Audiobooks by Elizabeth Gaskell

Cranford

"Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford is a warm, witty portrait of life in a small English town shaped by tradition, gossip, friendship, and quiet social change. Centered on a close-knit circle of mostly unmarried women, the novel blends gentle comedy with social observation, exploring class, manners, aging, independence, and community in Victorian England."

Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), Rory Young (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

Cranford

"This audiobook is narrated by an AI Voice. What secrets can survive in a town where every teacup, visit, silence, and courtesy has meaning? In Cranford, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell opens the door to a small Victorian community ruled not by wealth or power, but by custom, memory, friendship, and quiet pride. With delicate wit and humane insight, Gaskell observes the rituals of everyday life while gently revealing the deeper struggles beneath them: aging, loss, changing times, reduced fortunes, and the courage required to preserve dignity. The town of Cranford is governed by its remarkable circle of women—widows and unmarried ladies whose “elegant economy” hides financial fragility behind manners, modesty, and social ceremony. Through visits, misunderstandings, old loves, unexpected arrivals, and moments of tender loyalty, Gaskell creates a world that is comic, intimate, and quietly moving. First published in 1853 after appearing serially in Household Words, Cranford remains one of Gaskell’s most beloved works: an affectionate portrait of genteel poverty, female community, and a way of life standing at the edge of modern change. Its charm endures because its questions still matter: how do we remain kind, graceful, and human when the world around us shifts? This AI-narrated audiobook offers a clear, polished, and immersive listening experience, allowing Gaskell’s warmth, irony, and finely observed social detail to unfold with elegance and ease. Enter Cranford’s drawing rooms, whispered confidences, and gentle mysteries—and discover why this Victorian classic continues to comfort and enchant generations. Begin listening today."

Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), AI Voice Bob (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

Classic Love Stories: A BBC Radio Drama Collection: 12 Full-Cast Dramatisations including Wuthering Heights, now a major film

"Twelve dramatisations of the best love stories ever written, performed by star casts Treat yourself to this stunning collection of classic stories of love, loss, obstacles overcome and desperate attraction. This is a beautiful, moving and at times thrilling listen which takes you on a journey through the greatest tales of romance ever told. These unmissable, dramatised novels feature stellar performances from fantastic casts including Vanessa Kirby, Hiftu Quasem, Kate Philips, Rory Kinnear, Toby Jones, John Hurt and David Tennant. Anna Karenina is Leo Tolstoy's powerful drama of desire, transgression and heartache. Starring Kate Philips (Wolf Hall), Alfred Enoch (Harry Potter) and Rory Kinnear (James Bond films). Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is a fantastic mix of injustice, romance, passion and danger wrapped up in a glorious love story. Starring Amanda Hale (Catastrophe) and Tom Burke (Strike). Gustave Flaubert’s Madame Bovary is a masterpiece of betrayal and wantonness - the first great novel of adultery. Starring Sarah Smart (Wallander), Jude Akuwudike (Gangs of London) and James D’Arcy (Broadchurch) with John Hurt (Harry Potter) as the Narrator. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. In a town full of hatred, where the streets ring with the Capulet-Montague feud and swords are too easily drawn, Romeo and Juliet find each other, fall in love, and never let go. Starring Trystan Gravelle (Mr Selfridge), Vanessa Kirby (Mission Impossible), David Tennant (Broadchurch) and Paul Ready (Motherland). Chéri by Colette is the story of a love affair between a courtesan and a man half her age, set in Paris before the First World War. Starring Frances Barber (Silk) and Joseph Millson (The Last Kingdom) with Lindsay Duncan (Birdman) as the Narrator. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen remains one of the world’s favourite novels, dealing with the timeless issues of love, social class and money with a witty, clever - though flawed - heroine at its heart. Starring Pippa Nixon (Unforgotten), Jamie Parker (The Crown) and Toby Jones (The Detectorists). The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni is an icon of Italian literature: the story of two lovers who want nothing more than to marry but are beset by the hazards of war, bread riots and the machinations of a nameless crime lord. Starring Hiftu Quasem (Killing Eve) and Ian Dunnett Jnr (Masters of the Air). The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, written in 1928, is a pioneering novel about love and attraction between women. Starring Valerie Edmond as the enigmatic Stephen. Wuthering Heights is Emily Brontë's iconic love story. Heathcliff and Cathy's love is the beating heart of the story, set against the backdrop of the bleak Yorkshire moors. Starring Chloe Pirrie (Temple) and Ben Batt (Shameless). North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell explores social conscience, ideological difference and love in a mill town in the 1800s. Starring Emily Mortimer (The Pursuit of Love) and David Threlfall (Shameless). The Age of Innocence is Edith Wharton’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a passionate life-long love affair which breaks all the rules of the restrictive high society of 1870's New York. Starring Susan Lynch (Happy Valley) and Kellie Bright (Eastenders). Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy is a story of the belief in true romance and the power of money and love. Starring Alex Tregear (Silk: The Clerk’s Room), Toby Jones (The Detectorists) and Patrick Kennedy (Boardwalk Empire). This stunning collection is packed with the best romance stories written in the last 500 years – a fully dramatised, unmissable listen featuring some of the biggest names of stage and screen. ©2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd"

