Persuasion

By: Jane Austen

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Anne Elliot has grieved for seven years over the loss of her first love, Captain Frederick Wentworth. But events conspire to unravel the knots of deceit and misunderstanding in this beguiling and gently comic story of love and fidelity.

©2007 Naxos AudioBooks Ltd. (P)2007 Naxos AudioBooks Ltd.

Perfection

No idea how many times I’ve listened to this audio book. Or how many times more I will.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Second time reading this and what a joy. No one does it better than Jane. Excellent narration, much love ❤️

Juliet Stevenson is Simply Amazing

Persuasion was the only Jane Austen novel I had not read so I recently decided to remedy that. Juliet Stevenson had cracked me up as the neurotic mother in Bend It Like Beckham, so I was sure I could count on her to bring out the comical side of the story (and Jane Austen always offers up some comedy). But I had no idea Stevenson was such a subtle and talented actress. As the omniscient narrator she sounds sensible, measured, and lovely. She delivers the story while not allowing the listener to get bogged down in Austen’s sometimes antiquated language. She successfully confers masculinity to the male voices without attempting to impersonate. And the women who are meant to be laughable, such as Anne’s sister Mary, with them she is ruthless. And it’s delightful.

In terms of the story – this is probably Jane Austen’s best. Pride and Prejudice will always be my long-standing favorite, having been the first book in my life that I couldn't put down, but Persuasion is Austen's smartest work, and you can sense her own maturity in it (it was her last completed novel). It takes the kind of characters we meet in her other novels and fast-forwards them ten years. These are grown women – not girls – dealing with love and loss, and learning about second chances.

Austen and Juliet Stevenson -- perfect match!

Juliet Stevenson is simply the best Austen reader out there. Pay more to get her narrations; they are very much worth the extra. I love Austen, and she's one classical author whose books get a whole new dimension in the audible format. As always, the narrator makes so much difference in the enjoyment of audible books. With Stevenson, you simply cannot go wrong. Persuasion may be the best of Austen's books, and this edition is priceless!

This is a great story on a time gone by

I've been reading all the classics and Audible makes this very easy to do with unabridged editions of each. Along with Amazon syncing between the eBook and audio book. Which enables me to read the book when I can listen to it. This is my fourth Jane Austin book in a row. The others were either read or read/listened to. I see a lot of similarities between the events in this book to how some people live their lives today. I had a friend actually convinced the same way Ann was to not marry someone. This supports the theory that everything happens in cycles. Unlike some of authors book this time the 'beautiful' woman or main character doesn't marry the ugliest man described in the book. I won't spoil it for you. I will say that the narrator was perfect for this story. I have four more books of Jane's to go before I've gotten through them all. I find it enjoyable learning about how people saw that era of time and how some people want to go back to it. It's too bad that the author is no longer with us because she could teach a lot to the screen writers in Hollywood and a lot of the new authors righting books. These new writers don't know how to balance a book properly.

Excellent narrator, fine production values

Juliet Stevenson does an excellent job reading this delicately nuanced novel. When the time comes to purchase other Austen audio novels I don't yet have, I'll simply choose Stevenson's performance, whoever else may be available.

Good story, not such a good narrator.

Where does Persuasion rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

High.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Persuasion?

Capt Harville's and Anne's discussion about the fickleness of women.

Did Juliet Stevenson do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, she differentiates the characters, but her reading style is not suitable to the story. Ms Stevenson's voice would be good for reading a time table, but both her voice and her intonation are too harsh for long-term listening. Also, Jane Austen's writing style includes long sentences, and Juliet Stevenson's style is making it hard work to listen to them.

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

No, too long.

Any additional comments?

I wouldn't go out of my way for books narrated by Julia Stevenson.

Juliet converted me

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book. The story is very sweet and Juliet narrates it perfectly.

What did you like best about this story?

Jane turns an ordinary romance into intriguing character studies.

Which character – as performed by Juliet Stevenson – was your favorite?

I really can't choose a favourite character.

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

Yes, given the time, I could have listened to this book in one sitting.

My favorite Austen

As I noted in the title, Persuasion is my favorite Austen novel. Anne Elliott is a believable, normal character whose concerns and frustrations don't seem dated in the least, even when they are shaped by outdated (I hope) notions of what it means to be a woman.

Juliet Stevenson is the best Jane Austen narrator!

Look no further than Juliet Stevenson. If you already like Jane Austen, you will enjoy her even more, and if you're not sure about Jane Austen, Juliet Stevenson will make you a fan. Her delivery is subtle, never over-acted, and she really gets Jane's dry humor and irony. Wonderful!