Mansfield Park (Naxos Edition)

By: Jane Austen

Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson

Length: 16 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

At the tender age of 10, Fanny Price is 'adopted' by her rich relations and is removed from the poverty of her home in Portsmouth to the opulence of Mansfield Park. The transplantation is not a happy one. Dependent, helpless, neglected and forgotten, Fanny struggles to come to terms with her new life until, tested almost to the limits of endurance, she assumes her rightful role....

Public Domain (P)1995 Naxos Audiobooks

Oh such felicity, such gaiety, such rapture!

I had read this book before but many years ago and like so many others knew Jane Austen from Pride and Prejudice and more from the tv series than reading the book. However, Jane is at her most observational in this book - characters are so real that they are recognisable from people we know today and she is also at her most cynical - the wit is brilliant. Its a fantastic book and Juliet Stevenson is masterly in her narration. If I could have given it six stars I would have done!

Comments from a Jane Austen Novice

From the many reviews I've read, I know this novel isn't that popular among Jane Austen fans, most finding the heroine Fanny Price to be too much of a wallflower for a lead character. To me it seemed like she was on the contrary a young woman of conviction with a strong moral fiber, who seemed to have more depth than the leading young women in the other two novels I've read by Jane Austen (S&S and P&P), which I found too frothy for my liking. The secondary characters were very entertaining; indeed, their presence was essential in moving the story forward and providing plenty of spice and drama. Excellent performance by Juliet Stevenson, who is one of my favourite narrators.

Jane Austen and Juliet Stevenson

If you like Jane Austen you can't do better than Juliet Stevenson. She manages all of the characters' voices, including the men' and the narrator's, providing a dramatic yet sensitive reading catching what we might imagine was Austen's own voice. Each time I listen to one of the books I hear a new line or thread in the narration that I didn't catch before. Love them all.

Deep

Mansfield Park is perhaps Austen’s least favorite novel among readers. It celebrates a heroine who is not witty or popular or rich; rather, she is insightful, reserved and virtuous. Furthermore, the most superficially attractive characters turn out to be the villains. If you must have an Elizabeth Bennet or a Mr. Darcy to love, this book may disappoint you.

But if you are willing to be patient, to steep yourself in this world which, more than that of other Austen novels, reveals the distance between then and now, you will find rewards. More than her other novels, this is a story of a whole family, whose members learn and grow, or fail to learn and suffer consequences. We see into the lives not just of the rich family at the eponymous estate, but also into the home of their relatively poor cousins. And in the heroine, Austen paints an acute and sympathetic picture of a shy and sensitive person who, despite being completely dependent on relatives who mostly see her as someone to exploit, remains true to her principles.

As in the other Austen titles in this series, Juliet Stevenson gives a beautiful, intelligent performance.

Well read and Well edited

An exceptional narration and abridgement of a classic. But I bought it because of the narrator Juliette Stevenson.....superb.

classic, great narrator, long...

Well, it's a classic. I love this type of story so it appeals to me right up front. This narrator is the best at this type of story. Just only negative is it's so long and somewhats meanders so much that I almost quit out of boredom but then it would pick up again. Descriptions are wonderful - I like listening to it.

Another lovely read by Juliet Stevenson

Juliet Stevenson is the best narrator I think I’ve ever heard - she delightfully reads even the most lengthy of passages and adds all the feeling and intonation but also reads it just as the time dictates and it really feels like watching one of the films in that her voice provides the taste, manners, and atmosphere of the setting so very well.
Mansfield Park is my least favorite Jane Austen novel because of how irritatingly dense everyone except Fanny is for a large part of the novel. However I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Juliet Stevenson read it, and she made me like it better than I ever have before.
Lovely performance!💙

People tend to come down hard on Fanny...

