To send an abridged recorded book without notifying the customer (see your web site; no mention that I could find) about the abridgement is not the sort of business practice I've come to expect from Amazon. I sent it back, of course, hence a waste of time and money not to mention trust.

Greed and selfishness abound in this long novel originally brought to the 1843-44 reading public through twenty monthly installments. The book did not sell well and is today little known except to Dickens fans. It is well worth a perusal as it:
1. Exhibits a fascinating cast of characters from the alcohoic nurse Mrs Gamp and her imaginary friend Mrs Harris to the unforgettable Mr. Seth Pecksniff whose hypocritical lifestyle is a gem of descriptive satire by the master Dickens. Pecksniff is an architect seeking to wed his two daughters to rich folks, claim credit for other people' work and cast aside from his office such worthy young gentlemen as Martin Chuzzlewit, John Westlock and the timorous Tom Pinch. Tom and his Ruth are a beautiful example of sibling love and kindness to others in need.
The book is also an excellent mystery as the evil Jonas Chuzzlewit plots the death of his rich old father; murders a business associate and is finally arrested. Jonas commits suicide by poison orignally intended for his father.
All's well that ends well is this long serialized work. The section on Martin and his friend Mark Tapley's trip to the USA was inserted by Dickens to raise sluggish sale figures for the monthly installments of the work. Dickens had a keen eye for Yankee foibles from spitting to politics to making a quick buck. Martin and Mark end their journey in the swampy regions of the town of Eden. Only the help of Mr. Bevan a kind American allows them to return to England. Dickens had been disillusioned by the republic of his American cousins in his 1841 tour of the states. He briefly mentions slavery in America and his view is negative. It should also be noted that Dickens found much to find fault with and criticize about his native land of England.
This is not the first Dickens novel to begin with for there are parts (especially in the first installments) that drag as we learn about old Martin Chuzzlewit's ancestors and his disowning of his grandson Martin the hero of the novel. They will later reconcile in the exciting finish of this racing coach of genius across the broad sweep of the Victorian town and country landscape.
Charles Dickens was a genius whose words deserve to be read as long as the English language is spoken, celebrated and honored on this globe.
Great book!

because I really think that this is a great work, with only a few minor flaws. I admit that for the first 300 pages or so that I was somewhat unimpressed- it seemed like Dickens wasn't presenting anything different from his other works, but, as someone else mentioned, the pace really picked up the farther I got into it. I ended up spending much of the weekend reading just because I couldn't wait to find out how it ended! The only thing I would say was an issue was the sentimentality that showed up in characters like Tom Pinch and Mary Graham. As others have said, I wouldn't recommend this for one's first Dickens, but it is still a wonderful and enthralling read.

Martin Chuzzlewit the elder is dying and all the family has designs on gaining their inheritance. His grandson seems the odds on favorite but young Martin, the grandson has fallen madly in love with the elder Martin's altruistic nurse, Mary Graham. Why the elder Martin finds this terrifying is puzzling. Does he really think Mary's interest in Martin the younger will compromise the quality of her job? Oh, oh...I've done it, I've caught Dickens capturing the foibles of humanity again!!!
These characters sometimes make me scream. I'd like to be face to face with them, vigourously attempting to argue them out of their other-destructive behavior...Of course it would be totally useless as far as they're concerned, but hopefully cathartic for me.
The PBS video (6 hours) is how I was introduced to this story. After viewing the video I read the book. Dickens offers a marked contrast to his near contemporary Alexis deTocqueville's. Where Tocqueville saw free association and high community spirit in his Democracy in America, Dickens saw flim-flam and greed everywhere. -As greed and selfishness are big themes in Chuzzlewit, America proved an apt foil. It is said American publishers pirated Dickens work, paying him no royalties, adding fuel to his ire. Other reviewers have commented on Pecksniff , Mrs. Gump, Jonas Chuzzlewit and Tom Pinch. Oh, there are Dickensian characters in this book. The rivalry between Mercy and Charity Pecksniff results in this case, in alarming tragedies of self-centeredness. If there be humor in such goings on, you'll love Montigue Tigg (Tigg Montigue). He is every bit the operator, having much in common with Mr. Merdle of Dicken's Little Dorritt. Rest assured, as Dickens torments the reader with the trials of his characters, this is one of those tales where just desserts are served in the end.

If you like Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit is definitely worth the read. Like virtually everything he wrote, this novel is engaging, emotional, and intensely human. It follows a pattern that is bound to seem familiar to those acquainted with Dickens, and has a very Dickensian happy ending; but then, that is what we love about Dickens. There is still something to be said for virtue, and it satisfies our sense of justice when it wins out in the end. That isn't a very modern sentiment, but it is an undeniably good one. This isn't the first book I would recommend for someone wanting to pick up a little Dickens (Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist would probably all come first), but this is worth the read. I give it four stars only because I think it is second-tier Dickens; but second-tier Dickens is still first-rate.