My Goodreads review: Mansfield Park (Jane Austen Audible collection)

[ankh_hpl]

The Jane Austen Collection: An Audible Original Drama by Jane Austen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This rating is only for Mansfield Park, included in Audible's Original Drama version of Austen's novels. I have no quibble with the narration, or the full-cast presentation. I simply don't find this to be one of my favorite Jane Austen novels -- which is why I've only read it once & listened to it once so far. But it's spring, so I need some Austen!

Mansfield Park seems unusually judgmental & scandal-ridden for an Austen novel. The heroine, Fanny Price, is not as witty / well-spoken as some Austen heroines, though she gets in more than a few perceptive comments. The plot revolves around the fallout from an ill-advised attempt at amateur theater (yikes!), which entangles the characters in flirtation, speculation, & scandal until the very last chapter.

This novel gives a clearer view into the alien nature of the Regency world: money is discussed without a lot of reserve, social status is clearly demarcated, & there are no second chances after a bad moral misstep -- at least, not for a woman. (Yes, the heroine does comment on this -- she's still an Austen girl, after all.) As such, I'd still recommend it to any Austen readers who haven't tried it yet, or haven't revisited it in some time. This one lays out The Rules of country gentry Regency society, no question -- & certainly gave me a better understanding of these novels as a group.






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