I actually really enjoyed this book. There are a number of reviews where people harp on the frailty of Fanny Price and her timid nature. While, she is no Elizabeth Bennett... I do think there is something to be said about the true soul of Miss Price. She lives in a world where she has been told again & again that her station was beneath those around her. Wouldn't being sent away from parents and siblings to a world of fashion and elegance where people make sure you know that you are inferior and should be grateful of EVERYTHING could make one want to blend into the background? I think that Henry Crawford starting his attentions just to relieve boredom by making her fall in love with him and then falling in love with her because of her nature and how different it is to those around her. I'm ashamed to say that I watched the 1999 movie before reading the book. I like the relationship with her brother; who is not in the movie at all. But, I prefer that Edmund seems to love Fanny all along in the movie rather then the original story of disappointment in Mary showing him the benefit of Fanny. Still, it's worth the credit.

Fanny Price, ugh!

Juliet Stevenson's narration is superb in all the audiobooks I've listened to, but even her skill cannot lift Mansfield Park to the heights of Pride and Prejudice. Fanny Price is a drip! Edmund is a doofus! The story is a treadmill of reiteration! But if you feel compelled to read Mansfield Park anyway, this edition is the best I've heard. For those not familiar with Jane Austen's works I recommend Northanger Abbey. It's goofy on purpose.

Great

This was one of the last Austen novels I had yet to read so I'm very glad I took the time to really pay attention, understand, and appreciate the story. Fanny is definitely quieter and shyer than the majority of other Austen heroines, but I liked her a lot and sometimes related to her more than the other heroines. "Still waters run deep" as they say and just because Fanny doesn't talk a lot doesn't mean she doesn't think and feel deeply, though some people may think the opposite. It's a good thing I liked her because so many of the other characters had me pulling my hair out over how badly they treated her. Edmund at least was another likable character and while he wasn't perfect and really should have realized how wonderful Fanny was loooooong before he did, they at least were a good enough match that the ending was satisfying. Overall, though, I did enjoy the twists and turns of the story. It's not my new favorite Austen novel, but I am glad I finally read it and will read it again.

A reluctant Janeite not reluctant any more.

I was what you might call a reluctant Janeite. I suspect there are a lot of us out there, especially among us men. From being force-fed ‘Emma’ in sixth-form I was in denial - I recognised the writer’s quality without properly seeing that her stories are more than just tales of closed societies of young idle people wasting their time before being married off. I’ve begun to see to what extent I was wrong, and Mansfield Park has helped greatly with that process.
Even some quite ardent lovers of Jane Austen have trouble with Mansfield Park, or, more particularly, they have trouble with Fanny Price. She’s not “feisty”; she lacks heroic quality; she’s weak. Broadly, she commits the sin of not being Elizabeth Bennett. These criticisms are true as far as they go, but here’s the thing: the book tells us exactly why and how she’s all this, how she copes with and ultimately overcomes her troubled upbringing and ends the book as a fully-rounded & admirable person.
Here’s a girl, less than healthy, certainly neglected and conceivably abused at home, taken as an act of charity from her parents and placed in a high-class environment already packed with well-to-do, self-assured older children and adults who, with one exception, treat her with anything raging from condescension to disdain to simple ignoring, so that she almost always feels she is only at Mansfield Park on sufferance. Should she ever show “ingratitude” or independence of spirit, there is Mrs Norris to tell her how lucky she is to be among such superior society at all. If at any time she receives what seems to be preferential treatment there is always someone to remind her of her lowly status. The only adult who appreciates her is too idle and self-absorbed to be any help, and the only one of the children who supports her becomes neglectful when he falls in love. Is it any wonder that Fanny is less than self-confident?
The story of the book for me is how she acquires her inner strength: as others fail and show their feet of clay she consistently increases in power without ever losing that essential eighteenth and nineteenth century attribute, modesty. And this rise comes organically and feels true, and through this I cannot be one of the anti-Fanny crowd.
For me any weakness in the book comes late. The inevitable marriage feels contrived and even possibly objectionable: maybe another outcome would have been too difficult to pull off without upsetting conservative readers, but this somewhat bolted-on happy ending, while it doesn’t spoil a marvellous book, feels unwanted.

