Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

By: Kate Douglas Wiggin

Narrated by: Ann Richardson

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm has delighted readers for over 100 years. Published in 1903, when girls were inevitably depicted as pretty, gentle and proper, Rebecca Rowena Randall burst onto the scene of children's literature. Sent to live with her prim and proper Aunt Miranda, who is expecting her much more demure sister, Rebecca is a "bird of a very different feather". She has "a small, plain face illuminated by a pair of eyes carrying such messages, such suggestions, such hints of sleeping power and insight, that one never tired of looking into their shining depths...." To her Aunt Miranda's continual dismay, Rebecca is exuberant, irrepressible, and spirited - not at all "proper" or "demure". She wins over her aunt soon enough, and the whole town, and thousands of readers and listeners everywhere.

In 1904, author Jack London wrote Kate Douglas Wiggin: "May I thank you for Rebecca?.... I would have quested the wide world over to make her mine, only I was born too long ago and she was born but yesterday.... Why could she not have been my daughter? Why couldn't it have been I who bought the three hundred cakes of soap? Why, O, why?" And Mark Twain called Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm "beautiful and warm and satisfying". This recording, narrated by Ann Richardson, whose sweet voice has a facility for accents and character voices, is a satisfying listening experience you'll want to revisit. Upcoming from Post Hypnotic Press is a new annotated print/eBook edition of this book, with illustrations from the original publication and a new introduction, as well as a work-book for children.

Public Domain (P)2017 Post Hypnotic Press Inc.

3.5 stars: I adore Rebecca

I am a huge Shirley Temple fan and LOVED her in Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, so when I saw this tour I knew I had to jump on it! Well, besides the characters names Rebecca, and Miranda, nothing from the book made its way to the movie. After the initial shock, I realized that I got to experience a whole new story.

Listening to this classic was very interesting. It was almost as if I was shuttled back in time and in that quaint little town right there with everyone. There were many references to religion and social status that I was more aware of as an adult; even the writing style was so different from what we are used to nowadays (providing an informal history lesson).

Listening to this audiobook was like opening a time capsule buried a hundred years ago! It may be a good audiobook option for those long family car rides or as a bed time story.

Note: if you are like me and listen to audiobooks at 1.25x, beware. It takes a bit getting used too, as the narrator already speaks rather swiftly and increasing the speed made her sound a bit like the Micro-Machine guy. 😉

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Post Hypnotic Press. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Lovely Narration of a Classic

I've always loved this lovely little classic growing up, and I was so happy to find this audio version to enjoy it again! New England spinsters Miranda and Jane send away for one of their nieces so they can provide her with an education and a better life. Spunky Rebecca arrives, and throws her aunts and the small town into a tizzy. Rebecca is intelligent, precocious, and sensitive, a loyal little soul who lights up the page. This book follows her life from age ten to seventeen, as she grows from a scrawny forgetful girl into a lovely girl with hope for the future.

This book is a great read for both adults and children, it captures small time life at the beginning of the century and would be a wonderful book to illustrate the changes since then. If you're a fan of Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon, you'll enjoy this one. It was published 5 years before Anne and it seems Montgomery was heavily influenced by Rebecca as many of the scenes and characters here were recycled into Montgomery's stories. But Rebecca stands on her own with her down to earth attitude and sense of humor, I loved her as a teen and I still love her today!

The narration was well done, just perfect for the story. She performed accents and voices for the characters, and pulled me right into the story. I requested a copy of the audiobook, and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

A classic worth revisiting!

I really enjoyed journeying into the past with Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. I read this children’s classic as a child, and enjoyed revisiting this cast of characters. It is just as easy to sink into Rebecca’s mindset now as it was back then. Rebecca is a spirited and fun heroine who lives life to the fullest.

Audio Narration: Ann Richardson is a talented audiobook narrator. Her voice is crisp, her tone is pleasant, and she presents each character effortlessly, with great distinction, without distracting the listener.

Audio Production Quality: The production quality of this audiobook is clear, with no distracting background music, static, or skips.

Overall opinion: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm is a traditional and flavorful coming-of-age story taking place in Riverboro, Maine during the late 1800s. It’s a wonderful setting and has a fun, memorable cast.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Post Hypnotic Press. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

An endlessly charming story!

