Jane and Prudence

By: Barbara Pym

Narrated by: Mary Sarah

The author of Excellent Women explores female friendship and the quiet yearnings of British middle-class life - a literary delight for fans of Jane Austen.

Jane Cleveland and Prudence Bates were close friends at Oxford University, but now live very different lives. Forty-one-year-old Jane lives in the country, is married to a vicar, has a daughter she adores, and lives a very proper life in a very proper English parish. Prudence, a year shy of 30, lives in London, has an office job, and is self-sufficient and fiercely independent - until Jane decides her friend should be married. Jane has the perfect husband in mind for her former pupil: a widower named Fabian Driver.

But there are other women vying for Fabian's attention. And Pru is nursing her own highly inappropriate desire for her older, married, and seemingly oblivious employer, Dr. Grampian. What follows is a witty, delightful, trenchant story of manners, morals, family, and female bonding that redefines the social novel for a new generation.

©1981 The Estate of Barbara Pym (P)2020 Tantor

Lovely story, lackluster narrator

Like many reviewers, I was thrilled to see more Barbara Pym titles available on Audible. And I was also crestfallen when I listened to the narrator. Who in the world pronounces "relax" as "relocks"? Her accent was utterly unconvincing, the sort that Americans do when they're trying to sound posh, and her delivery was fey and monotonous. I'm partially blind, so my options are limited - I can't just find a paperback somewhere and read that if I don't like the narrator. Now, I must choose between listening to a narrator make a sad hash of truly delightful books or limit myself to "Excellent Woman," which has a fine narrator. Barbara Pym deserves better.

If you can handle the lamentable narration, I do recommend the book - it is funny and bittersweet, just what I'd hoped for.

Narrator is unbearable! Fake English accent. Ugh!

I cannot imagine who owns the rights to the works of Barbara Pym and would allow Audible to hire this inept and embarrassing narrator. This author is one of the greatest 20th century masters of high comedy and the observational novel. Her work is butchered by Mary Sarah. Lovers of Pym's works should get them on tape from the British recordings. What the hell is wrong with Audible?

Delightful story, terrible narrator

A charming Barbara Pym sketch - not profound or remarkable, even for her, but satisfying. The character of Jane is a standout.

The narrator was terrible. She has an affect that she probably considers “whimsical,” but it is irritating and it trivializes the work. Unfortunate.

Charming Story Ruined by Terrible Narration

I adore Barbara Pym's writing, but simply could not finish this audiobook because the narration was dreadful. Mary Sarah's fake English accent sounded so silly and affected that one could almost believe it was intended as a spoof. I was further dismayed to realize that Audible offers several more Pym works with the same awful narration.

Audible, please re-record these novels with a worthy narrator, perhaps Jayne Entwistle, who did a fine job with Excellent Women, or the incomparable Juliet Stevenson. Barbara Pym's many devoted fans will then line up to purchase them!

Delicious

I am a B.Pym firm fan.Perhaps the narration would be enjoyed by someone who has read the book first,really a delight!The Male voices were a bit unbelievable, but not enough to change the charm of the story.