Stephen Fry’s Victorian Secrets

An Audible Original

By: John Woolf, Nick Baker

Narrated by: Stephen Fry

"Listening to Stephen Fry is always a treat, and this audiobook makes the treat even sweeter. Frequently joined by a number of historians, authors, and reenactors, Fry seems to be having a wonderful time recounting some of the fascinating arcana of the ostensibly tightly wound Victorian Era. With whimsical music to mark the short, informative, and entertaining chapters, Fry delivers hidden truths and juicy secrets on subjects ranging from scandals and sanitation to sexuality and sadism. Diaries, journals, newspaper articles, and historical materials of the period offer listeners you-are-there reenactments of crime, sex, freaks, medical practices, and more - all interspersed with Fry's amusing commentary. Thanks to Fry, audio is unquestionably the best way to enjoy this material. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award." (AudioFile magazine)

On the surface, the Victorian age is one of propriety, industry, prudishness and piety. But scratch the surface and you’ll find scandal, sadism, sex, madness, malice and murder.

Presented by Stephen Fry, this series delves deep into a period of time we think we know, to discover an altogether darker reality. The stories we’re told offer a different perspective on an era which underwent massive social change. As education, trade, technology and culture blossomed, why was there an undercurrent of the ‘forbidden’ festering beneath Victorian society?

Across 12 episodes, Stephen presents a series of true accounts of the dangerous low life and debauched high life of Victorian Britain.

©2018 Audible, Ltd (P)2018 Audible, Ltd

Please, have mercy and cut out the sound effects

I hate sound effects and intrusive music in my audible experiences, if you play a *short* tune between chapters, fine. (as long as its short) but background music is unnecessary and distracting.

Ditto, only more so, for *sound effects* the reason reading (and listening) to books is so fulfilling for me is because it allows me to use my imagination to fill in the blanks. This is something I enjoy doing and you adding sounds separate from the voice of the narrator is harshing my groove.

KNOCK IT OFF,

please.

if you like victorian history this is for you.

This is an amazing look into Victorian history with modern eyes. Steven does an amazing job and the acting is great. Highly suggest

Really interesting material and flawless dramatization!

This was a very enjoyable collection of the ways of the Victorian era. It is always a good reminder that the people.we.see in faded photos and paintings were real people who lived, loved and struggled perhaps not exactly as we do but every generation has its own unique issues as well ,as issues we have always and always will have. It is so important for us to understand when we attempt to judge those who came before us that the past is a different country they do things differently. Every generation has issues that should have been dealt with in a better way. Our brand children will judge us as well. This enjoyable collection is a way to better understand what and why our history is what it is.

Romp through Victorian England with Stephen Fry.

This is (mostly) fun romp through hidden Victorian England, though there are some serious and disturbing subjects dealt with. I just wish it was longer and went into more detail in each chapter. It could have been twice as long without being a bit boring! I really felt it just scratched the surface of a lot of these topics and of course Stephen Fry's voice makes anything fantastic. I would listen to him read a phone book. However it is nice having the different voices too and adds to the drama. Victorian's views on "Begetting Handsome Children" (aka beautiful children are a result of good sex and women orgasming!) came as a real surprise to me. Also not to listener, Stephen Fry is not the author.

A wonderful read

Don't listen with Children in the room, but then again... Do.

While many of the secrets in this historical discussion are sexual or graphic in nature, it's a true education about what people did. It's a true joy to listen to this book.

Fun stories

Full of fun stories, not too many of them completely unknown. I like multiple voice actors and re-enactments. I did not like the background music. Very repetitive and distracting. Would have preferred it without any of the music at all.

Great Audio Docudrama(esque) Podcast Style

This is not an audio book. This is not quite an audio documentary in the BBC Radio sense of it either. It is a narrated and re-enacted documentary, podcast style. Perhaps this cross-genre presentation explains the mixed reviews I read before I decided to purchase this. I almost did not, because of those reviews. The background music was not even apparent to me during sampling. Until I read a review complaining about it. Suddenly it was all I could hear. The voice acting was a bit over the top in some places. Perhaps because they were reading from actual letters and diaries. I did find myself wishing that they had been directed to simply read these letters and diaries with feelings, rather than to act them out. Overall, a very enjoyable audible.

wonderful

if you are into history, you will love this. readers did great job. bringing in others to reinforce the history portion was a nice touch

Wonderfully Surprising

Though I never though myself to fancy the Victorian times this was indeed a wonderful story.

Love Stephen Fry!

Highly entertaining stories of Victorian secrets told by a great cast and narrated by the fantastic Stephen Fry. Much funnier than I thought it would be!