A Laodicean

  • Author Thomas Hardy
  • Narrator Anna Bentinck
  • Publisher Naxos AudioBooks
  • Run Time 17 hours and 6 minutes
  • Format Audio
  • Genre Classic fiction.
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What to expect

Subtitled ‘A Story of To-day’, A Laodicean occupies a unique place in the Thomas Hardy canon. Departing from pre-industrial Wessex, Hardy brings his themes of social constraint, fate, chance and miscommunication to the very modern world of the 1880s – complete with falsified telegraphs, fake photographs, and perilous train tracks. The story follows the life of Paula Power, heiress of her late father’s railroad fortune and the new owner of the medieval Castle Stancy. With the castle in need of restoration, Paula employs architect George Somerset, who soon falls in love with her. However, Paula’s dreams of nobility draw her to another suitor, Captain de Stancy, who is aided by his villainous son, William Dare…

Critics Review

Narrator Anna Bentinck’s gentle tone and easy cadence complement Thomas Hardy’s leisurely prose. The story centres on a talented architect, George Somerset, who falls in love with a wealthy yet indecisive young woman. Bentinck energetically gives voice to Hardy’s characters. Somerset speaks kindly and emphatically in contrast to the mysterious William Dare, who speaks in an ominous tone with a slight Indian accent. Bentinck masterfully provides a variety of accents for minor characters, easily transitioning between rustic villagers and polite society. Her excellent delivery of narrative and vocal characterisations wakes up this lesser-known Hardy novel.

D.M.W., AudioFile

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