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The Christmas Hirelings
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins
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The Christmas Hirelings
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Publisher's Summary
Richard Armitage modernizes a classic hidden gem of Christmas Past… Sir John Penlyon is planning to spend Christmas at his estate with his niece and his friend Danby, the closest thing he has to family since disowning his daughter years ago. (She eloped with the parson, who was, of course, penniless.) Danby suggests that at Christmastime the estate needs the presence of small children, and offers to find some - the “hirelings” - despite Sir John’s skepticism. Three children duly arrive, and the youngest, precocious four year-old Moppet, quickly endears herself to Sir John. The season takes flight with merriment, warmth, and even affection, until Moppet - as young children are wont to do in Victorian holiday tales - falls deathly ill. With her life hanging by a tinsel-thin thread, how will the makeshift family cope?
Listeners who smile ironically at the antiquated juxtaposition of The Christmas Hirelings might be surprised by the contemporary feel of a blended family, income inequality, and the power of togetherness to heal past sorrows. Richard Armitage’s stellar voice makes each scene as rich as a plum pudding dotted with the raisins of tradition (party favors, carols, and more!), and the entire performance feels like a trip to bygone England…just in time for the end of this year.
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What listeners say about The Christmas Hirelings
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Claudine
- 2019-02-18
Magnificent
A real Christmas story! I will surely listen to it again. Wonderfully written and performed. Touched my whole being.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- June Kirkland-Smith
- 2019-01-02
great Xmas book
I loved this book. it was heartwarming and a great book for the Christmas season.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2018-12-25
Heartwarming
A gentle, lovely story of family reconciliation through the love of a child. Most appreciated at Christmas.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- KB
- 2018-12-27
disappointingly predictable, beautifully written
at the point of the lop-sided progression from family insult to 'hired visitors' you had to know who the guests really were.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jesslovescoffee
- 2018-12-17
A Heartwarming Christmas Tale
There is a beauty to the prose of this novel. Though the story is fairly predictable, it is lovingly told and there is a poetry to the descriptions and dialogue that you don't get anymore. Richard Armitage's performance was wonderful. He has a warm and inviting voice and his character dialogue isn't as destracting as many other narrators. I very much enjoyed this audiobook.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C. J. Wallace
- 2019-12-17
Left wanting just one more chapter...
A most enjoyable gift for a holiday evening. A pleasant surprise in my library. Well-written and performed, the characters came to life, as did the setting. I always enjoy the Audible productions,
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews
- 2019-02-16
Enjoyable.
It’s always fun getting into the holiday season. When I saw that The Christmas Hirelings was being offered for free on Audible, I thought that it would be a great addition to my holiday preparations.
The Christmas Hirelings is set in Braddon’s contemporary period, circa mid to late eighteen hundreds. It is set in an aristocratic household and revolves around a preposterous idea. A group of people with more money than brains decide to hire some children to enhance their own merriment during the Christmas season.
At first I was floored by the sheer arrogance that these people thought nothing of this idea, even going so far as discussing the temperament that these children must possess. As the story went on, the true intentions of the characters became evident. I saw early on where the story was going, but often the ride is more fun than the destination.
Richard Armitage’s narration was fantastic. He really immersed himself into the characters, each one with their own particular lilt or accent. It felt more like a presentation than a simple narration of a story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Audrey Beattie
- 2018-12-17
Wonderful!
Listed to this over an afternoon and evening today. First of all Richard Armitage is my favourite actor and reader and I have dowloaded all but one of the ones he has done. He “performs “ this audiobook as he has done all the others. Not just narrates. I have downloaded two more and can’t wait to listen to them. He is indeed incomparable! How he is able to voice all the characters is amazing. I forget it’s only one person I’m listening to!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Julia L.
- 2018-12-26
wonderful story! wonderful reading
simply enjoyable. Listened in one go. The voices were absolutely delightful with the accents and intonations!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Iciclequeen91
- 2019-10-23
Loved it
I loved this book. I got it for free with not having to use any credits. I was pleasantly surprised by the story and the background of the lead characters. Anyone who wants to read a uplifting Christmas story, I would highly recommend this book. The gentleman who read the book was very easy to listen to, and made the characters so relatable.
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