Persuasion

By: Jane Austen

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

Anne Elliot has grieved for seven years over the loss of her first love, Captain Frederick Wentworth. But events conspire to unravel the knots of deceit and misunderstanding in this beguiling and gently comic story of love and fidelity.

©2007 Naxos AudioBooks Ltd. (P)2007 Naxos AudioBooks Ltd.

Excellent narration

This is my favorite Jane Austen book, and I was worried about listening to an awkward version of it in audio, but this narrator does a first-rate job of capturing the characters and the tone of the novel. I can't praise this version enough for anyone who likes Austen. I almost considered starting it over again as soon as I finished it!

Perfection.

Every reread is a pure joy. I smiled all the way through. Plus Juliet Stevenson narrated beautifully.

Great narration of my favourite Austen novel

This is one of my favourite novels narrated by one of my favourite narrators... Loved it...

Juliet Stevenson was made to read Jane Austen!

Simply fabulous!!! I could listen to Juliet Stevenson always! She has such a gift for making things come alive!

Choice narration! Wonderful work, of course.

Stevenson's movement from character to character is seamless. Fine match of narrator to story. We all know Austen so well that interpretations are scrutinized by comparison, often to several versions. Well done!

The movies I've seen are better

What made the experience of listening to Persuasion the most enjoyable?

I compared this book to the movies I seen and was a bit disappointed. The narration was good.

What did you like best about this story?

When Captain Wentworth finally purposed and was accepted.

What does Juliet Stevenson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Nothing, her voice was just OK.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, It was hard to get into, didn't get interesting until the middle. Not like the movie at all.

Any additional comments?

Likely won't listen to it again.

My palate cleanser ...

If you could sum up Persuasion in three words, what would they be?

Love this book!

What did you like best about this story?

Of all of Jane Austen's stories, this is my all time favorite. I read it once a year. You can tell an older Jane Austen wrote this as her character Ann Elliot is in her late 20s and not the usual 18-20. This love story rang so true to me as Ann waits for nine years for her beloved Captain Wentworth, who waited also.

Have you listened to any of Juliet Stevenson’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Juliet Stevenson played Mrs. Elton in an adaption of Emma and I loved her in that performance so I knew she would do a wonderful job.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I had just read three back to back intense books and needed my Persuasion fix to cleanse my palate for more books.

Any additional comments?

If I could only bring one book with me it would be this book.

A favorite of Austen’s work

Persuasion has become my favorite of Austen’s writing. The storyline, the twists, the emotion, and the characters are all so compelling. This narration was splendid! The narrator’s use of particular styles for each character was pulled off smoothly, and she was able to capture the sadness and melancholy as well as all of the humor in the story. I listened to the whole thing in two days!

Perfection!

Juliet Stevenson is perfection as always. She brings story to life. I love all her readings but especially Austen.

Classic Excellence

A favorite classic performed with excellence. l highly reccomend. This is what our world needs today.