Persuasion

A very charming, well-paced, straightforward, reading by Greta Scacchi. What I like so much about this production is that Scacchi doesn't get in the way of Austen's voice. Scacchi, unlike some readers of period novels, conveys the personality, tone and intonnation of the characters without the use of gimmicky overacting or absurd vocalizations. I felt like I was sitting in a Regency drawing room on a quiet evening being read aloud to by an intelligent, sympathetic interpreter. All the more to appreciate this tale of second chances and enduring love.

Greta Scacchi reading Jane Austen is a perfect pairing. Scacchi reads with such subtelty of voice tones and timing that each nuance of Austen's word choice becomes a tapestry stitch in silk. Austen's words were so clearly written to be read aloud, but Scacchi uses them to captivate her listeners into a story that is a slower, much more autumnal love story than Emma or Pride and Prejudice, and without her art, might feel muted instead of delicate.

It is senseless to extol the virtues of Austin. It's been done so many times, by so many people far more eloquent than I. I will confine myself to the narration.
I always have a problem with the narration of Austin books. Despite the fact that absolutely everyone has read them, there is always something grating in the audio productions. Austin shouldn't have to be something you suffer through. It is something you should have to smile through.
This book is. The narration is perfect. It never detracts from Austin's funny, touching, witty, and beautiful writing. Usually that is the very most I could say about an Austin narrator. Here I can go farther. Several times, the narrator's reading clued me in to a barb I'd missed in my reading or moved me in a place I ordinarily would have skimmed.
This is the version to get. It is Austin at her very best.

The narrator of Persuasion actually *persuaded* me to continue listening. Very nicely read. I find that my volume and bass normally need to be changed with each and very audiobook; most likely because my headset is not the greatest. Yet, this book needed no such alterations of sound. The narrator wonderfully produces the personalities, the story line, and character rendition; really fantastic. If you love Jane Austen, then you will love the way the narrator has read this. Yes, it is a great addition to my library of audiobooks. Personally, I believe others will thoroughly enjoy this.

Ms. Scacchi is a terrific narrator. I enjoyed all of her character voices and the story is read with a great deal of verve. I'm very pleased to have purchased this version and it will definitely get multiple listenings.

I really enjoyed the reader for this audiobook. The characters were easily distinguished, the pacing was good, vocal inflections were pleasant, and the voice of the reader was perfect for this particular story. I've listened to this audiobook several times already.

I believe this the most mature of Austen's novels and it is timeless (as are all of Austen's novels). Of course, Austen was always about character, and Persuasion demonstrates this. I find the novel as fresh as the first time I read it, and learn something different after each re-reading of it.

Although I have read the novel 5 or 6 times, Ms Scacchi brought the characters to life. Her tempo was outstanding, as was her ability to "act" out the characters. I highly recommend this narration, even for those who have read the book several times.

The only negative thing is that there appear to be long pauses (8 seconds) between some paragraphs, but a minor distraction that has very little affect on the reading's flow and continuity.

In addition to personal enjoyment, I hold group get-togethers with older people, and present "the classics" to them, using a combination of Audiobooks, Texts, and BBC/PBS productions. Ms Scacchi's narration has received high praise by my audience as well.

This book is assumed to be Jane Austen's gift to herself - where she creates a heroine with a similar life history, but gives her heroine a happy ending. It is a lovely book, filled with great insights into mature love. The narrator's voice is perfect for this one - filled with a maturity and underlying pathos. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.

I adored this book. It was my first audio book and I couldnt have been happier with it. I listened to the entire thing in under a day. Couldnt put it down last night. Greta Scacchi did a wonderful job expressing the feeling of the characters. As with all good performances, I found myself grieving, hoping, fearing, and finally winning the day with Anne. I didnt have a bit of trouble following the story line as I once feared with an audio book.

This is one of my favorite books, the reader is very good. However there are 3-4 second pauses at weird points during the reading. This always gets on my nerves! I recommend the book however.