The Christmas Hirelings
By: Mary Elizabeth Braddon / Narrated By: Richard Armitage
Length: 3 hrs and 53 mins
Sooo good, even if R. Armitage DID scare me at times…!
It’s a good thing that our hero for this audiobook, The Christmas Hirelings, one Sir John Penlyon is a cold, heart-of-stone sort of man (He’s hardened his heart ever since he had to disown his youngest daughter for marrying without permission). Why do I say that? I mean, since when is a curmudgeon grand to be listening to?
Well, it’s part of the story… and it PERfectly melds with Richard Amitage’s voice and tones. Not since he was doing the dreary, concentration camp tones of The Tattooist of Auschwitz have I felt such glooooom. It’s just the man’s style!
But that’s how this story begins, with three friends, Sir John, his niece Adele, and the ever good-natured Thomas Denby ruminating on just how very dull Christmas is, and it’s not really good without children cuz they’re the only ones who get all excited by it. No, by the time one grows up, all the fun, the hope, the imagination has been well-trampled by life. So the merry Denby has an idea: Let’s hire some children. They’d be of a certain class (CanNOT have street urchins running about the place), and they’d be around for only until early January—there for just the fun of the Season, then swiftly gone back to parents. And their parents would be paid handsomely…
Sir John grumbles and groans (Good job, Armitage!), but he’s soooo DONE with Christmas that he tells Denby to go ahead and find suitable children, and he coughs up the goodly sum to pay the parents. Imagine his (disgruntled) surprise when three verrrry young children burst into the house, oohing and aaaahing over how grand everything is. He’s further dismayed when the youngest of the bunch dashes to him and makes herself known. This is Moppet, and Sir John is barking at Denby for getting tiny children—They’ll CERtainly get underfoot; he’ll CERtainly squash them.
But the children are just so gosh-darned pleasant, so cheery and excited, and little Moppet is so affectionate and truly well-spoken for a mite her age, that Sir John relents.
The rest of the tale is NATurally of Sir John’s heart melting, what with the children being dear. And tho’ I very MUCH loathe stories about precocious children (Dude! Bah HUMbug, I say!), Moppet’s use of language and her charming Sir John with her loving ways had me finding her as adorable and admirable as Sir John does.
This is all furthered by Sir John’s inner dialogues where he’s slooooowly starting to get ticked off with Denby. After all, who asked HIM if he wanted to feel something again?! And dad-blast it all if he’s not starting to think of how empty his life will be when the children are to leave in January. Plus, something dreadful happens, and then Sir John is well and tRUly ticked off as he agonizes through situations he has no control over.
I’ve gotta tell ya, I started this audiobook way back in November cuz I just wanted something charming and loving. This book fits the bill. And tho’ Armitage growls and snarls and snaps with the best of them, he does indeed manage to make the children’s voices suitable and not sickly sweet either.
A total hit at not quite 4 hours, so you can bang this out in a day, saaaaay whilst baking for your family, those you’ve been living with as we quarantine with our loved ones this Covid Christmas.
Yeh yeh yeh. This global pandemic has things different and totally a bummer this year (I miss my family!!!), but this little audiobook is just the hug I was needing!
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