Pride and Prejudice

A new version of Austen's classic is part of renewed interest in classics on audio. David's voice has a light, clear quality. She does well with the ladies' voices but make little attempt to differentiate among them. In addition, David makes no change in tone when a gentleman speaks. Her rapid pace through conversational passages makes them hard to follow. The abridgment increases the speed of events which seem slightly at odds with the protracted courtesies and manners, but is generally successful. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Juliet Stevenson delivers Austen's lovely prose with the grace and intelligence that it deserves. Most of the novel moves at a stately pace, even the most emotional peaks of the love story, and Stevenson delivers it with the measured cadence it demands. She isn't quite as strong when speaking the male dialogue, but when she's speaking as any of the female characters--especially the silly, breathy ones like Lydia or Mrs. Bennet--she strikes the perfect tone. However, this abridgment leaves much to be desired. Some of Austen's wittiest lines are cut, and so much is lost from some interactions that several characters come off far more flatly than written. G.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

June 4, 2018
Collagist Fabe adds flair to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice with 39 original illustrations that accompany the unabridged text. Fabe’s collages overlay bright, watercolor-washed scenes with retro cut-paper figures and objects sampled from fashion magazines from the 1930s to the ’50s. Accompanying each tableau is a quote from the Pride and Prejudice passage that inspired it. Like Austen’s book, Fabe’s work explores arcane customs of beauty and courtship, pageantry and social artifice: in one collage, a housewife holds a tray of drinks while a man sits happily with a sandwich in hand in the distance. While tinged with irony and more than a dash of social commentary, the collages nevertheless have a spirit of glee and evidence deep reverence for the novel. As Fabe describes in a preface, Austen “was a little bit mean—the way real people are mean—so there are both heroes and nincompoops. Family is both beloved and annoying. That is Austen’s genius, her ability to describe people in all their frailty and humor.” This is a sweet and visually appealing homage.

alicew - "Pride and Prejudice" is probably the most successful book written by Jane Austen. Her writing style inspires so many people and generations after generation. I was first introduced to this book about a year ago, but I thought that English Lit would be boring. But one day, I pick up the book and start reading, until I realize how good of a story this is, I have already finished the whole and didn't want the book to end there. My favorite character in this book is Mr. Darcy. He is so mysterious and dark for some reason. He secretly helps Lizzy do so many things. The chemistry between them builds up little by little, from their relationship being hate, then transforming to love. Throughout the book, my favorite part is the first ball. So many things were happening, Jane was with Mr. Bingley, and Darcy shutting Lizzy off. The scene was so well described that I could almost see how the ballroom looks like and how each scene rolls so smooth like I'm watching a movie. Anyways, I would definitely recommend people to read this book, this classic novel really strikes to a man's heart.