Pride and Prejudice [Blackstone Audio]

By: Jane Austen

Narrated by: Carolyn Seymour

Length: 11 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

The provincial Bennet family, home to five unmarried daughters, is turned upside down when a wealthy bachelor takes up a house nearby. Mr. Bingley enhances his instant popularity by hosting a ball and taking an interest in the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane. Meanwhile, Mr. Darcy, Bingley’s even wealthier friend, makes himself equally unpopular by his aloof disdain of country manners. Yet he is drawn, in spite of himself, to the spirited and intelligent Elizabeth Bennet, who proves to be his match in both wit and pride. Their sparkling repartee is a splendid performance of civilized sparring infused with unacknowledged romantic tension.

Pride and Prejudice delightfully captures the affectations and rivalries of class-conscious English families in an age when status and security for women hung entirely on matrimonial ambitions. Austen’s characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England. It is also the source of some of the most memorable characters ever written, from the fatuous Mr. Collins, whose proposal to Elizabeth is one of the finest comic passages in English literature, to the beloved heroine Elizabeth, whom the author herself deemed “as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.”

Public Domain (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“There is a truth of painting in her writings which always delights me.” (Sir Walter Scott)

“The greatest novel ever written.” (Malcolm Muggeridge)

“Major and minor characters are superbly drawn, the plot is beautifully symmetrical, and the dazzling perfection of style shows Austen at her best.” ( Masterpieces of World Literature)

The ultimate romance!

The best of Jane Austen in my opinion. I love her sarcastic humor. The story deals with real issues. Have you ever been embarrassed by a close relative? Have you "settled" because it's practical? Have you hoped beyond what seemed probable? Have you suffered for being judgmental or acting superior to others? It's all here! Makes you examine your own motives and actions. A well told story that ends like real life-happy for some and not so well for others. It shows the long term connection between choice and consequence. A classic tale-very well read.

Beautiful Story

I love Pride and Prejudice. It is one of the most beautiful and meaningful love stories of all time. From its famous first line to its heart warming conclusion it is perfection itself. Who doesn't fall in love with Mr. Darcy as the book progresses? Who cannot relate to Elizabeth and cry when she cries and laugh when she laughs? The reader will be drawn in, and swept away into Regency England to walk with characters that will never know equals along a path not always strewn with roses, but one which leads to true love.

Excellent Narration

This is one of my favorite romance novels, so of course I love the audiobook. The narrator is spot on. her portrayals of Mrs. Bennet, Lady Catherine, and Mr. Collins all crack me up, and she does well with all the other characters too. love it!

Loved it!!

I absolutely loved the way this was read! It made the book easy to follow along with, and super fun too.

Delightful narrator brings the story alive

If you could sum up Pride and Prejudice in three words, what would they be?

Classic and addictive. You won't listen once, you'll want to put this on repeat.

What did you like best about this story?

Delightful writing and characters make this story a joy to re-read.

Have you listened to any of Carolyn Seymour’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but I would based on this performance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Every other audiobook edition of this book is dreadful, either shrill or absolutely flat. This one managed to give each character their own inflection without any character being intolerable or boring, even the "dreaded" Mrs. Bennet.

Classic!

Jane Austin's works are wonderful. I love being transported back to that time period. Wonderful story. The narrator was clear spoken and expressive without being overly animated.

So good!

I LOVE this version of Pride and Prejudice! Jane Austen is The BEST! And P&P is aces!

great great great

I finished it in three days it would've been one if time allowed me, amazing!!!!!

I love this book

I've read Pride and Prejudice many times. But the treatment of this audible book, with this narration, exceeds all previous enjoyment. The narrator's ability to make each of the characters individuals, is truly an excellent accomplishment.

Challenging but worthwhile

Although the vocabulary is quite challenging, the story overall is "dare I say, exceedingly satisfactory".