A Most Attentive Mother

De: Jann Rowland

Narrado por: Mary Sarah

Duración: 16 h y 27 m

Resumen del Editor

A must-listen from the author of In Default of Heirs Male.

©2022 Jann Rowland (P)2022 Tantor

Nice Twist on P & P Variation

In this story Lady Catherine is only 6-years Darcy's senior and she is the youngest daughter of the Earl of Matlock's second marriage. Lady Catherine marries Mr. Bennett after both of their spouses pass away. She adopts the Bennet girls as her own and is very protective of them. I enjoyed the unfolding of the story line. it was well worth the read to see how new and traditional characters intermingled. I was not fond of the performance. I struggled to hear and understand the actress. It sounded like she was whispering though 75% of the reading plus she substituted the /th/ sound in words the ended in /t/ and /d/ particularly at the end of a sentence which drove me a bit mad. Other than the performance, the content was good.

Excellent story

This is my favorite lady Catherine story of all time. The complex story line kept me entertained while not following the P&P usual retelling. Lady Catherine is much younger and comes into the Bennet family when the girls are younger. The fitzwilliam family is greatly expanded which brings much to the plot. This is not to be missed!
The narrator was awesome.

LOVED this take on all characters!

First off, yes, the narrator's voice takes getting used to, with the softness with which she speaks. But once you adjust, you'll find she does a lovely job. :) She has narrated several books for this author and I enjoy her work.

While there is a significant amount of worldbuilding in this P&P variation, it is based upon 2 premises: first, that Lady Catherine is the daughter of the earl's second wife and is much younger than her siblings, and second that she encountered and married Mr. Bennet after they were both widowed when Jane was 15.

Because the earl had essentially married one of Lady Anne Darcy's friends, most of the Fitzwilliam siblings opposed the marriage and disliked Catherine's mother, and the two went to live with the Darcy's when the elder earl died. This resulted in Catherine and Darcy having the relationship of siblings/close cousins. But the way that Catherine is treated by some of her siblings influences her to think less of herself as an all-knowing and supremely venerable being and more as a knowledgeable and respected lady who ought to intervene where propriety allows to help people be their best.

She influences all but Wickham of the original main cast to work on their flaws, and while she is still often officious she is not outright interfering, and her faults are openly acknowledged. She doesn't swoop in to change all, but gives advice and small hints and encouragement to help others do the work for themselves (most of the time). Importantly, antagonized are not fully villainized in the end.

A wonderful listen I couldn't leave paused!

loved the story but not the audio quality

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. the only reason it doesn't get 5 starts overall is the audio quality. I give 5 stars for the story itself but 3 for the performance. The narrator has a mostly monotonous style which I felt didn't add much to the story. However, the bigger problem with the narration was the audio quality. There's some issue with any word containing t, p, d, s or the; especially words ending with these letters. It was a huge annoyance.

Great story

It was a long good story. Very well written and an interesting take on this variation on Pride and prejudice. Loved it. Lady Catherine was formidable. Great Jaff

Needs a better narrator

I think the story was really good, it's so hard to tell though thru the bad narration. Too bad, I really like this authors stories but he uses this narrator every time and her reading style really detracts from the great writing. I mean, it's REALLY BAD!

Great Lady Catherine

This was a wonderfully imaginative story. I almost stayed up all night listening to it.

It took some time getting used to the narrator. She was a little breathy. There was almost an Irsh or Scottish inflection to her accents.

One of the Best Variations!

This story was a wonderful departure from the classic story. All the situations and personalities you’d wish could be different are in this story, but it’s not without its own unique struggles. It’s one of the most entertaining variations I’ve read and the voices greatly enhanced the story. A sequel would be great especially one that includes Elizabeth’s first look at Pemberley and marries life. Thank you!

Lady Catherine Tames the Bennets

Jann Rowland is a favorite JAFF author and an automatic read. I’m happy that some of his books are now available in audio, although my favorite “Out of Obscurity” isn’t yet (hint, hint).

In this story Lady Catherine, the youngest of many Fitzwilliam siblings and a young widow, marries Mr Bennet, also a widower. She takes on his daughters as her own and applies some well needed discipline to the younger girls.

Most of the Fitzwilliams accept the Bennets despite their lower social status including Darcy (after a little misstep) but one of Lady Catherine’s sisters and her eldest daughter are avid to catch Darcy and make plenty of trouble as ODC’s romance begins to blossom. Other usual villains are vanquished or tamed with little trouble.

I have read reviews criticizing Mary Sarah’s narration but have to say I’m a fan. Her reading imparts gentility to my favorite characters and I especially like the voices she employs for Darcy and Elizabeth. She really brings them alive for me.

Totally Boring

This drug out forever and bored me beyond belief! Elizabeth and Darcy did not have any chemistry.
There were way too many characters who really did not have any role in the plot. I am going to send this back if I can. The way the narrator announced each chapter annoyed me and got on every last nerve.