Shirley


Read by LibriVox Volunteers

(4 stars; 73 reviews)

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


(5 stars)

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


(4.5 stars)

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


(5 stars)

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


(5 stars)

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


(3 stars)

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.


(5 stars)

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


(0.5 stars)

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


(4 stars)

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.