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Title details for Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - Available

Wuthering Heights

A full-cast BBC radio dramatisation

by Emily Bronte
Rachel Joyce
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

Chloe Pirrie and Ben Batt star in this stunning dramatisation of Emily Brontë's classic, adapted by bestselling author Rachel Joyce
When homeless orphan Heathcliff is brought to the isolated, storm-swept farmhouse of Wuthering Heights, he sparks very different emotions in the children of the house, Hindley and Cathy. While Hindley instantly hates him and makes his life miserable, Heathcliff finds a soulmate in Cathy and the two spend days playing together on the wild Yorkshire moors.
Inseparable as children, passionately in love as adolescents, they are everything to each other – until Cathy meets the wealthy, handsome Edgar Linton and agrees to marry him. Consumed by jealousy and resentment, Heathcliff flees, returning three years later rich and seeking revenge.
Bitter and cruel, he vows to destroy everyone who has hurt him – and his hatred and vengeance will ruin the lives of two generations before it runs its course...
First published in 1847, Wuthering Heights scandalized Victorian readers with its shocking portrayal of obsession and doomed love. This radio production, dramatised by Rachel Joyce, retains all the force and intensity of Emily Brontë's masterpiece.
Cast
Nelly........................Emma Fielding
Young Cathy........................Rosie Boore
Young Heathcliff........................Reuben Bainbridge
Hindley........................Luke Bailey
Mr Earnshaw........................Clive Hayward
Joseph........................Philip Bretherton
Frances/Mary (Servant girl)........................Lauren Cornelius
Edgar/Linton (adult)........................Ryan Whittle
Servant 1/Priest........................Ryan Early
Servant 2........................Philip Bretherton
Adult Cathy........................Chloe Pirrie
Adult Heathcliff........................Ben Batt
Isabella........................Kerry Gooderson
Hareton........................Ruben Cryer/Tom Glynn-Carney
Dr Kenneth........................Clive Hayward
Linton (Young child)........................Charlie Brand
Zillah (Servant)........................Georgie Glen
Catherine (adult)........................Bryony Hannah
Linton (Older child)........................Oliver Zetterstrom
Produced and Directed by Tracey Neale
Production Coordinator: Joanne Hopper
Studio Managers: Cal Knightley, Anne Bunting and Jenni Burnett

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 5, 2018

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781785299537
      • File size: 65995 KB
      • Duration: 02:17:29

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 830
    • Text Difficulty: 4-5

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 13, 2005
      The main drama in Bronte's novel happens in a long narrative told by an elderly housekeeper to a convalescing new tenant. This story-within-a-story setup makes it well suited for audio adaptation, as Scales takes the housekeeper's part and relates the past, while West performs as the tenant and describes the present. Scales primarily uses a folksy lower-class accent, but she also makes her voice harsh and threatening when speaking as Heathcliff, the surly man at the novel's heart. West, as the bewildered tenant, manages to sound both nervous and pretentious, but his part is fairly small, especially with this abridgment, so he mostly serves to provide transitions for the housekeeper's story. The extensive abridgment generally deletes sentences and phrases rather than entire paragraphs or sections. One drawback for the audio format is the difficulty of clarifying the novel's convoluted plot and family tree, since it's harder to search back through long CD tracks than through earlier chapters of the paperback. While a little of the depth of Bronte's writing is lost in abridgment, the novel's emotional core remains intact and wrenching, and the actors' heartfelt interpretations make it easy to imagine being curled up by a warm fire listening to an absorbing tale. In June, Penguin Audio remastered and released on CD for the first time nine other Penguin Classics: Crime and Punishment, Dracula, Frankenstein, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, Moby Dick, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Tale of Two Cities.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Slamming doors. Jangling of keys. The whispery, husky voice of a man on his deathbed. The anguish of a selfish woman realizing her paramour has overheard her lack of faith. The sound effects of this production create a completely absorbing experience. Appropriately haunting pieces of music connect the episodes, and the ensemble cast is perfectly matched to deliver the characters of The Grange and Wuthering Heights. The recording features outstanding performances by Amanda Root as the high-strung, na•ve Cathy and John Duttine as the dark and ultimately cruel Heathcliff. Duttine's masterful scene of Heathcliff's morbid visit to Cathy's grave is psychologically rich and truly chilling. R.F. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Many people who read WUTHERING HEIGHTS are captivated by the core story--Cathy and Heathcliff's experience on the moors. This is as it should be, but the intensity of Bront‘'s story allows people to forget its careful construction. This recording should help correct that. The first chapters are told by Mr. Lockwood; David Timson's delivery brings out his emotionally distant nature. However, Janet McTeer's performance of the book's later chapters brings the book fully to life. She captures different accents for each character. These accents not only distinguish characters immediately, but also show Bront‘'s awareness of class and geographical variation in England. Further, McTeer's sections throb with the passions appropriate to this classic. G.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Bront‘'s treasured tale of willfulness, passion, vengeance, and redemption has never shone more brightly than in this production read by Michael Page and Laural Merlington. Page, as the hapless tenant of Thrushcross Grange, and Merlington, as housekeeper Nellie Dean, together recount the story of Catherine and Heathcliff. Soulmates from childhood, their pride and tempers separate them as adults, until the very last moments of Catherine's life. Page's flawless elocution and detachment highlight, rather than cover, the raw emotion in Heathcliff past and present. Merlington transitions nimbly among various dialects, ages, and genders, all the while maintaining the narrative character of Nellie Dean. Together the two bring balance and elegant professionalism to an exquisite work of literature. R.P.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
    • AudioFile Magazine
      Donada Peters gives a heroic performance as she reads Emily Bront‘'s cruel and emotional love story of Catherine Earnshaw and her life's love, Heathcliff. Peters's reading is so vivid the listener can almost see Heathcliff's sneer as he speaks with those he despises. Peters is able to make each character sound the part, whether reading Catherine's hysterical lines, Heathcliff's angry speeches, or Joseph's thick brogue. While Bront‘'s work can become tiresome in its bleak human interactions, Peters brings this tale of haunting suffering to life. H.L.S. 2004 Audie Award Finalist (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:830
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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