Northanger Abbey

De: Jane Austen

Narrado por: Mary Sarah Agliotta

In Northanger Abbey, a young woman's penchant for sensational Gothic novels leads to misunderstandings in the matters of the heart. Austen's first, this is considered by many to be among her most charming novels.

Public Domain (P)2012 Trout Lake Media

Meant to be read aloud..perfect for Audible!

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

The story, a light-hearted parody of Gothic novels, was meant to be read aloud as family entertainment. Given that, it is wonderfully suited for Audible. The narrator, Mary Sarah Agliotta, does the story justice with her clear and engaging narration.

What did you like best about this story?

The directness with which Austen addresses the reader is fascinating and reveals her own thoughts about various topics.

What about Mary Sarah Agliotta’s performance did you like?

Ms. Agliotta did a great job. Her narration is well-paced and engaging. Her voice is clear, soothing and otherwise quite pleasant.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Following the struggles and adventures of Catherine throughout this fantastic parody was entertaining.

Execution Seriously Lacking

If the monotone reading didn’t drone me to sleep, then the duplicate lines and mispronunciations impeded my enjoyment of this excellent story. Sadly, I can not recommend this audiobook.

My least favorite of Jane Austen's books.

I love Jane Austen but never got around to read or listen to this one. I'm thinking I might have gotten more out of actually reading the book instead of listening to it because it starts out kind of disjointed with the premise and the characters. All of her other books drew me in right away but this one didn't. It didn't have the same witty banter and writing that her other books have. Anyway, it's not horrible because it's Jane Austen but not my favorite.

Adequate but Flawed Performance of a Classic

Where does Northanger Abbey rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Northanger Abbey is not Austen's finest novel, but it is enjoyable. The reading was only adequate, but I have heard worse narrations.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I suspect that my favorite character is the author, who in her narrator's persona makes various snide remarks.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Alas, there were a lot of problems, though not so many as to make the work intolerable. This narration badly needed going over by an editor, to spot mispronounced words and duplicate sentences. There were enough mispronunciations to be irritating, and Mary Sarah Agliotta should get herself some coaching on that point.
She could have spotted the duplicate sentences herself if she had carefully listened to the finished product before releasing it. There also were several points at which she did not recognize what was going on in a sentence until she was halfway through, resulting in poor choices of which words to stress.
Her voice was pleasant enough, and I am not greatly bothered by the fact that she did not attempt strong differentiation of the voices of different characters. The problem is that most narrators on Audible are so superb that this reading did not measure up.

If you could take any character from Northanger Abbey out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I am not sure I would enjoy going to dinner with any of the characters, all of whom seem to be pretty shallow people. I would love to go to dinner with the author.

Any additional comments?

Jane Austen uses this book to praise the value of reading novels, and at the same time demonstrates the foolishness of allowing Gothic novels to form one's expectations. It is a lovely juxtaposition.

Good version

I love this story and I thought the narrator did a good job. I enjoyed her performance