Hard Times

Step into the world of Charles Dickens 1854 novel, Hard Times, where the stark philosophy of education championed by the pragmatic Mr. Gradgrind takes center stage. He raises his children, Louisa and Tom, to forsake imagination and emotion in favor of cold, hard facts. The consequences are dire Louisa enters a loveless marriage with the self-made man Mr. Bounderby, while Tom spirals into a life of disarray, ultimately resorting to theft and blaming an innocent laborer, Stephen Blackpool. Set against the backdrop of the fictional mill town of Coketown, Dickens provides a biting critique of capitalism, social mobility, class division, and Utilitarianism. Enjoy this captivating dramatic reading featuring a talented cast of LibriVox volunteers who breathe life into Dickens colorful and comic characters. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)