Audiobooks Like Great Expectations

Simon Prebble reads Dickens at a measured pace that gives every eccentric character room to breathe — Miss Havisham in particular benefits from his restraint, where underplaying the grotesquerie makes it stranger. Four of the recommendations are also Dickens titles, and Prebble returns for one of them, so if you want more of that Victorian social texture with a narrator who understands how to handle long sentences and moral irony, the list is assembled with that specific listening experience in mind.

10 audiobooks for fans of Great Expectations

  1. 1
    A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance cover

    A Christmas Carol: A Signature Performance

    by Charles Dickens, Tim Curry

    Narrated by Tim Curry

    4.63 ABR Score (971.0K ratings)
    ★ 4.09 Goodreads (947.2K) ★ 4.74 Audible (23.8K)
    3h 31m listening time • Released 2010
  2. 2
    A Christmas Carol cover

    A Christmas Carol

    by Charles Dickens

    Narrated by Maxine Mitchell, Tim Paige, Lucy Rivers, Tieran Wilder, Devon Ryder, Gary Furlong, Joe Arden, Sebastian York, Troy Duran

    3.96 ABR Score (947.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.09 Goodreads (947.6K) ★ 5 Audible (6)
    2h 47m listening time • Released 2025
  3. 3
    Oliver Twist cover

    Oliver Twist

    by Charles Dickens

    Narrated by Alex Jennings

    3.90 ABR Score (431.1K ratings)
    ★ 3.88 Goodreads (431.1K) ★ 4.53 Audible (17)
    5h 43m listening time • Released 2011
  4. 4
    The Charles Dickens BBC Radio Drama Collection: The Early Years cover

    The Charles Dickens BBC Radio Drama Collection: The Early Years

    by Charles Dickens, Alex Jennings, Anna Massey, Bill Nighy, Julia McKenzie, Pam Ferris, Phil Daniels, Robert Glenister, Sandi Toksvig, Tim McInnerny

    Narrated by Full Cast, Anna Massey, Alex Jennings, Phil Daniels, Julia McKenzie, Tim McInnerny, Robert Glenister

    3.64 ABR Score (69 ratings)
    ★ 4.47 Goodreads (15) ★ 4.5 Audible (54)
    35h 7m listening time • Released 2018
  5. 5
    Nicholas Nickleby cover

    Nicholas Nickleby

    by Anne de Graaf, Charles Dickens

    Narrated by Alex Jennings

    3.90 ABR Score (322 ratings)
    ★ 3.91 Goodreads (34) ★ 4.72 Audible (288)
    34h 42m listening time • Released 2009
  6. 6
    The Pickwick Papers (Charles Dickens) cover

    The Pickwick Papers (Charles Dickens)

    by Charles Dickens

    Narrated by Simon Vance

    3.89 ABR Score (32.4K ratings)
    ★ 3.85 Goodreads (32.4K) ★ 4.61 Audible (44)
    29h 18m listening time • Released 2020

    Simon Vance's vocal range transforms Dickens' sprawling cast into a fully realized world, turning what could feel episodic into genuinely addictive storytelling. It's the rare classic that feels alive in audio.

  7. 7
    Our Mutual Friend cover

    Our Mutual Friend

    Our Mutual Friend #1-2

    by Charles Dickens, Richard Gaughan

    Narrated by Alex Jennings

    3.85 ABR Score (31.6K ratings)
    ★ 4.09 Goodreads (31.6K) ★ 4 Audible (6)
    2h 58m listening time • Released 2006
  8. 8
    The Cricket on the Hearth cover

    The Cricket on the Hearth

    by Charles Dickens

    Narrated by Jim Dale

    3.75 ABR Score (9.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.47 Goodreads (8.8K) ★ 4.31 Audible (319)
    3h 37m listening time • Released 2013

    Jim Dale transforms this lesser-known Dickens novella into pure emotional theater—his voice work for each character is so distinct and alive that you forget you're listening to one man. It's a perfect Christmas story for people who think they've outgrown them.

  9. 9
    A Word Child cover

    A Word Child

    by Iris Murdoch

    Narrated by Simon Prebble

    3.74 ABR Score (1.8K ratings)
    ★ 3.9 Goodreads (1.7K) ★ 4.12 Audible (52)
    15h 59m listening time • Released 2013

    Simon Prebble's narration captures Hilary Burde's neurotic, self-justifying voice so perfectly that you'll feel trapped inside his obsessive mind for sixteen hours—which is exactly where Murdoch wants you.

  10. 10
    Dombey and son / cover

    Dombey and son /

    by Charles Dickens

    Narrated by Alex Jennings, Full Cast, Robert Glenister

    3.56 ABR Score (63 ratings)
    ★ 4.12 Goodreads (58) ★ 4.6 Audible (5)
    4h 36m listening time • Released 2012

How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

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