X-Book

The Poor Clare

Click Buy to Log in and see personalised pricing.

Send as a gift Get in the xigxag app

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Originally written for Charles Dickens’ Household Words magazine, The Poor Clare is a dark, gothic short novel of thwarted love and a family curse that vividly illustrates the social tensions of Victorian England.

The intentional killing of a woman’s dog unleashes a torrent of rage. In her desire for revenge, the woman curses the dog’s killer: All that the murderer loves most, he will lose.

This haunting tale brilliantly demonstrates Elizabeth Gaskell’s understanding of the tensions between Catholics and Protestants and the harsh realities of class society.

Critics Review

“Gaskell’s supernatural tale depicts the haunting of young Lucy Gisborne by an evil double. After a supposed witch indirectly curses Lucy for her father’s crime, she finds herself abandoned by all close to her except for one friend and her admirer, a lawyer who also serves as the novel’s narrator. Derek Perkins’s narration embodies the narrator’s balance of reserve and passion. He often reveals the young man’s emotions through a quickening of pace. Although much of story is retold in a secondhand account, Perkins re-creates the characters faithfully when they do speak. He is particularly forceful in the few lines spoken by the mysterious Bridget, in which he uses a sharp Irish brogue. While this is a relatively short audiobook, Perkins is engaging throughout.”

AudioFile
Author Elizabeth Gaskell
Narrator Derek Perkins
Duration 2 hours and 18 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781504675048
Format Audiobook
Publisher Blackstone Publishing
Genre Classic fiction, Fiction: general and literary
Availability AU, GB, IE, US

About xigxag

xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK’s only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.

There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at £8.99. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from £3.99. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.

Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.

Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.