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The Christmas Hirelings

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The Christmas Hirelings

Written by: Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Narrated by: Richard Armitage
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About this listen

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.

Public Domain (P)2018 Audible, Inc.
Classics British Fiction

What listeners say about The Christmas Hirelings

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Good story and performance

A simple and wholesome story if you want to spend a couple of hours relaxing. It's not stimulating or adventurous.

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Comforting holiday read

A book that's like a warm drink of cocoa. Christmas is a time when one can take a break from the cynicism that pervades most media (and life in general) to indulge in the saccharine world of books where live triumphs all.

'The Christmas hirelings' revolves around Sir John, absentee father who is estranged from his daughter in his old age. Faced with a quiet Christmas with his sedate niece and good-natured friend, he gives in to his companions' suggestions to hire some kids to add a dash of life into their holidays. He gets a little more than he bargained for, especially with one of the kids.

The plot is predictable but in the style of a childhood tune that you want to listen to over and over again even though you have it memorised. Sir John is not a curmudgeon in the mould of Dickens' Scrooge but a real person you can empathise and sympathise with. The children, especially the precocious Moppet are endearing and do not cross over to be annoying. There are descriptions galore about Christmas traditions, gifts and more importantly foods that make it a great read for the season. It succeeds in making the reader weep and smile at the right moments.

The book also makes its points abouts about childrearing and girls' education that provides insights into the time when it was written (late 19th century).

The audio performance does full justice to the book.

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