Rebecca captures your heart in the first few minutes and never lets go. Although the circumstances in the 1800s differ substantially from today's, Rebecca's challenges and triumphs serve as a metaphor for today's women who so often face extistential choices between family and career.

The narrator, Ann Richardson, describes the story's action and the characters' emotions in splendid fashion. Her narrative is so vivid that it's like watching a movie. I love her Maine accent!

(I requested this audio book from the producer and am voluntarily posting my review of it.)

An American Anne of Green Gables

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm follows the journey of Rebecca Randall as she leaves her family home to live with her two polar opposite aunts. When Rebecca arrives, she is rather plain and unbecoming, but her personality and imagination are quite the opposite. Her guardians, especially Aunt Miranda, do their best to raise Rebecca into a respectable young lady. If you're familiar with L.M. Montgomery's most iconic heroine, Anne Shirley, then you will probably notice the similarities between her and Wiggin's Rebecca Randall, although I would argue that Rebecca is a milder mix between Anne Shirley and Emily Starr, another one of Montgomery's heroines.

My favorite aspect of Wiggin's novel was Rebecca's character growth. She reigns in her temper and impulsive reactions fairly quickly, and her adolescent mistakes become fortuitous opportunities, such as when she sells a large amount of soap to Adam Ladd. She also possesses a pure heart and genuinely cares about others.

Audiobook Review: I previously listened to (and loved!) the first three Anne of Green Gables novels which were produced by Post Hypnotic Press, so I was looking forward to listening to their adaptation of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Ann Richardson's performance did not disappoint! She brought a liveliness to the characters that was enjoyable and engaging. I especially love listening to classic novels on audiobook, and I would definitely listen to another one of Ann Richardson's narrations :)

A sweet experience.

A classical story for all ages will surely delight the audience it was originally written for.

The Narrator brings this sweet listen to the audience in a enjoyable manner,



This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

I found this story quite deligtful! Rebecca is farmed out by her poor mother,to her Aunts house to be raised and schooled.This story is all about her life with a cantankerous Aunt. Ann Richardson was a fine narrator. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'

Rebecca....the girl in all of us

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms was born in an era just right yet too soon for her personality. Rebecca wanted nothing more than to do the right thing; a people pleaser. She is obedient, yet rebellious; gentle yet tough; proper yet ambitious. She knew what she wanted and had goals most girls of her generation couldn’t fathom. Ann did an absolutely fantastic job narrating the many personalities and emotions connected to Rebecca, her family, and all of those who were involved in her “making”. It wasn’t my absolute favorite audiobook, but I would still highly recommend it.

A Classic!

I love classic books from this period - the difference in the way of life is so refreshing and interesting, and often funny too!  However there are darker themes as well which the author handles well, despite the fact that this was written so long ago!

I had not read or listened to this book before I listened to this one so have nothing to compare it to but the narrator really was wonderful!  Her accent was precious and one I could listen to all day and her voices for the different characters were very believable. One thing I particularly liked was that a lot of the time, you didn't really need to be told who was speaking as it was obvious - that's a true testament to a narrator and not something all can achieve.

It's an easy listen - one that you can listen to whilst doing something else - I was sorting through my hard drive trying to free up space and it made the boring task more bearable and made the time go quickly!

It's one of those 'not a lot happens but by the end of the book a LOT has happened' stories - does that make sense?! 

I enjoyed it, but it's not one I think that I would listen to over and over again but should I have kids, I will definitely make sure it's read to them as a bedtime story - it has that kind of feel to it!

Confession - A lot of people seem to compare this to Anne of Green Gables (Rebecca was written first) .. I can't comment as I've not read Anne yet (SHOCK HORROR!)

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Post Hypnotic Press. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

A beautiful audiobook that is a must read!

It is a beautifully sweet book with a lovely young girly-girl character at its heart who will win your heart by the end of the first chapter itself. Unlike many other readers, I have not yet read Anne of the Green Gables (a reference I came across in many reviews for this book while deciding whether to accept this book for review or not) so I can't offer any comparison, though what I can say is that this is a very thorough book full of moral lessons and hearty anecdotes of a time that is long gone and is always remembered. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book because of the colourful narration which was fun to listen to. 

I'd recommend this audiobook to everyone who loves reading (or more specifically, who loves listening to audiobooks.)