Mansfield Park

I love this story, it is my favorite of the "Austen" books... I have read them all! The narrator's voice is not quite what I would have chosen for this story, but once you are engrossed in the life of Fanny Price you forget about that.

I enjoyed this as much as any audio book of a Jane Austen novel that I've come across. I was hesitant to select it because others weren't happy with Flo Gibson's voice. I thought her voice was fine and perfectly clear enough to understand. I think she does a very good job differentiating the male character voices, too.

Personally I like listening to Flo. Her voice gives character to the reading. She is animated and gives different voices to each of the characters. What a riot. This is the second book of hers that I have listened to and I really enjoy them!

Austin is my favorite author and Gibson my favorite reader. Pride and Prejudice is my favorite of Austin's books, but everything she wrote is fabulous.

I tried listening to this book, but could not take the poor quality. I have it in written form. I will read it the old fashion way and enjoy it much more.

Such overacting! Such misreading! Such a grating voice! Gaaah!

I downloaded this despite the negative reviews, thinking, "But I love _Mansfield Park_. How bad could it be?" The answer is, Very bad. Flo Gibson makes everyone in the book sound like an idiot. Her attempts at an English accent are embarrassing. Her phrasing and intonation are so unnatural that it's hard to follow the story and take the characters seriously. In sum, she's very a obtrusive reader, utterly lacking in subtlety, and she significantly diminishes my enjoyment of the book. I wish Audible would offer a different unabridged edition.

I have never had such a hard time understanding someone. She sounds like an 80 year old chain smoker. I listened for an hour and didn't have any idea what was going on!

I always believed in reading Unabridged versions of books. But in this case - go for the abridged one. There is truly little in this book that could not be cut out without making the book better. (And I stand by this assertion, even though I'm an avid Austen fan.) Also, I believe there are Abridged versions available with a different narrator - an advantage if there ever was one.
It's amasing that Jane Austen would produce such an unsimpathetic heroine and hero. Both of them are such prudes you really want them to get together just so they wouldn't spoil anyone else's life. The hero is a spoil sport and exessively full of himself, and the heroine... well, lets just say a doormat would have more interesting a character. The only time she grows a back bone it is to refuse an offer of marriage that she should have accepted. I simply don't understand her. Furthermore, she doesn't grow as a character through the text! In Jane Austen's heroine that is unprecedented! She is just the proper, self efacing (and which is worse, extremely and sinserely self efacing) feminine ideal. As with any angel - it is hard to believe she is alive. Oh, if I could only bury her in the first chapters of the book...
The narrator only adds to the trial that reading this book presents. She speaks clearly, but with such tones and inflections as to make you dislike EVERY character. If you are going to listen to this book - at least aleviate the task by choosing another narrator.

I hated the narrator; agree with the previous critic that she sounds like an 80 year old chain smoker. Had difficulty distinguishing the characters. Could not get past the first hour either. I hope this will be available with another narrator. I would really like to listen to the book.

I think Flo Gibson does an excellent job with Mansfield Park. However, I found the plot rather tedious until I got halfway through the 15 hours. The last 7 hours were very engaging.