Pride and Prejudice

Penguin Classics

By: Jane Austen, Tony Tanner - introduction

Narrated by: Indira Varma, Kristin Atherton

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Indira Varma, who has starred in Luther and Game of Thrones. This definitive recording includes an introduction by Vivien Jones.

When Elizabeth Bennet first meets eligible bachelor Fitzwilliam Darcy, she thinks him arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship between his friend Bingley and her beloved sister Jane, she is determined to dislike him more than ever. In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows, Jane Austen shows the folly of judging by first impressions and superbly evokes the friendships, gossip and snobberies of provincial middle-class life.

(P) Penguin Audio 2020

A REAL Classic

I enjoyed this novel. It was interesting & written well. The characters were developed & interesting. I read it straight through.

Excellent narration.

Good job distinguishing between the voices. Great job bringing out the humor. The essay at the end was surprisingly good

What's Not to Love!

This was such a sweet and romantic book, a little different from the movie version with Kiera Knightly. I feel like books and movies created now, in our current society no longer allow for "true romance". This story felt true and sincere and beautiful. The narrator was wonderful. I highly recommend!

exceptional narrator

The narrator is the best I've heard yet. She is the perfect fit in my opinion. fully recommend.

Thank Goodness for the Narrator

Most renditions of P&P have the narrators give a very annoying voice to Mrs. Bennet. That turned me off of listening to several versions, simply because I can't imagine hearing the whole story that way. Even in the movies, Mrs. B doesn't sound like that.

Indira Varma, thankfully, makes her sound less shrieky and more like a person actually would. However, I do wish she'd varied her readings of some of the characters more. Jane can sometimes sound like Elizabeth or Mr. B like Darcy, which makes it less fun. She does, luckily, put the right amount of haughtiness into Lady Catherine and I liked her voicing of Charlotte Lucas, whom I was not as interested in before but I like better now after this version.

Having read the story in high school as my first intro to Austen and having listened to almost all the other Audible versions of her works (minus Emma and Northanger Abbey), this was not my first time with an Austen novel. But this Audible book reminded me of why this book is so beloved. I can see why the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth is so memorable, as are the social and economic background behind the marriage market (Mrs. B knows the competition). And of course, Elizabeth is lively compared to her sisters, which is why her father thinks she has a bit more sense than them.

I will also say about the intro (purposely at the end of the story so not to spoil plot points) that this is a scholarly examination of the themes in the story. So if you don't agree with the things mentioned, don't worry about it spoiling things for you. Austen's works can be enjoyed for their story and/or for the bigger things she's saying about marriage and love in her time.

I recommend this listen if you want a good Audible version of the story. I also recommend listening or reading Jo Baker's Longbourn along with it. It's the story of P&P from the servants' perspectives, which I honestly enjoy more because it adds life to the story from beyond the gentry level of the Bennets. If you've never read Austen, this is a great start.