Shirley
Charlotte Brontë
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
Shirley is an 1849 social novel by the English novelist Charlotte Brontë. It was Brontë's second published novel after Jane Eyre (originally published under Brontë's pseudonym Currer Bell). The novel is set in Yorkshire in the period 1811–1812, during the industrial depression resulting from the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. The novel is set against a backdrop of the Luddite uprisings in the Yorkshire textile industry.
(Summary by Wikipedia) (23 hr 21 min)
Chapters
| Levitical | 30:40 | Read by Shirley Anderson |
| The Wagons Part 1 | 16:22 | Read by madmouth |
| The Wagons Part 2 | 17:24 | Read by madmouth |
| Mr. Yorke | 20:05 | Read by Rebekka Steg |
| Mr. Yorke (Continued) | 25:50 | Read by Harimad sol |
| Hollow's Cottage Part 1 | 13:20 | Read by madmouth |
| Hollow's Cottage Part 2 | 17:25 | Read by madmouth |
| Coriolanus Part 1 | 18:17 | Read by madmouth |
| Coriolanus Part 2 | 25:02 | Read by Rebekka Steg |
| The Curates at Tea Part 1 | 17:08 | Read by Vernacula |
| The Curates at Tea Part 2 | 21:51 | Read by Jeannie |
| The Curates at Tea Part 3 | 19:40 | Read by MalaM |
| Noah and Moses Part 1 | 17:12 | Read by A. Janelle Risa |
| Noah and Moses Part 2 | 18:24 | Read by A. Janelle Risa |
| Briarmains Part 1 | 28:34 | Read by Lauren Paulk |
| Briarmains Part 2 | 20:55 | Read by Tina Franklin |
| Old Maids Part 1 | 22:08 | Read by Julie Dillemuth |
| Old Maids Part 2 | 21:50 | Read by Julie Dillemuth |
| Fieldhead Part 1 | 22:53 | Read by Jacquerie |
| Fieldhead Part 2 | 21:57 | Read by Jacquerie |
| Shirley and Caroline Part 1 | 25:08 | Read by Jacquerie |
| Shirley and Caroline Part 2 | 28:51 | Read by Jacquerie |
| Further Communications on Business Part 1 | 25:23 | Read by Katie Riley |
| Further Communications on Business Part 2 | 21:05 | Read by Katie Riley |
| Further Communications on Business Part 3 | 20:10 | Read by Katie Riley |
| Shirley Seeks to Be Saved by Works | 36:57 | Read by A. Knight |
| Mr. Donne's Exodus | 37:02 | Read by A. Knight |
| Whitsuntide | 30:13 | Read by Katie Riley |
| The School-Feast Part 1 | 18:18 | Read by Philippa |
| The School-Feast Part 2 | 19:38 | Read by Philippa |
| Which the Genteel Reader is Recommended to Skip, Low Persons Being Here Introdu… | 24:40 | Read by Elizabeth Klett |
| A Summer Night Part 1 | 17:50 | Read by Elizabeth Klett |
| A Summer Night Part 2 | 16:20 | Read by Elizabeth Klett |
| To-Morrow | 26:42 | Read by Elizabeth Klett |
| Mrs. Pryor Part 1 | 23:26 | Read by Katie Riley |
| Mrs. Pryor Part 2 | 24:20 | Read by Katie Riley |
| Two Lives | 24:40 | Read by Tina Franklin |
| An Evening Out Part 1 | 31:55 | Read by Cynthia Lyons (1946-2011) |
| An Evening Out Part 2 | 26:32 | Read by Cynthia Lyons (1946-2011) |
| The Valley of the Shadow of Death Part 1 | 22:26 | Read by Liz Loomans |
| The Valley of the Shadow of Death Part 2 | 23:48 | Read by MalaM |
| The West Wind Blows | 15:43 | Read by Erin B. Lillis |
| Old Copy-Books Part 1 | 20:07 | Read by A. Janelle Risa |
| Old Copy-Books Part 2 | 18:10 | Read by A. Janelle Risa |
| The First Blue-Stocking Part 1 | 27:52 | Read by Ann Boulais |
| The First Blue-Stocking Part 2 | 27:42 | Read by Ann Boulais |
| Phoebe Part 1 | 23:34 | Read by Jacquerie |
| Phoebe Part 2 | 28:59 | Read by Jacquerie |
| Louis Moore | 23:33 | Read by Jacquerie |
| Rushedge, a Confessional | 38:50 | Read by Jacquerie |
| Uncle and Niece | 39:44 | Read by Jacquerie |
| The Schoolboy and the Wood-Nymph | 28:00 | Read by Jessamy Gloor |
| Martin's Tactics | 25:14 | Read by Jacquerie |
