Mansfield Park

By: Jane Austen

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

From its sharply satiric opening sentence, Mansfield Park deals with money and marriage, and how strongly they affect each other.

Shy, fragile Fanny Price is the consummate "poor relation". Sent to live with her wealthy uncle Thomas, she clashes with his spoiled, selfish daughters and falls in love with his son. Their lives are further complicated by the arrival of a pair of witty, sophisticated Londoners, whose flair for flirtation collides with the quiet, conservative country ways of Mansfield Park.

Written several years after the early manuscripts that eventually became Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park retains Jane Austen's familiar compassion and humor but offers a far more complex exploration of moral choices and their emotional consequences.

Public Domain (P)2008 Tantor

great book

I love the story, poor Fanny always being abused by her aunt. I really enjoyed the story

Nicely narrated

Would you listen to Mansfield Park again? Why?

It's likely I would listen to this again. I enjoyed it more this time, both reading on my Fire and listening at the same time, than I have previously.

What other book might you compare Mansfield Park to and why?

Mansfield Park is a typical Austin satire on manners and morals of British society and can be compared pretty much to any of her others. Those who like Austin might find themselves liking Thackeray's *Vanity Fair*, too. I consider him a superior author to Austin.

What does Wanda McCaddon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her voice has character, but character that matches the story and doesn't distract from it. Her characterizations are (generally) well done, and sometimes very well done.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

My last reading of Mansfield Park didn't impress me much, so I was surprised to find that this time I did want to keep going until it was done. I got much more out of it, perhaps because of my own level of maturity increasing, as well as Wanda McCaddon's narration.

a classic

If you could sum up Mansfield Park in three words, what would they be?

Satisfying in the end.

What other book might you compare Mansfield Park to and why?

Sense and Sensibility and the Importance of Being Earnest

What about Wanda McCaddon’s performance did you like?

Her accent lent an air of sophistication and authenticity to the reading.

Fantastic

Loved it. The narrator was good not the best. I’ve heard I like Emma Thompson the best, but it still was good.

Wonderful performance, good book...

This was just a stellar reading of Mansfield Park. The only downside is the conviction that Fanny, as the only truly upright person in the book, having a continued love for Edmund is hard to comprehend. Lovely descriptions of people and landscapes. Beautiful.