Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

By: Jane Austen, Ben H. Winters

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

From the publisher of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies comes a new tale of romance, heartbreak, and tentacled mayhem. Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters expands the original text of the beloved Jane Austen novel with all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, and other biological monstrosities.

As our story opens, the Dashwood sisters are evicted from their childhood home and sent to live on a mysterious island full of savage creatures and dark secrets. While sensible Elinor falls in love with Edward Ferrars, her romantic sister Marianne is courted by both the handsome Willoughby and the hideous man-monster Colonel Brandon. Can the Dashwood sisters triumph over meddlesome matriarchs and unscrupulous rogues to find true love? Or will they fall prey to the tentacles that are forever snapping at their heels?

This masterful portrait of Regency England blends Jane Austen's biting social commentary with ultraviolent depictions of sea monsters biting. It's survival of the fittest - and only the swiftest swimmers will find true love!

©2009 Quirk Books (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

sassy, smarty-pants, witty and ironic

loved I, the narrator's condescending tone made this so deliciously ironic. I found it very entertaining!

Super fun read!

The late and great Katherine Kellgren did wonderfully in bringing these characters to life, and the story is hilarious! It is not the original Sense & Sensibility, but it a worth the time to read or listen to. I’ve listened to it at least ten times and I am never disappointed, it never seems to get old, and it has made me want to read the original again.

At least it's Katherine Kellgren!

As with every other review, I have to praise the narrator. Katherine Kellgren is as always a superb narrator with her characteristic knack for accents and complicated voicing. I don't think that any British-styled literature can be found lacking with her talents.

This novel is as you may expect a reworking of the Jane Austen original with, well, Sea Monsters! Warning: If you are coming this way because you read Seth Grahame-Smith's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, take note that this is a bit different in style. Whereas 'and Zombies' was a faithful 'restyling' very close to the original tale, Ben Winters has taken some very broad liberties and turned the world upside down with the Sea Monster crisis and there are times when the story seems to go on a far tangent in the quirk--this may be good news for some readers, but I personally did not like the immodest additions as much.

But all-in-all, the story itself is entertaining and worth its cost.

fun and over the top

I wasn't sure if I would like this book, since it's a rewrite of the original story, but it was fun and ridiculous. I love Katherine Kellgren, she is awesome!

Charmingly Dark

All the Jane Austen charm with a delightfully morbid spin. Definitely an interesting take an Col Brandon!! And I couldn’t imagine any narrator reading this better.

perfect narration choice

I read in some reviews this wasn't as good a Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; I disagree. my wife and I laughed more listening to this even without the ninjas. The narrator did a fantastic job; she made the story come to life in a way just reading it wouldn't have. The accent and the dry reading of even the most outlandish passages was perfect. Even Jane Austen would have approved.

liked it batter than P, P & Zombies.

better than pride and prejudice and zombies. Katherine is great as always. wish there were more books coming.

Thank you, Col Brandon with tentacles!

This book was amazing! Not as good as PP&Z, but really good! It kept in line with S&S, but added horrid, angry under the sea monsters and instead of a London Season they enjoyed an under water sub station with was just as fashionable as London! The Dashwood girls are still amazing and Willoughby still needs a good smack in the face, so I was pleased with the adaptation. Nay sayers just have no sense of humor. I think Ms. Austen would have giggled at her fame and the use of seamonsters in Regencey England if she were alive today.

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. Oh My

Any additional comments?

The narrator Katherine Kellgren did an excellent job. I was afraid to listen to the audiobook at first since I am a big fan of Jane Austen. But I am happy to say that after listening I was delightfully surprised the book was kept to most of the Jane Austen tradition. Now with that being said, the book is also quite a different story from the original. Yes, all of the original characters are there, but after listening, you will never view the original Jane Austen novel the same way again. This was actually a fun and entertaining listen with quite a few funny parts. The audiobook was very good, I recommend. Give it a listen. Enjoy!

Liked it waaaayyy more than I though I would

I will just say upfront that I have never read any Jane Austen - but actually this has made me curious of the "Pride and Prejudice" that has hung around sadly unlistened to in my Audible library for years now.

"Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters", delighted me the entire way though - the measured manners were always undercut with almost casual nautical violence that was way too amusing. I found the narrator to be wonderful at moving back and forth between the two. I don't know if it would be a book for everyone, but I know I loved it.