Wonderful reading by Juliet Stevenson

Give yourself a treat and listen to this. I so enjoyed it and am going to listen to the rest of the Jane Austens read by her with equal enjoyment I am sure!

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Wonderfully Narrated

Juliet Stevenson is a fabulous narrator, especially for Austen. Her performance is warm and engaging, and she does equal justice to both male and female characters.
Austen's novels are the perfect antidote to stress or a bad day, and Mansfield Park is no exception.

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Beautiful narration!

Flawless narration, interesting story. I love how Juliet Stevenson performed and kept me engaged. definitely my favourite narrator.

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A wonderful performance to a lovely story

Whilst Mansfield Park is not one of my favourite Austen novels, Juliet Stevenson creates a beautiful ambient setting. Her characterisation is distinctive, but not dramatised. A fantastic listen.

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One of my favourites.

I read and listen to this book every few years and l still love it as much as the first read. Love the era it's written on and the writing is magical. I can listen to Juliet all day.

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Another entertaining Jane Austen novel

I do love Jane Austen novels. The era and culture of those times is fascinating with the rigid class structure and customs as well as the inferior role of women in society. Life has changed so much, so different but so interesting, such a contrast to today's world. The characters were well developed. The narration was perfect. The ending was a little disappointing because it was rushed and a bit strange that it was acceptable for first cousins to be marrying. Otherwise I enjoyed the story very much.

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Beyond the "walled garden"

Charlotte Bronte accused Jane Austen's novels as akin to taking place within a walled garden. Mansfield Park is one of the few times Austen steps briefly beyond the garden gate, and she doesn't like what she sees.
With the exception of Emma's meddling in the love life of Harriet Smith, in "Emma", Austin has little to say about the under-classes. They usually appear as undifferentiated "servants" with nothing to say for themselves. However In "Mansfield Park", Fanny is born to a working class father and a landed mother fallen on hard times but she is adopted and essentially raised in society comfort by her wealthy aunt and her family.
In an excruciatingly blatant piece of class prejudice Austen determines and discriminates her way through Fanny's brief return to her origins - an overcrowded Portsmouth hovel which, strangely, is equipped with servants. Fanny's relief is boundless on her return "home" to Mansfield Park.
It is a type of prejudice altogether absent in the work of the Bronte sisters, although they and Austen were not exactly contemporaneous.
As for the rest of the book, it is the usual trajectory of thwarted romance that comes good in the end.
Juliet Stephenson's narration is flawless, as usual, and the production quality is of the high standard typical of "Naxos" audiobooks.

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