The Crofton Boys

Children's Fictional Novel; an historic testament to family and school life in the 1800's; a mesmerizing and touching piece about a young boy's school experience, fun and spirited but which also includes the topic of bullying, relevant still. Written by Harriet Martineau, a noteworthy author, abolitionist and women's rights activist, who shed light on social issues in her skillfully written work. A Gutenberg Project piece, audio recorded by Jane Dever for Librivox.org and part of the public domain; originally published in 1844. Summary by Jane Dever (6 hr 38 min)

Chapters

ALL THE PROCTORS BUT PHIL	31:45	Read by JaneHackathorn
WHY MR. TOOKE CAME	14:55	Read by JaneHackathorn
MICHAELMAS-DAY COME	24:35	Read by JaneHackathorn
MICHAELMAS-DAY OVER	24:22	Read by JaneHackathorn
CROFTON PLAY	31:03	Read by JaneHackathorn
FIRST RAMBLE	53:02	Read by JaneHackathorn
WHAT IS ONLY TO BE HAD AT HOME	27:10	Read by JaneHackathorn
A LONG DAY	30:42	Read by JaneHackathorn
CROFTON QUIET	30:21	Read by JaneHackathorn
LITTLE VICTORIES	27:09	Read by JaneHackathorn
DOMESTIC MANNERS	15:06	Read by JaneHackathorn
HOLT AND HIS DIGNITY	24:24	Read by JaneHackathorn
TRIPPING	41:14	Read by JaneHackathorn
HOLT AND HIS HELP	14:08	Read by JaneHackathorn
CONCLUSION	8:36	Read by JaneHackathorn

Reviews

Enjoyed

(3 stars)

Janelle

Published in 1844, The Crofton Boys is the story of a young boy named Hugh and his trials and triumphs at a boarding school in England. For the most part, I found this story to be highly engaging and spiritually encouraging. Unlike many children's books in this era, the hero of the story is not perfect, he makes mistakes and has his character faults, but he is very likeable nonetheless. Although it was written for children I'm not sure how much this book would appeal to the kids of today. It is most likely to be enjoyed by older kids who are familiar with classic literature. I would suggest that parents not give this book to their children to listen to without doing so themselves and discussing it with them. The Crofton Boys raises numerous issues, and the Victorian answer to these ranged from the deeply spiritual to the rather disturbing. Young female readers may also find offensive the distaste that the boarding school boys had for anything female. Many thanks to the narrator for her hard work. Her reading was excellent although the audio quality was not particularly good.

Excellent

(5 stars)

MarionK

Wonderful book! GREAT reader!!!! Audio is a little tinny but I quickly got used to it. Loved the story and reader is engaging. Thank you!!