Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour
Robert Smith Surtees
Read by Kevin Green
Mr. Sponge's Sporting Tour is a delightful comic satire of the fox-hunting fraternity of the mid 19th Century. Surtees takes great pleasure in creating comic personalities and dialogue and resembles the later Pickwick Papers of Dickens, whose style may well have been influenced by Surtees. The story follows the eponymous Soapy Sponge, a Victorian freeloader and confidence trickster, who manages to work his way around the gentrified houses of southern England, fox-hunting as he goes. - Summary by Kevin Green (20 hr 15 min)
Chapters
Reviews
Jo
Wonderfully read - thank you very much to the reader. The story itself is not really 'my type of thing' but I enjoyed myself all the same, and laughed out loud several times. Like several early-ish Victorian stories, it is very episodical, and feels more concerned with showcasing and satirising various scenes and people and situations than developing character and plot, so if you are a fan of that kind of story (and don't mind fox hunting as the primary subject matter) you may really enjoy this.
Enjoyable!
TwinkieToes
The main character's name is appropriate, as he tours around, sponging off his hosts, overstaying his welcome until his hosts are thoroughly sick of him - and he's thoroughly sick of his hosts. The different characterizations are quite entertaining, as are the situations where Mr. Sponge tries to gain the upper hand, while avoiding those trying to take advantage of him. Nicely read by Kevin Green.
Harry Lime
Excellent story . Fine reading EXCEPT for the horrid choice to characterize the wheezing voice far to overdone especially for a multi-chapter character! A small passing part could be acceptable but so grating it was safer to skip entire chapters rather than to chance being sonically assulted.
Thank you!
rafaelavaazdecaminha
Thank you very much for posting this file. Great work!