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Audiobook edition · 7 h 9 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when a trusting heart meets false friends, empty flattery, and the schemes of the powerful?
Dr. Charles Primrose believes in plain living, honest work, and the goodness of others. In Oliver Goldsmith’s The Vicar of Wakefield, this country clergyman tells his family’s story himself. But money entrusted to a merchant is lost, and their comfortable life gives way to an uncertain new home.
His wife Deborah wants her daughters to rise in the world. Olivia welcomes admiration, while Sophia values honest character. A friendly traveller, Mr. Burchell, offers warnings; their charming landlord, Squire Thornhill, takes an interest in the daughters. As troubles gather, the vicar must hold his family together without losing his faith.
What you’ll discover
- A narrator with blind spots See the world through a kind, learned man whose vanity makes his own account quietly funny.
- A household full of hopes Meet parents and children whose affection lives alongside pride, ambition, and very human mistakes.
- Charm worth questioning Watch wealth and flattery test a family eager to believe the best of others.
- Goodness under pressure Explore what honesty and trust demand when money troubles and false friends shake a settled life.
- Humour with a gentle edge Enjoy Goldsmith’s warm, teasing irony as good intentions meet clever sellers and social ambition.
Who will love it
For readers who love eighteenth century comedy, warm family stories and a narrator with blind spots. It is also good for anyone curious about the roots of the English novel.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A happy home with a proud head
- Fortune fails and the family must move
- A stranger and a landlord arrive
- Small cheats and grand ambitions
- Virtue tested by misfortune
- A first-person tale with a smiling eye
Who’s who
- Dr. Charles PrimroseThe vicar and narrator, a kind, learned and vain clergyman who wants to keep his family together and his faith firm.
- Deborah PrimroseThe vicar's wife, a thrifty housekeeper who loves fine company and wants her daughters to rise in the world.
- OliviaThe elder daughter, admired for her beauty and eager for attention and a good match.
- SophiaThe younger daughter, admired for her sweetness and good sense, who values honest character.
- GeorgeThe vicar's eldest son, educated at Oxford, who hopes to marry Arabella Wilmot and make his own way.
- MosesThe practical younger son, who means well but is easily taken in by clever sellers.
- Mr. BurchellA poor, outspoken traveller who becomes a friend of the family and warns them against false flatterers.
- Squire ThornhillThe rich young landlord, charming and powerful, who takes a close interest in the vicar's daughters.
Formats and delivery
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- Large-print eBook
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- Audiobook
- 7 h 9 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 8 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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El vicario de Wakefield
by Oliver Goldsmith · 1766
Dr. Primrose faces money trouble and false friends as his family's misfortunes test his trusting heart.
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In short
The Vicar of Wakefield is a short novel by Oliver Goldsmith, an Irish writer working in London. It appeared in 1766, when Goldsmith was already known as a poet, essayist and playwright.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A happy home with a proud head
The story opens in the vicar's own voice. Dr. Primrose lives in the countryside with his wife Deborah and their children. He is pleased with his family and says so. He describes his wife as a good housekeeper and a fine cook, and he sees his children as handsome and clever.
The family has six children in all. Olivia, the elder daughter, is admired for her beauty. Sophia, the younger, is admired for her good sense and sweetness. George, the eldest son, has been educated at Oxford, and Moses is a quieter, practical boy. Two younger children complete the household.
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What is The Vicar of Wakefield about?
It is about Dr. Primrose, a kind country clergyman, and his family. They lose their fortune, move to a poorer parish and face deceit, vanity and hardship, while the vicar's faith and judgement are tested.
When was The Vicar of Wakefield written and is it a true story?
Oliver Goldsmith published it in 1766. It is a work of fiction, a moral and comic tale told in the first person, not a record of real events.
Who is the narrator of The Vicar of Wakefield?
The narrator is the vicar himself, Dr. Charles Primrose. He tells his own story with sincerity, and his pride and blind spots are a main source of the book's gentle humour.
The author
Oliver Goldsmith
1728–1774 · Anglo-Irish novelist and poet
Oliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer of the eighteenth century whose range spanned the novel (The Vicar of Wakefield), poetry, and the stage. She Stoops to Conquer remains one of the most enduring comedies in English.
More by Oliver Goldsmith
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