2 Book Lovers Reviews

The Christmas Hirelings


By Mary Elizabeth Braddon

​​It’s always fun getting into the holiday season.  When I saw that The Christmas Hirelings was being offered for free on Audible, I thought that it would be a great addition to my holiday preparations.

The Christmas Hirelings is set in Braddon’s contemporary period, circa mid to late eighteen hundreds.  It is set in an aristocratic household and revolves around a preposterous idea.  A group of people with more money than brains decide to hire some children to enhance their own merriment during the Christmas season.

At first I was floored by the sheer arrogance that these people thought nothing of this idea, even going so far as discussing the temperament that these children must possess.  As the story went on, the true intentions of the characters became evident.  I saw early on where the story was going, but often the ride is more fun than the destination.

Richard Armitage’s narration was fantastic.  He really immersed himself into the characters, each one with their own particular lilt or accent.  It felt more like a presentation than a simple narration of a story.


*4 Stars 

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