Patrick Tull has again created a masterpiece, a cameo performance. His vicar, Mr. Primrose, calls to mind the robust, periwig-pated fellow” of an earlier age as we watch him endure the total collapse of his once tranquil world. Everything short of boils befalls the hapless Mr. Primrose, but his resolve is never shaken. Patrick Tull’s voice, expressive and energized with latent excitement, creates anticipation as listeners bemoan Mr. Primrose and family’s parade of tumbling fortunes and rejoice at their restoration. The result is one of the oldest comic novels in English presented to the reader shining with fresh, new varnish. P.E.F. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine
The story opens in the country parsonage of Dr. Primrose, a kindly man who has a good heart, a good family, and a good income. Suddenly, his idyllic life is cruelly devastated by a series of misfortunes, and he ends up in prison. Yet, despite all this calamity and injustice, the vicar never loses sight of Christian morality, a conviction which lends him genuine nobility and, in the end, also brings justice and the restoration of his family and fortune.
Through this simple, almost fairy-tale plot, Goldsmith gives us a charming comedy. It is not a novel of sentiment but an artful send-up of many of the familiar literary conventions of his day: the pastoral scene, the artificial romance, the unquestioning stoic bravery of the hero-all culminating in a gloriously improbable dénouement.
The story opens in the country parsonage of Dr. Primrose, a kindly man who has a good heart, a good family, and a good income. Suddenly, his idyllic life is cruelly devastated by a series of misfortunes, and he ends up in prison. Yet, despite all this calamity and injustice, the vicar never loses sight of Christian morality, a conviction which lends him genuine nobility and, in the end, also brings justice and the restoration of his family and fortune.
Through this simple, almost fairy-tale plot, Goldsmith gives us a charming comedy. It is not a novel of sentiment but an artful send-up of many of the familiar literary conventions of his day: the pastoral scene, the artificial romance, the unquestioning stoic bravery of the hero-all culminating in a gloriously improbable dénouement.
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Product Details
BN ID: | 2940169905243 |
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Publisher: | Blackstone Audio, Inc. |
Publication date: | 01/01/2006 |
Edition description: | Unabridged |
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