposed exile from Ireland.
I first decided to record Ulysses in October 2015. Little did I know then what an unforgettable eighteen months lay ahead. Having already recorded Dubliners and Portrait (and being terrified of Ulysses) I decided to give myself a year just to read it. However, after about four episodes I started recording it and became hooked.
Being a Dubliner and having the privilege of walking the pages of this book daily it became a world that absorbed me totally. Almost everywhere I went in Dublin Joyce was there, I kept coming across phrases from the book in real life, I was born in Holles St Hospital some 60 years after the Oxen of the Sun episode was set there. While the city has moved with the times it's still unavoidable not to get the sense of Joyces Dublin even now.
Some parts of the book are more difficult than others but I found that every word had its place and with a bit of effort and research it came to life. Don't be put off by its reputation. You don't need a university degree (though some like to think that you do!). It's a book for everyone and as you become familiar with the way Joyce writes this becomes obvious.
I've tried to bring out the Dublin wit and the unique language of its people and I hope that this adds to the enjoyment of this great book.
I would like to add a special note of thanks and admiration to the wonderful reading of Molly Bloom's soliloquy given by Kayleigh Payne. Famed for its lack of punctuation and rambling nature this iconic piece of writing is beautifully interpreted and sensitively portrayed. Kayleigh's work has brought a new dimension to the recording and I am eternally grateful.
I would also like to thank my wife, Paula, for the wonderful artwork she created for the cover. It depicts the Martello tower at Sandycove, the place where it all began.
Finally, my advice is, get yourself a copy of the book and read along with the recording. There may be slight variations between different versions but don't worry about that, they're generally the same. Don't expect to understand all at first. You'll get a good sense of the story and can go deeper with subsequent readings. To me this is a book for life and after 18 months working on it I'm looking forward to a lifetime of enjoying it. I hope you do too.
Tadhg Hynes.
First published in 1766, the loveable and innocent Dr Primrose and his family have given pleasure to all that have read it. The story opens with the vicar losing his fortune and moving to another parish. What follows is a tale of love, deceit, betrayal, humour and a hidden hero... It was one of Charles Dickens favourite books and a source of inspiration to him. No further recommendation is needed. Enjoy.
'I thinkSilas Marnerholds a higher place than any of the author's works,' said Henry James of this classic George Eliot novel. When a little girl wanders into a random house one cold night, the lives of two different men are about to change dramatically. The house is owned by the town outsider, Silas Marner, and upon finding the girl‘s mother dead in the snow, he decides to adopt her. Little does he know that the girl‘s biological father is the rich Godfrey Cass, who now considers himself off the hook and free to marry the girl he loves. Published in 1862, Silas Marneris a simple and subtle story that explores the relationship between the individual and the community.
'Please, sir, I want some more,' Oliver says, holding out his bowl for more gruel, a Dickens scene recognisable to most. A young orphan, Oliver Twist has only ever seen the tough side of life and having to suddenly live on the streets does not make surviving any easier. But being the sweet and innocent boy he is, Oliver eventually manages to attract the compassion of others, and time will reveal secrets about his past that could radically change his bleak future. Originally published in instalments, Oliver Twist (1839) is Charles Dickens‘ second – and hugely successful – novel. It introduced the concept of the child protagonist in the Victorian novel, and while doing so, plainly criticised the social injustices in England.
Far From The Madding Crowd is Thomas Hardy's fourth novel. It centres on the lives of five characters: Gabriel Oak, Bathsheba Everdene, Mr. Boldwood, Sgt. Troy and Fanny Robin. The plot involves love, loyalty, death and betrayal and all this is delivered to us in Hardy's most eloquent prose. The images of character and nature are painted for our mind's eye with sublime style.
A Christmas Carol has never been out of print since it was first published in 1843, and no wonder! This ghostly little book creates the feeling of Christmas that we still enjoy today.
Marley was dead ... and so too was Christmas to Scrooge. Haunted by three spirits on Christmas eve the old miser is taken on a journey to his past, his present and his future. With such memorable characters as Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit it will warm your heart with favourite memories, and remind you how the true Christmas spirit comes from giving with love.
The story takes place in The Winglebury Arms, the chief inn in the little town of Great Winglebury. When an anonymous letter form one of the guests is misinterpreted by the mayor of the town events don’t go quite as planned! This humorous little tale, told as only Dickens could, is as sure to amuse now as when it was written over a hundred and fifty years ago.
The Pickwick Papers was Dickens's first novel. Retired businessman and confirmed bachelor, Mr Samuel Pickwick esquire, embarks on a journey through the English countryside accompanied by three fellow “Pickwickians”, Mr Tupman, Mr Snodgrass and Mr Winkle. It is a joy to hear of their misadventures in search of stories and characters of interest and the repeated efforts of the quick-witted Sam Weller (Mr. Pickwicks manservant) to rescue them all from disaster. With a host of unlikely and wonderful characters this masterpiece of comic writing is still to this day one of literatures most beloved works.
Great Expectations is arguably Dickens' finest work. Chapter one opens up in a lonely graveyard on the marshes in southern England where we first meet young Pip and witness a terrifying meeting with an escaped convict. The novel charts the life of Pip from boy to young man during which Dickens treats us to array of unforgettable characters from the lovable Joe and the servile Pumblechuck to the jilted Miss Havisham and the faithful Herbert Pocket.
Under the Greenwood Tree, Hardy's second novel, was published in 1872, became the first of his great series of Wessex novels. The book subtitled "A Rural Painting of the Dutch School" tells the endearing tale of a group of church musicians who accompany the hymns at the local Mellstock parish choir and we follow the fortunes of one its member, Dick Dewy, who falls in love with the new school mistress, Fancy Day.
Another element of the book is the battle between the musicians of the 'Quire' and the local vicar, Parson Maybold, who installs a church organ. This battle illustrates the developing technology being introduced in the Victorian era and its threat to traditional country ways.
