Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

Published as an audiobook by Audible Studios. Uploaded 08-12-2015. Narrated by Rosamund Pike.
First published 1813.

I read Pride and Prejudice many years ago and remember finding it funny, but listening to it with Elise has reminded me just how funny it really it. Austen (as well as Rosamund Pike's narration) has a talent for describing both scenes and characters in a way that highlights their eccentricities and draws the most laughs possible from the goings-on. Both Elise and myself had laugh-out-loud moments throughout the story, often at times when either Mr or Mrs Bennett was taking a more prominent role. Austen also makes sure that even her more ridiculous characters, such as Mr Collins or Lady Catherine, have enough 'grounding' that you could picture the character existing - they are more than just one-dimensional punch-lines. This is possibly why Pride and Prejudice remains such a beloved classic to this day; although some language choices show that the story was written some time ago, the humour, the romance and the sense that we have all met characters like the ones described by Austen, continue to connect readers to the story in a way that some other classics are unable to do.

The downside of Pride and Prejudice's ongoing popularity is that it is hard to come to the story "fresh." I have seen the BBC version and the Keira Knightley film version (and even the Bollywood version, Bride and Prejudice), I know the characters, I know the twists and turns before I read them. It is hard to 'be surprised.' And yet, the book still surprises occasionally - not in plot - but in the way it fleshes out even minor characters, giving them a greater chance to shine. Elizabeth's aunt, Mrs Gardener, is one example that improves in the written version. One letter to Elizabeth, full of subtle and not-so-subtle hints about her assumption of D'arcy's affections is very well-worded and amusing.

Having a professional actress as narrator (and incidentally one who played the role of Jane in the Keira Knightley movie version) does help the story 'pop' even further. Rosamund Pike gives the subtle nuances needed for each character, and although some voices may sound similar, she differentiates them enough to make the work. In some instances it even seems as though Pike has intentionally allowed particular characters to have similar voices - Mrs Bennett and Kitty for example, have a similar intonation, which allows both their close relationship and their similar personalities to come through.

A very enjoyable story, with a very enjoyable audio version.

We are already considering another Rosamund Pike narrated Jane Austen story for a future book.

Completed, with Elise, 30 October 2022.



(Elise Books)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Various Picture Books

Image
As I said in my review of Peter Rabbit's Storytime Collection , I am wanting to find a way to acknowledge the books I read to Ezekiel without adding individual picture books to my reading list - I feel that would dilute it a bit much. So in this post, I've decided to look at a group of picture books all together. I've picked five picture books that I like (with a notable and noteworthy exception), and also asked Elise for five picture books she is  enjoying reading to Ezekiel. It's interesting (and helpful for this list) that our lists haven't overlapped at all this time around. So, here are ten picture books (plus one bonus 'book') that Ezekiel has been exposed to in the first 7ish months of his life: Karl's List Bunnies on the Bus - Philip Ardagh and (illustrator) Ben Mantle. Published by Walker Books Ltd: London, 2020 (2019). This is one of my favourites among our current picture books. A group of bunnies hijack a bus and hurtle through the town on th
Read more

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Image
Published by Allen & Unwin: Crows Nest, NSW, Australia, 2008. Book snobs, block your ears. *whispers* I think the movie was better. Okay, book snobs, you can unblock your ears now. *waves to get the attention of book snobs* To be honest, a huge reason why I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society at this moment in time was that I thought it would be funny to have two books with ridiculously long titles appear back-to-back in my list. For anyone who thought that there were super-deep reasons why I picked the books that I did, I hope this helps you see the error of your ways. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (which I am refusing to shorten for the rest of this review) still tells the same story as that in the movie adaptation (also called  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society ), but does so in a less gripping (though still interesting) manner. This is for a few reasons: firstly,  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book is e
Read more

Words of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson

Image
Published by Tom Doherty Associates Books/TOR Fantasy: New York, 2014. Book 2 in 'The Stormlight Archives' series. Preceded by ' The Way of Kings .' Followed by (spin-off) ' Edgedancer ' and (main series) ' Oathbringer. ' Well, I finally read the second Stormlight book, this one even longer than the last  at a whopping 1080 pages, and once again found myself enjoying Sanderson's world immensely. The plot does take longer than strictly necessary in places - particularly in the storyline following Shallan Davar as she journeys towards the Shattered Plains - but overall is still a page-turner. By the middle of Words of Radiance our three main characters (Kaladin, Shallan and Adolin) are finally in the same location, something that was never achieved in the first book. In keeping them apart for so long, Sanderson is able to give his readers a real understanding of what makes each character tick, and this becomes quite interesting as when these character
Read more