Happy Jane-uary! ✨
Yep that’s right, this month I’m concentrating heavily (and I mean heavily) on Jane Austen content. Reading it, listening to it and writing about it. You’re in for quite a ride so hop on the Austen train for the next few weeks.

I do not own any of those links, all credits are due to the rightful owners.

Ce mois-ci, Jane Austen est à l’honneur pour commencer 2023 ! J’espère que vous êtes prêt.e.s pour « Jane-vier » parce qu’on va lire, écouter, regarder et écrire sur Ms Austen (un vrai tour des 5 sens en quelque sorte !)
Commençons aujourd’hui par « écouter » du Jane Austen. J’ai récemment découvert plein d’adaptations audio des oeuvres de Jane Austen sur YouTube et je vous propose de découvrir la liste de mes préférées. Est-ce que vous les connaissiez ? N’hésitez pas à commenter ce que vous en pensez et laquelle vous préférez. Bonne écoute !

NB : Les liens ne m’appartiennent pas, tous droits réservés aux propriétaires légitimes.

PERSUASION READ BY KAREN SAVAGE

Of course, I have to start with my favourite Jane Austen book! This to me, is the best audiobook I’ve found so far and I really love Karen Savage’s narration because she has the right pace, the right tone and the right voice for every character. From the pompous Sir Walter Elliot to the fake Ms Clay, she does them all so very accurately!

I’ve been getting more and more into audiobooks lately and I must say that at first I wasn’t too keen on this type of format. However, a few years back I decided to give it a go as an alternative to music while working on my computer. Finding this audiobook was so easy, one day I just typed « Persuasion audiobook » on YouTube, hoped for the best and came across Librivox recordings and Karen Savage’s narrations. In the end, I think that what makes or breaks a good audiobook all comes down to the narrator. more than the story itself because it could be the simplest story but read poorly it could become painful to listen. Fortunately it isn’t the case with Persuasion read by Karen Savage, so I encourage you to click the video below and give it a listen.
Also, I know that Florence Pugh read it on Audible as well, I don’t have a subscription but I’m curious to know how she narrates it. If you happened to have listened to it, please let me know your thoughts.

PRIDE AND PREJUCIDE READ BY KAREN SAVAGE

Being now converted as an enthusiast of Karen Savage’s narrations when I found out that she also recorded Pride & Prejudice, of course I had to listen to it! And of course it became an instant favourite as well.

PERSUASION BY SOOTHING POD

Going to sleep while listening to a retelling of Persuasion?! Where has it been all my life?! I guess when you wander on YouTube looking for something to listen to and help you go to sleep you come accross things you did not know you needed. This is very useful to go to sleep and it’s a retelling, so you get to hear Jane Austen’s nbook in a different way. The ending is not changed, it is mostly in a shorter format and if, like me, you like some romance here and there in your novels, this one will melt your heart.

You can also listen to this story during the day of course, but the first 2-3 minutes always start with a little breathing exercise to help you go to sleep easier. You might want to skip it to avoid falling asleep while being at work or studying.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE BY SOOTHING POD

Of course I listened to P&P right after discovering Persuasion’s sleeping story! As you do!
There is also a version of Sense and Sensibility, however I have not got around to listening to it yet.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE READ BY JENNIFER EHLE

This is exactly the content I didn’t know I needed during this 2020 lockdown era. A ray of sunshine in dark times to say the least! Pride and Prejudice read by our very own Lizzie Bennet in the 1995 BBC mini-series, need I say more? It is such a heart-warming audio experience which you can also watch actually so there you go. Enjoy Jennifer Ehle bringing back her British accent just for us.

PERSUASION AUDIO DRAMA BY BBC SATURDAY NIGHT THEATRE

This audio drama originally broadcasted on the radio the January 31st, 1970 and I think it’s amazing to be able to still have those recordings available 50 years later on YouTube.
Also, can you believe that there were people turning on their radio to listen to audio plays or experience musicals? That would be so cool right now I think, although I wonder if people would actually listen. But after all, you never know, with the rise of audiobooks, it could be a logical next step. In a few years time maybe, who knows?

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AUDIO DRAMA BY WHITE COBRA

No surprise here, just like the others, got to check for P&P!

Bonus: Matthew Macfadyen reading the best passage of P&P: Mr Darcy’s declaration/first proposal!

Need I say more for this one?

I realise now that this blog post has been centred on my two favourite Jane Austen’s books but look at the list we managed to have here! It always amazes me the endless content there is and continues to be around Jane Austen’s world. She completed altogether 7 novels during her lifetime but there is practically every year new adaptations, and therefore new things to discover: audiobooks, radio drama, books or also plays and musicals. I’ll talk about that more in future blog posts!

Let me know if you’ve ever listened to one of these audio adaptations. What do you think of them and which one is your favourite?