LITTLE DORRIT

The urgency of a crowded street, the strains of a wonderful musical score, and the last words of a dying man, “Do not forget”—these are the first sounds one hears in this fine BBC Radio dramatization of one of Charles Dickens’s most popular novels. First published in serial form in 70 chapters from 1855 to 1857, the story centers around London’s notorious Marshalsea Debtors’ Prison, where Dickens’s own father was once held, and follows the fortunes (lost and gained) of the families of Little Amy Dorrit and her employer’s intrepid son, Arthur Clennam. Making full use of sound effects and Sir Ian McKellen’s considerable narrative skills, the production presents Dickens’s distinctive characters, gentle satire, and piercing observations with a naturalistic, film-like ambiance. Superb listening. B.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2010 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2010]