Shirley

Penguin Classics presents Charlotte Brontë''s Shirley, adapted for audio and now available as a digital download as part of the Penguin English Library series. Read by the actor Juliet Stevenson.

''Alas, Experience! No other mentor has so wasted and frozen a face as yours: none wears a robe so black, none bears a rod so heavy ...''

Struggling manufacturer Robert Moore has introduced labour saving machinery to his Yorkshire mill, arousing a ferment of unemployment and discontent among his workers. Robert considers marriage to the wealthy and independent Shirley Keeldar to solve his financial woes, yet his heart lies with his cousin Caroline, who, bored and desperate, lives as a dependent in her uncle''s home with no prospect of a career. Shirley, meanwhile, is in love with Robert''s brother, an impoverished tutor - a match opposed by her family. As industrial unrest builds to a potentially fatal pitch, can the four be reconciled?

Afforable, collectable, quality production-perfect for on-the-go listening.