What do you think?
Rate this book
Northanger Abbey: An Audible Original Drama
A coming-of-age tale for the young and naïve 17-year-old Catherine Morland, Northanger Abbey takes a decidedly comical look at themes of class, family, love and literature. Reveling in the sensationalist - and extremely popular - Gothic fiction of her day, the story follows Catherine out of Bath to the lofty manor of the Tilneys, where her overactive imagination gets to work constructing an absurd and melodramatic explanation for the death of Mrs Tilney, which threatens to jeopardize her newly forged friendships.
This Audible Originals production of Northanger Abbey stars Emma Thompson (Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA winner, Love Actually, Harry Potter, Sense and Sensibility), Lily Cole (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Snow White and the Huntsman, St. Trinian's), Douglas Booth (Noah, Great Expectations, The Riot Club), Jeremy Irvine (Warhorse, The Railway Man, Now Is Good), Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark, The Illusionist, Alice in Wonderland) and Ella Purnell (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Never Let Me Go, Kick-Ass 2), amongst others.
Public Domain (P)2017 Audible, Ltd
This Audible Originals production of Northanger Abbey stars Emma Thompson (Academy Award, Golden Globe, Emmy and BAFTA winner, Love Actually, Harry Potter, Sense and Sensibility), Lily Cole (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Snow White and the Huntsman, St. Trinian's), Douglas Booth (Noah, Great Expectations, The Riot Club), Jeremy Irvine (Warhorse, The Railway Man, Now Is Good), Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark, The Illusionist, Alice in Wonderland) and Ella Purnell (Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Never Let Me Go, Kick-Ass 2), amongst others.
Public Domain (P)2017 Audible, Ltd
7 pages, Audible Audio
First published July 18, 2017
9 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Anna Lea
20 books5 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
In the past few years, Anna Lea has adapted a number of classic novels into full-cast audio dramas, starring some of the UK’s leading actors.
In the past few years, Anna Lea has adapted a number of classic novels into full-cast audio dramas, starring some of the UK’s leading actors.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
December 23, 2019
A brilliantly vibrant dramatisation with the wonderful Emma Thompson as the main narrator and a talented supporting cast.
It's also brought me the realisation of why I've always struggled with Austen. I can't read it in the right tone. I like (some) film adaptations and this dramatisation because both forms allow me to actually hear the underlying commentary. Here, we have naive Catherine Morland introduced to Bath society, an experience for which she is totally unprepared. She remarks at one point her astonishment that people can say one thing and mean another. She's innocent, silly, and somewhat over dramatic but she's also the perfect foil for a whole heap of social criticism. I would have read her as dull and ridiculous, and she is that too, but what I heard was her heart. It was this audible version that allowed me to look beyond the surface of Austen's writing (yeah, I know i'm slow), there's satire, comedy, and a great deal of fun.
Still, let’s not go too far, there's no redeeming Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Darcy is an arse.
It's also brought me the realisation of why I've always struggled with Austen. I can't read it in the right tone. I like (some) film adaptations and this dramatisation because both forms allow me to actually hear the underlying commentary. Here, we have naive Catherine Morland introduced to Bath society, an experience for which she is totally unprepared. She remarks at one point her astonishment that people can say one thing and mean another. She's innocent, silly, and somewhat over dramatic but she's also the perfect foil for a whole heap of social criticism. I would have read her as dull and ridiculous, and she is that too, but what I heard was her heart. It was this audible version that allowed me to look beyond the surface of Austen's writing (yeah, I know i'm slow), there's satire, comedy, and a great deal of fun.
Still, let’s not go too far, there's no redeeming Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Darcy is an arse.
October 5, 2017
Catherine: "...it is a nice book, and why should not I call it so?"
Henry: "Very true," said Henry, "and this is a very nice day, and we are taking a very nice walk, and you are two very nice young ladies. Oh! It is a very nice word indeed! It does for everything. Originally perhaps it was applied only to express neatness, propriety, delicacy, or refinement—people were nice in their dress, in their sentiments, or their choice. But now every commendation on every subject is comprised in that one word.”
