The Cloister and the Hearth: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

The Cloister and the Hearth, credited to Charles Reade, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of The Cloister and the Hearth by Charles Reade. Read in English by Tom Denholm 'The Cloister and the Hearth', by Charles Reade, was published in 1861. It's a long and winding picaresque novel set in 15th century Europe, telling the story of the love between Gerard Eliason, an artist turned priest, and Margaret Brandt, the daughter of a poor scholar, and reflects the conflict between family and church which overshadowed the lives of so many in medieval times. Its uniqueness lies in the way Reade, having meticulously researched his subject and the period, gives us insights more detailed than any other writer of fiction into medieval lifestyles and morals, combined with vivid descriptions of his characters – many based on real historical figures – and locations. He deliberately strays towards a medieval writing style, with many an archaic word to tantalise the reader or listener (an education in itself). Until well into the twentieth century, ‘The Cloister and the Hearth’ was considered one of the greatest novels in the English language. Its popularity may have faded, but those who have read it will tell you of the enduring power of Reade’s tour de force. A revival is long overdue, and is deserved: it’s an exceptional book. - Summary by Tom Denholm

Recording facts

• Recording title: The Cloister and the Hearth
• Author credits: Charles Reade
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 106
• Listed recording duration: 36:16:38

Catalogue topics

• romance
• Catholicism
• Italy
• Erasmus
• Netherlands
• plague
• picaresque
• celibacy

Opening tracks: first 24 of 106

1. 001 - Chapter 1 — 36:08
2. 002 - Chapter 2 — 36:45
3. 003 - Chapter 3 — 25:43
4. 004 - Chapter 4 — 14:34
5. 005 - Chapter 5 — 3:55
6. 006 - Chapter 6 — 8:37
7. 007 - Chapter 7 — 23:10
8. 008 - Chapter 8 — 14:38
9. 009 - Chapter 9 — 25:53
10. 010 - Chapter 10 — 31:36
11. 011 - Chapter 11 — 13:20
12. 012 - Chapter 12 — 11:37
13. 013 - Chapter 13 — 9:05
14. 014 - Chapter 14 — 11:51
15. 015 - Chapter 15 — 6:01
16. 016 - Chapter 16 — 3:19
17. 017 - Chapter 17 — 10:29
18. 018 - Chapter 18 — 2:38
19. 019 - Chapter 19 — 15:50
20. 020 - Chapter 20 — 17:03
21. 021 - Chapter 21 — 5:02
22. 022 - Chapter 22 — 3:55
23. 023 - Chapter 23 — 12:48
24. 024 - Chapter 24, Part 1 — 43:20

Listen to this recording

Open the complete recording and player on Internet Archive. The player includes the full track list and available download formats.

Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.