| Case of Domestic Persecution - Remarkable Instance of Pious Perseverance in the… | 20:55 | Read by Katie Riley |
| Wherein Matters Make Some Progress, But Not Much | 33:53 | Read by Katie Riley |
| Written in the Schoolroom Part 1 | 23:25 | Read by A. Janelle Risa |
| Written in the Schoolroom Part 2 | 24:11 | Read by A. Janelle Risa |
| The Winding-Up | 38:55 | Read by Katie Riley |
Reviews
fantabulous, lovely collaborative read
dahszil
chapter 31 - "Which the Genteel Reader is Recommended to Skip, Low Persons Being Here Introduced". Well excuse me! Mrs Charlotte Bell Nicholls nee Bronte. Perish the thought! not :) I have heard far too many people complain about readers, this , that and the other thing. This is a free service and a precious one for those of us who can not afford to buy online or cd audio books. Thank you volunteers, researchers, those who give financial and equipment donations, etc, and staff at Librivox and Internet Archive
complex story, push through it for great reward
Mac
While this story didn't seem as easy to get into as some of the author's other books, I stuck with it and really enjoy it. There was great reward in having experienced this tale. Some of the readers were very hard to hear, in general it was well recorded and I can't complain because I was thankful to get to hear it.
Maybe Charlotte's best work
Barbie Chyqa
The book is funny, but so subtly, you might miss it. I chuckled my way through it and most readers do a great job at the line delivery. All readers are audible and understandable. I think it's a feminist text in some ways. My only gripe was it wasn't titled Caroline or even Shirley and Caroline
Purest, Suspended Romance
Jennifer A
I imagine reading this story to be a bit laborious. However, listening was a patient pleasure; tiny doses mixed with historical background, which I enjoyed. Love suspended. Most of the volunteer readers were easy to listen to, some were not as easy. They did volunteer and I am thankful nonetheless.
Good novel, inconsistent reading
A LibriVox Listener
A good novel that nevertheless dragged in parts and could have been a couple hundred pages shorter.. The readers were inconsistent: some better, others nearly unbearable. This made the reading feel fragmented and frustrating in parts.
Vicki
Thank for the reading . I chose this book for my book club when we were directed to choose a book with a single word as a title . The text was dense and after plowing through the first hundred pages I decided LibriVox would help me with the text . It was a pleasure to listen as I read along . The text had numerous footnotes and helpful with Brontë’s numerous Biblical and classical references . The novel surprised me with its early feminist tones . Women have made progress since Brontë and it is such a shame the sisters died so young .
Quality of recording
Sjœrd Riemstra
This recording \ reading of a book must be one of the worst I have listened to. I had had enough after five chapters of extremely indistinct recordings by various readers, of poor pronunciation, etc. The worst, however, is the thoroughly shameful quality of recording. The entire audio volume would be best discarded in its entirety, as there is no pleasure to be gained from this reading.
Excellent
A LibriVox Listener
As stated by others, the text is complex—but only at first. Beyond that is an superbly crafted and bravely structured story of two lovers, and an astute depiction of rural England during the Napoleonic wars. The readings are for the most part excellent; however, several of the earlier sections are very difficult to follow and border on becoming offputting. But, I encourage the listener to persist.