Persuasion

By: Jane Austen

Narrated by: Greta Scacchi

Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Persuasion, Jane Austen's last novel, is a tale of love and marriage told with irony and insight. Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth have met and seperated years before. Their reunion, after the passage or irrecoverable years of their youth, forces a recognition of the false values that drove them apart.

First published 1818. All rights reserved.; (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Embedded Love

Persuasion, written by Jane Austen and narrated by Greta Scacchi. Love of another is embedded into our existence; not emotions for just anyone, but rather a select other. With that understanding in hand, Ms. Austen tells us of the once was but as the book opens the lost love between Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth. I tell you not whether the novel is a tragedy or a return to happiness.

What you will have in reading or listening is a deep analysis of how those around us, our society, put us into places we may not really want to be. What is perhaps the most magnificent part of this imperial story is how well Ms. Austen uses words to shape and mold the story's characters to bring about our understanding of what happened to Anne and why.

There is a trick in this book that is thrilling for a literary. Wentworth and Anne are almost never in the conversation. Yet their affection is always in plain sight. A perfect plot ploy to engender one’s fascination with the read (listen). The words used to convey the story are enchanting and Ms. Scacchi was a supreme delivery vehicle.

Should have read this first!

I’ll explain. Netflix recently released a movie version of Persuasion, done in period costume with modern language. I enjoyed it, but wanted to see if it had been done before. So I found a movie version done in the expected period garb and language. Not as enjoyable.

Then I listened to Persuasion done with a full cast in Audible’s Jane Austen Collection. I still wasn’t satisfied and decided to listen to the actual novel. The free version is read by Greta Scacchi, and as soon as I started to listen, I realized that I should have started here. There’s just something about Jane Austen and her observations on the society and customs of her day that are hard to be interpreted better than she did - especially in a 2-hour movie. Although it’s not my favorite of her books, I thoroughly enjoyed it, even right after experiencing 3 other attempts at telling her story!

Greta Scacchi did a terrific job reading the book and interpreting the characters.

Wonderful story with excellent narration

An Austen treasure, marvelously narrated. Highly recommend!
I enjoyed that the narrator employed different tones and inflections indicating which character was speaking.
The story as a whole is very satisfying.

An Austen novel Artfully Read

Persuasion is fast becoming my favorite Austen novel, and this audio narration is skillfully and artfully done. You can’t go wrong with this version.

Wonderful

Beautiful reading of a beautiful book. Lots of nuances and wit, perfectly accentuated by the reader.

Great reader for a fun read

The reader for this book did an excellent job. Characters were distinct in voice and personality, and the reader clearly relished and enjoyed Austin's writing. There are a few audio books where the author and reader together create a performance that exceeds what either could do alone. This is one of those works.

The beautiful book, Persuasion.

Serene, sharp, cleverly humorous.
Delicate, woven like a tapestry. The characters are alive, distinct. The heroine is a surprising young woman, the hero is just what he should be. A masterpiece!

Lovely reading, full of feeling

Some odd pauses in the recording, but I didn’t think it terribly affected my enjoyment of the production. My favorite Jane Austen book so far!

I Love Jane Austen

I love the story and the narration was so good- I know I will listen to it again!

Excellent!

I read Jane System's works once or twice a year...this is one of the best...