Silas Marner by George Eliot (I.e., Mary-Anne Evans). Performed/read by Geraldine James.
Silas Marner (not Mariner) takes place in a small fictional town in 1800s England. Once in love and hoping to marry, Silas is falsely accused of a crime by townsfolk which destroys his relationship and alienates him from his friends and the people of Raveloe (a fictional village in rural England). Though he is not prosecuted Silas becomes a recluse only coming to town to sell his weavings. His fifteen years of self isolation prematurely ages him. His sole satisfaction is the money he's earned that he keeps hidden away in his home and counts in the gloom by candlelight.
Everything changes when one evening a toddler girl is found by Silas asleep in his shack. She because a treasure to Silas that is far greater than his gold.
Enjoy!

My Review: Story-Very Good. Reading-Very Good. Ms. James gives a fine performance.

George Eliot is actually Mary-Anne Evans. She chose a male pseudonym not because she couldn't get published as a woman but rather because she wanted to write stories with topics that women authors of that time usually didn't write about. Tidbit: There is a George Eliot Hospital in Mary-Anne's hometown.
Geraldine James is a British actress who has appeared in numerous TV shows such as Downton Abby, and also in movies including Best Film Oscar winner Gandhi along with Ben Kingsley who also reads David Copperfield here on Great Books On Tape. (While in the US there may be six degrees of separation among actors, in Great Britain it's more like two.)

Main Characters in Alphabetic Order:
Aaron - Dolly's son
Dolly - Aaron's mom who helps Silas with Eppie.
Duncan - the ne'er-do-well son of Squire Cass.
Eppie - A lost toddler who wanders into Silas' home and is then adopted by him. He names her Hephzibah (personal note: not good) but calls her Eppie for short (personal note: much better). Tidbit: Hephzibah is a name in the bible of the mother of Judah's king Manasseh and an adjective describing Zion. Hephzibah means my delight is in her. Got that info from Bible Gateway.
Godfrey - The other son of Squire Cass. Godfrey has a big secret.
Nancy - A good woman who chooses Godfrey as her husband.
Molly - A sad woman addicted to morphine. She has a small but essential role in our story.
Mr. Kimble - The town's doctor and Silas' uncle.
Sally - A woman with painful heart disease which Silas has a remedy for.
Silas - A wrongly disgraced weaver whose fiancée left him after false accusations were made. He also suffers from epilepsy.
Squire Cass - A rich self-important jerk.

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