This is a copy of my Goodreads review. I only need to add here that it is read superbly. Oh and that Edmund is what PG Wodehouse would call "a pill"!

Julliet Stevenson Narrating at her best

Brilliant a joy to listen too, the characters are portraied so well, I could listen to it over and over again

The best version I've found

I took a couple of unsuccessful attempts to select a version of this audio book because although I knew I liked Juliet Stevenson's narration of other Jane Austen books the audio sample attached to the title had such bad quality sound I wasn't sure I could put up with it throughout the whole book. Eventually I decided to give it a try because Audible allows you to return a title for refund if you're not happy with it (a facility I'd discovered and taken advantage of when I tried the other narrators). Happily, I found that the sound quality of the full audio file when I downloaded it was good, at least as good as the recordings of the other Jane Austen titles Juliet Stevenson had narrated - this one's not going back.

Juliet Stevenson narrates beautifully!

Any additional comments?

This was my first audiobook after being introduced to audible, and I was not disappointed. Juliet Stevenson reads wonderfully well, and clearly distinguishes between characters. It really brought the book to life. This is not my favourite Austen, as I find the protagonist Fanny Price, a little annoying, but the usual wit and genius shines through nonetheless.

Better than some more expensive versions

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this very highly. Jane Austen's characterisation and dialogue are, as always, brilliant, and seem to be particularly effective when read aloud.Since reading circles were a common social activity in J.A.'s time, perhaps she intended this. Juliet Stevenson does full justice to the text. She uses different voices for different characters, which bring out their character beautifully, yet sound quite natural. I am pleasantly surprised, because this is one of the cheapest versions of Mansfield Park, and yet it must be one of the best (I haven't tried the others, but other people's reviews seem to indicate some are not as good).

What other book might you compare Mansfield Park to, and why?

Just as good as Jane Austen's other novels.

Which character – as performed by Juliet Stevenson – was your favourite?

Lady Bertram -I can just picture her laid out on the chaise longue,so outrageously self-absorbed and indolent that she becomes comic..

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, but I rationed myself, so I would have it to look forward to.

Wonderful!

Juliet Stevenson does full justice to the magic of Jane Austen's words. While Fanny and Edmund aren't as engaging as many of her other couples, this is still a delightful story and the 17 hour running time flew by as I lost myself in the world of Mansfield Park.

Sparkling wit at its best!

Ah, the wit and wonder of Jane Austen is second to none - many an acerbic observation made me gasp or laugh out loud throughout this, one of my favourite of her books. I think Fanny Price is such a gentle natured girl that she may be in danger of getting overlooked as one of Austen's main characters most deserving of attention.  She is full of both sense and sensitivity and is rather lovely to spend time with!  The other characters are flawed and very human indeed, with foibles a plenty and scandals abounding.  Plenty of opportunity for Austen to get out her claws and hold her mirror up to society. Things have changed since, the scandals may seem tame but the hurts they would cause would still be far reaching even if the consequences very different now. The ending still makes me smile and sigh with relief (trying not to spoil things for future readers too much!) and it is over all too quickly.

Juliet Stevenson's reading of the audio book is excellent with some brilliant voices for the different characters, she certainly sounded like she was having a lot of fun as she was reading it!

Well worth a listen

I found the heroine Fanny a trifle feeble to begin with.But she does eventually redeem herself.I just love to listen to the genius of Miss Austens prose.It is captivating in itself. The narrator is very good and brings the characters to life.

Always a joy to listen

My favourite narrator reads my author .I enjoyed it immensely and Juliet Stevenson is the best narrator ever. Thank you Ms Stevenson for the well nuanced reading. I will be listening to this again.

All the narration by Juliet Stevenson of Jane Austen are the best version out there.

Great story and brilliant narrator

Juliet Stevenson is a brilliant narrator. I really enjoyed the story and her narration brought it to life