Pride and Prejudice [Blackstone Audio]

By: Jane Austen

Narrated by: Carolyn Seymour

Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

The provincial Bennet family, home to five unmarried daughters, is turned upside down when a wealthy bachelor takes up a house nearby. Mr. Bingley enhances his instant popularity by hosting a ball and taking an interest in the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane. Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy, Bingley’s even wealthier friend, makes himself equally unpopular by his aloof disdain of country manners. Yet he is drawn, in spite of himself, to the spirited and intelligent Elizabeth Bennet, who proves to be his match in both wit and pride. Their sparkling repartee is a splendid performance of civilized sparring infused with unacknowledged romantic tension.

Pride and Prejudice delightfully captures the affectations and rivalries of class-conscious English families in an age when status and security for women hung entirely on matrimonial ambitions. Austen’s characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England. It is also the source of some of the most memorable characters ever written, from the fatuous Mr. Collins, whose proposal to Elizabeth is one of the finest comic passages in English literature, to the beloved heroine Elizabeth, whom the author herself deemed “as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.”

Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“There is a truth of painting in her writings which always delights me.” (Sir Walter Scott)

“The greatest novel ever written.” (Malcolm Muggeridge)

“Major and minor characters are superbly drawn, the plot is beautifully symmetrical, and the dazzling perfection of style shows Austen at her best.” ( Masterpieces of World Literature)

Great narration. Superb writing. Dull story.

I struggled to keep my concentration as the story is less to my taste. However, it's an interesting account of another time, and Jane Austen writes beautifully. Carolyn Seymour did a great narration job, she made it as compelling ad it possibly can be.

Thoroughly enjoyed!

loved it! one if my favorite classics which never gets old not boring. simply great.

Excellent!!!

Excellent audio rendition of one of my favorite classics of all time. The narrator's performance is second only to that of Jim Dale in the Harry Potter series. Loved it!

Wonderful to listen to!

I have both read the book and watched the movie, but this was the best of all. To get to listen to the full story with all the richness of detail with which Jane Austen wrote it being read with a lovely British accent while still going about my work was a delightful experience.

The only thing about it that wasn't absolutely perfect was that occasionally I had trouble distinguishing who was speaking. But those occasions were few, so are hardly worth mentioning.

cuuuute

love the movie. finally read the book! really funny and sweet! would highly recommend

great narrator for this classic work

the narrator really brings this book to life in a way that fits well with the period piece that it is. I have read the book before, but hearing it in her delightful voices added a depth to it that I will return to again and again, and I'm not usually one to revisit books.

Pride & Prejudice

Excellent narration. I enjoy some of Austen's writings. I enjoy the allusions of the society of that era, the expectations of a mother to marry off her girls to wealth, position, social acceptance., etc. I always have ambivalent feelings towards Mr. & Mrs. Bennet. He is always so disconnected towards his wife.. She is so fluffy, but under that behavior, lies a plotting mind. But, they have their necessary place in the cast.

Carolyn Seymour's voice had such depth, her natural accent enhanced the read, her subtle changes in voice characters gave us a lively listen.
Most of all, I got a kick out of the underlying social humor that Austen invoked throughout. Also, Austen's love for her own sister was so poignant as portrayed with Jane & Elizabeth . I've listened to this many times now.

I really like the story

I really like the story, however, her her reading the story brought on some confusion as to what was depicted in the book by her voices

Great story to listen to.

I have heard of this title over the years, but never knew what the story was about. I decided to listen to it & enjoyed the story. If you have ever watched & enjoyed an old movie or show with a hint of romance, this is a good option for you. The voice of the narrator as the mother was irritating to my ears at first and gave me a headache on several occasions. However, I continued on with a much lower volume so hopefully the pitch of the voice would not be so irritating. By continuing on to overcome that, you realize it somewhat helps with imagining the characters and settings. Overall, the content of the story was very good. if you find you can't take the voice of the narrator on this, it is worth reading the book yourself without the narration.

I love this book

I've read Pride and Prejudice many times. But the treatment of this audible book, with this narration, exceeds all previous enjoyment. The narrator's ability to make each of the characters individuals, is truly an excellent accomplishment.