The Wreck of the Golden Mary

Written by Charles Dickens

Narrated by LibriVox Community

A short story of a ship wreck in 1851 trying to round Cape Horn on its way to the California gold fields. Poignant and well written. ( Summary by JCarson )

• Language: English
• Publisher: LibriVox
• Release date: Aug 25, 2014

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic. Regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, Dickens had a prolific collection of works including fifteen novels, five novellas, and hundreds of short stories and articles. The term “cliffhanger endings” was created because of his practice of ending his serial short stories with drama and suspense. Dickens’ political and social beliefs heavily shaped his literary work. He argued against capitalist beliefs, and advocated for children’s rights, education, and other social reforms. Dickens advocacy for such causes is apparent in his empathetic portrayal of lower classes in his famous works, such as The Christmas Carol and Hard Times.

Reviews for The Wreck of the Golden Mary

[Windhawk2019 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A dark and tragic tale by a master storyteller.

While short and ending without the resolution of the plight of its characters, it paints a picture in miniature of a remorseless sea and of human nature, frail yet stiff in spirit, forcibly bowed down by circumstance.

A timely tale for those of us in our own longboats cast along a sea of unrelenting and merciless lockdown.