Alessandro Manzoni, Charlotte Brönte, Colette Avital, Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Gaskell, Emily Brönte, Gustave Flaubert, Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy, Radclyffe Hall, Thomas Hardy, William Shakespeare (Author), David Tennant, Full Cast, John Hurt, Kate Philips, Rory Kinnear, Toby Jones, Tom Burke, Vanessa Kirby (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

The Moorland Cottage

"This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. A touching portrait of a complicated family, Gaskell expertly confronts the mores and social problems faced by Victorian women while highlighting their strength and grace."

Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), Digital Voice Madison G (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

Wives and Daughters

"This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Set in English society before the 1832 Reform Bill, Wives and Daughters centers on the story of youthful Molly Gibson, brought up from childhood by her father. When he remarries, a new step-sister enters Molly's quiet life - loveable, but worldly and troubling, Cynthia. The narrative traces the development of the two girls into womanhood within the gossiping and watchful society of Hollingford."

Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), Digital Voice Madison G (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

Cranford

"This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. In the small town of Cranford, a close-knit circle of genteel women clings to the comforts of habit, propriety, and “elegant economy,” even as the wider world begins to press in with change. Through a series of lightly comic, tender episodes—misunderstood visitors, local charities, whispered scandals, and everyday acts of kindness—the community’s unspoken rules are tested by shifting fortunes and unexpected arrivals. At the center are resilient friendships that turn social performance into mutual protection, revealing how dignity can be maintained without wealth, and how compassion often appears in the plainest gestures. As old certainties wobble, Cranford’s quiet heroines adapt in their own determined way, proving that beneath the town’s prim manners lies a steady courage and a generous, quietly radical loyalty."

Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), Digital Voice Frederick Surrey E (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

Cranford

"This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Mary Smith and her friends live in Cranford, a town predominantly inhabited by women. The return of a long-lost brother named Peter is the most dramatic event to occur over the course of the sixteen tales that comprise the novel. Elizabeth Gaskell s Cranford is an ironic portrayal of female life in a secluded English village."

Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), Digital Voice Madison G (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

Cousin Phillis

"This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. The story is about Paul Manning, a youth of seventeen who moves to the country and befriends his mother's family and his (second) cousin Phillis Holman, who is confused by her own placement at the edge of adolescence."

Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), Digital Voice Madison G (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

Curious, If True Strange Tales

"This audiobook is narrated by a digital voice. Here is a collection of five spooky Victorian stories by Elizabeth Gaskell. Included are The Old Nurse's Story, The Poor Clare, Lois the Witch, The Grey Woman, and Curious, if True."

Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), Digital Voice Martin G (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

North and South

"'We are not angels, and we are not demons; we are men and women.' One of Gaskell's most renowned works, North and South is an exemplary example of the social novel. It remains widely popular today, having been adapted for television numerous times since its publication in 1854. Poignantly powerful and masterfully crafted, North and South contrasts the industrial north of England with the genteel south through the eyes of Margaret Hale, a strong-willed, intelligent young woman. When Margaret is forced to leave her tranquil life in rural Hampshire for the bustling, smoke-filled mill town of Milton, she is thrust into a world characterised by economic hardship and class disparity. Highly principled and seeing first-hand the devastating effects of industrialisation, Margaret clashes with proud mill owner John Thornton, whose views on capitalism and authority profoundly oppose her own. But as Margaret continues to witness the harsh realities the working-class face, she begins to appreciate the complexities behind Thorton's character. Beautifully exploring the nuances to love, morality and social justice, Gaskell paints a compelling portrait of a society on the brink of change. This audiobook is expertly read by the talented Rachel Atkins. Elizabeth Gaskell (1810 – 1865) was an English novelist, short story writer and biographer. Her work often focused on Victorian society and the lives of the working class. Gaskell was also a close friend of the writer Charlotte Brontë, penning her first biography. She is considered one of the most socially conscious novelists of her time."

Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), Rachel Atkins (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

North and South - Audiobook

"Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South is a sweeping social novel that explores the contrasts between rural gentility and the industrial North of England during the nineteenth century. It follows Margaret Hale, a young woman forced to leave her quiet southern home for the bustling, smoke-filled city of Milton. There she encounters the harsh realities of factory life, as well as the determined mill owner, John Thornton. What begins as a clash of values and temperaments slowly develops into a profound relationship, reflecting larger conflicts between labor and capital, tradition and progress. Gaskell's rich portrayal of working-class struggles, strikes, and social inequality grounds the novel in the pressing debates of the Industrial Revolution. Blending romance with sharp social commentary, North and South is both a compelling love story and a vivid portrait of Victorian society. It remains one of Gaskell's most beloved works, admired for its balance of human emotion and thoughtful reflection on class and change."

Classic Audiobooks, Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), Sophie Bennet (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free

[German] - Zwischen Schuld und Feuer: Unheimliche Frauenschicksale aus dem viktorianischen England

"Zwischen Schuld und Feuer: Zwei Welten. Zwei Frauen. Ein Schicksal.In den Schatten des viktorianischen Zeitalters, wo Unschuld und Verderben nur einen Herzschlag voneinander entfernt liegen, öffnet sich ein Abgrund, aus dem es kein Entrinnen gibt. Sind Sie bereit, an seine Kante zu treten? Das neue Hörbuch-Meisterwerk 'Zwischen Schuld und Feuer' entführt Sie in eine Zeit, in der das Schicksal von Frauen von Aberglaube, Geheimnissen und gnadenloser gesellschaftlicher Härte gezeichnet war. Zwei unvergessliche Geschichten von Elizabeth Gaskell, die Ihnen den Atem rauben werden. 'Die Geschichte der alten Kinderfrau' – Ein einsames Herrenhaus, eingeschlossen von einem endlosen Winter. Eine Kinderfrau will nur das ihr anvertraute Mädchen beschützen. Doch die stillen Korridore von Furnivall Manor bergen ein eisiges Geheimnis. Eine ferne Orgelmelodie in der Nacht, geisterhafte Kinderfüße im Schnee und der Schrei eines Kindes, das niemand hören will. Was ist damals geschehen? Und warum kehrt es jetzt zurück? 'Lois, die Hexe' – Salem, Neuengland. Ein Ort, an dem der Glaube zur Waffe wird. Die junge Lois Barclay flieht aus England in die Neue Welt, in der Hoffnung auf ein neues Leben. Doch ihre Ankunft entfesselt einen Sturm aus Misstrauen, Neid und religiösem Wahn. Ein geflüstertes Wort, ein falscher Blick – und schon bald steht sie im Zentrum der berüchtigten Hexenprozesse. In einer Welt, die nach Sündenböcken giert, wird ihre Unschuld zur tödlichen Provokation. 'Zwischen Schuld und Feuer' ist mehr als nur ein Hörbuch. Es ist eine Reise in die tiefsten Ängste der menschlichen Seele, meisterhaft zum Leben erweckt durch die fesselnde Stimme von Alke Katharine Szonn. Ihre Interpretation lässt Sie die Kälte des Schnees und das Lodern des Feuers am eigenen Leib spüren. Wagen Sie es, die Wahrheit hinter dem Schleier zu entdecken? Ein Hörerlebnis, das Sie nicht mehr loslassen wird."

Elizabeth Gaskell (Author), Alke Katharine Szonn (Narrator)

Audiobook

Play Sample Listen For Free