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Sense and Sensibility

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Sense and Sensibility

By: Jane Austen
Narrated by: Marion Castle
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About this listen

Sense and Sensibility is a sharply detailed portrait of the decorum surrounding courtship and the importance of marriage for women in early 19th-century upper-class English society. The story revolves around Elinor and Marianne Dashwood who, as members of the upper class, cannot "work" for a living and must therefore make a suitable marriage to ensure their livelihood. Elinor is a sensible, rational creature, while her younger sister, Marianne, is wildly romantic - a characteristic that offers Austen plenty of scope for both satire and compassion.

Public Domain (P)2011 Cherry Hill Publishing Classics Witty

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I felt this book was over-populated with characters and the various plotlines were more convoluted and meandering than the crisp, sharp story of "Pride and Prejudice" where every sentence feels expertly crafted and essential. However, this is a classic and that is the treatment it gets from Marion Castle, which isn't necessarily a compliment. Her delivery is faultless, appropriate to the period and... just a bit bland. I believe that a narrator should go above and beyond technical ability and bring some life to the characters; I wish Castle would have concentrated less on her perfect enunciation and more on conveying Austen's famous dry wit. Suffice it to say that I didn't notice much difference between her portrayal of the silly Marianne and the reserved Elinor.

Classic work in 'classical' narration.

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I like the story of Sense and Sensibility nearly as well as Pride and Prejudice and have read, watched and listened to numerous versions. I chose this version as it was considerably cheaper than several other versions (I was out of credits). Marion Castle read the story reasonably well but her voice went a little too shrill for my taste for some characters. Overall it was a very decent listen and good value for money.

A decent reading of a great classic

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Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend the book, but not this version, as I found the voice, though clear and commited to the tale, was not restful to engage with.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sense and Sensibility?

The scene at the ball, where Marianne and Willoughby meet unexpectedly is a classic.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

I appreciated the dedication of Marion Castle to her narration, and her clarity of diction, but found her tones unrestful, sometimes rushed, with a lack of distinction between male/ female voices in particular.

Was Sense and Sensibility worth the listening time?

Sense and Sensibility is a long book, with a lot of narration often not appreciated by those whose expectation of it comes firstly from the film or TV adaptation. It is well worth the read, but is also therefore worth the best interpretation.

Any additional comments?

I bought this version when I first joined Audible and was keen to build my library of a few favourite books, in haste. Therefore, I compromised quality for price. It was when, later in the the year that I wanted to listen to it again, and found I couldn't face the voice, that I realised my mistake. A year on, I have recitfied my actions and bought the Juliet Steveson narration as well. She, in my opinion, is the consumate teller of classic novels; and I look forward to wallowing in this tale once more, whilst the arctic, 'Beast from the East,' batters outside.

A great classic, pay for the best narration

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