Mansfield Park

By: Jane Austen

Narrated by: Johanna Ward

Length: 16 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Fanny Price, a poor relation of the rich Bertrams, is reluctantly adopted into the family, to be brought up at Mansfield Park, where she is condescendingly treated. Only her cousin, Edmund, a young clergyman, appreciates her fine qualities.

Fanny soon falls in love with him, but Edmund is, unfortunately, drawn to the shallow and worldly Mary Crawford. Fanny's quiet humility, steadfast loyalty, and natural goodness are matched against the wit and brilliance of her lovely rival. The tension is heightened when Henry Crawford, Mary's equally sophisticated and flirtatious brother, takes an interest in Fanny.

Jane Austen's subtle, satiric novel skillfully uses her characters' emotional relationships to explore the social and moral values by which they attempt to order their lives.

Public Domain (P)1994 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Listeners...will be rewarded with Austen's brilliant commentary on the society of her day and by Johanna Ward's solid reading....this is a lively and interesting choice for admirers of Jane Austen." (AudioFile)

Love all her books

Narrator is very good. Love the story. Excellent listening. I keep revisiting it as I so enjoy the story/reading

A good book, but not up to Austen's usual standard

Well written with good narration, but not Austen's best work. Does show that character matters more than station in life.

Very good narrator and solid writing

This book is entertaining, if a little cliched and expected. The narrator is great. The story is, well, Austen. The plot revolves around marriage, money, manners, and morality. One character in the book serves as an unwitting moral compass around which the other characters revolve and, quite frankly, it is easy to get tired of this character's prudence while all the while rooting for her success. Much of the moral musings--while true to the time--are outdated and oppressive. Still, the book is enjoyable. Austen is not, however, at the literary level of a Wharton or Eliot, two others whom I have been reading so much of that perhaps this review is a little unfair in its comparison.

Perhaps not her favorite, but still vintage Austen

Miss Ward had a delightful repertoire of voices for the cast, and it was very easy to distinguish the speaker.

Probably better to just read or find a different narrator

If you ever zone out you can't tell who is "talking" as Johanna Ward doesn't differentiate between the characters at all. In fact she rarely uses any fluctuation in her voice. I had to rewind on many occasions to figure what was going on and who was conversing. I should've just read the book.

this book is far from a walk in the park

Would you listen to Mansfield Park again? Why?

Yes because the time travel into the story line lets you peek into a special place in history!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Fannie, because she is pure of heart.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Fannie goes back to her family and away from Mansfield for the first time and she sees what she has truly been gifted with.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was anxious for Fannie to find true love.

Any additional comments?

Jane Austin will not fail you on this tale.

For the Austin Scholar, Only

Everyone warned me but I thought it might be a nice light read to pass the time without violence or stress. However the book is stressful in its length and trivialities. Very tiring waiting for the plot to develop and then it ends hastily.

Charming

The protagonist is a sweet tempered girl who endures much that would make many people indignant at the hands of proud family & friends. Except for Edmund she would have been alone & lost; therefore, making his friendship precious & sweet. A story to read again & again.

A Solid Performance of Mansfield Park

Johanna Ward did a wonderful job narrating Mansfield Park. My understanding and enjoyment of the book and its characters is much improved. The spoken word carries meanings which written words don't quite convey. This is an ambitious work. Miss Austen was reacting to the perceived notion that P&P was too light. To enhance the enjoyment of this book, go to Project Gutenberg and download Mrs. Elizabeth Inchbald's Lover's Vows. At the very least, read acts III and IV. I don't see how one can fully understand the book without reading this play.

I was struck with how often Miss Austen used the girl rejects handsome (and occasionally) rich man device and thereby fixing his attentions on the girl. It has the advantage of distinguishing her from her fellow single sisters. In Mansfield Park, Fanny Price rejects Henry Crawford; P&P, Elizabeth Bennet rejects Fitzwilliam Darcy; P, Anne Elliot rejects Capt Wentworth and appears as the willing love object of Mr. Elliot; E, Emma Woodhouse flirted indiscreetly with Frank Churchill and didn't even recognize Mr. George Knightley as a potential suitor until it appeared that another was about to carry him off; S&S, Edmund felt rejected by Elinor Dashwood when it appeared that Col. Brandon was a favored suitor and of course, Marianne had eyes only for Willoughby and regarded Col Brandon as little more than a flannel waistcoat; the only exception is Catherine Morland who in Northanger Abbey fell head over heels in love with Henry Tillme almost from the first moment. As Jane Austen would have it, what man can resist a moderately good looking woman with good sense, who is passionately in love with him? In the former case, a Fanny Price or Elizabeth Bennet raised her value by being harder to obtain. In both instances, the rejected men are confounded. They were used to the Julia & Maria Berthams, Miss Bingleys or the Miss Musgroves. Rejection was a new and unpleasant experience and must be overcome.

Austen is always good, but this was not her best

I have generally enjoyed my excursions into Austen-land, but if Austen were a modern writer, I'd call this book a sophomore slump. It was her third, and much of the plot and character interactions were very derivative of Pride and Prejudice but without that book's humor or sting.

Fanny Price is one of a brood of children, and her mother sends her to live with wealthy relatives to relieve her own family of some of the burden. Fanny thus grows up as the "poor cousin" in a wealthy house, generally not ill-treated but she is constantly condescended to and slighted. The result is that Fanny is a shy, blushing, ridiculously self-depreciating creature whom I found hard to like, though we're obviously meant to. I should say, as a person I would certainly like the poor sweet, modest girl, but as a character she mostly bites her tongue and tries to be as good as possible while never, ever saying anything that might make anyone else unhappy, even the jerk playboy who decides he wants to marry her without regard for her feelings on the subject.

Naturally, there is another man easily identified as Fanny's One True Love, though while the reader knows who Fanny will marry by the end of the first chapter (even if you've never read Austen before), neither of them realizes it until nearly the last chapter.

Very Austenian, but almost generic Austen, if one can say that about such a famous author who only ever wrote six books. To be quite honest, Austen's lovely style and occasionally amusing bits of dialog were all that carried me through this book, particularly some long tedious middle parts. I wanted to love you more, Mansfield Park, but I can only give you 3.5 stars, and half a star is charity.

I found the reading by Johanna Ward to be quite adequate, but I've listened to two other audiobooks by Jane Austen, one narrated by Lindsay Duncan, the other by Juliet Stevenson, and I would have to say I preferred their readings, as they put more energy and personality into their readings, and Mansfield Park really needs some energy to keep you awake.