This quote of Henry's embodies what I love about him. (It's possibly my favorite quote in the book.) He teases Catherine with affection and intelligence. I also enjoy the reference to the word "nice" because it took me several historical novels to figure out the archaic meaning.
Northanger Abbey: An Audible Original Drama (2017, Audible Studios) is a dramatization of Northanger Abbey , by Jane Austen. I wanted to listen to this version because I love the narrator (Emma Thompson) and I because I was planning to participate in a group read of this book during the month of September.
Rating: 5 stars
Audio rating: 5 stars
Northanger Abbey is a romance as well as a Gothic satire set largely in Bath.
The plot: Catherine Morland, 17, has been brought up in the country and goes to Bath as a guest of Mr. and Mrs. Allen, friends of her family. She becomes acquainted with a few young people, some of whom turn out to be worthy acquaintances, while others, unfortunately, are not.
Christian elements:
*Both Henry Tilney (the hero) and Catherine's father are clergymen. Her father doesn't get much page time, but the character of Henry is very wise and moral. Catherine, too, is very moral (though not as wise as Henry.)
*The phrases "Oh, heavens!" and "Good God!" occur in the story. The first phrase doesn't bother me, but the second phrase feels like swearing - the equivalent of OMG.
Is it clean/chaste? Yes, of course! It's Jane Austen, isn't it?
What I liked:
*Henry Tilney is such an excellent hero. He is a flirt and a tease, yet mature, kind, and wise. I don't know whether he is my favorite Austen hero - I can't decide - but he is certainly the most fun one, and Northanger Abbey is certainly the flirtiest of the Austen novels.
*It had been so long since I read the original that there were two details/scenes which utterly surprised me, as they deviated from the movie version I am most familiar with.
What I didn’t like:
*On the grounds that it made it difficult for me to understand dialogue, the added background noises, while wonderfully depicting the scenes, were too much of a distraction for my hearing loss to cope well with. My comprehension dropped by about 20%, I'd say, and so I may avoid dramatizations in the future. If I have the opportunity to listen to Emma Thompson narrate another novel I know well, I will probably ignore my own advice. :-)
*A Goodreads friend told me that this book is abridged. This does make sense from the point of view that this is a dramatization, and I can see an "adaptor" has been named. But I would have preferred that the entire text be included, as I enjoy not only Austen's stories, but her writing itself.
*As each "negative" point is obviously a personal preference only, my five-star rating stands!
***********
The bottom line: I recommend this book to fans of Jane Austen, or to anyone who is interested in a romance with a bit of Gothic flavor. For first time readers of Austen, I'd definitely recommend Pride and Prejudice .
Henry: "Very true," said Henry, "and this is a very nice day, and we are taking a very nice walk, and you are two very nice young ladies. Oh! It is a very nice word indeed! It does for everything. Originally perhaps it was applied only to express neatness, propriety, delicacy, or refinement—people were nice in their dress, in their sentiments, or their choice. But now every commendation on every subject is comprised in that one word.”
This quote of Henry's embodies what I love about him. (It's possibly my favorite quote in the book.) He teases Catherine with affection and intelligence. I also enjoy the reference to the word "nice" because it took me several historical novels to figure out the archaic meaning.
Northanger Abbey: An Audible Original Drama (2017, Audible Studios) is a dramatization of Northanger Abbey , by Jane Austen. I wanted to listen to this version because I love the narrator (Emma Thompson) and I because I was planning to participate in a group read of this book during the month of September.
Rating: 5 stars
Audio rating: 5 stars
Northanger Abbey is a romance as well as a Gothic satire set largely in Bath.
The plot: Catherine Morland, 17, has been brought up in the country and goes to Bath as a guest of Mr. and Mrs. Allen, friends of her family. She becomes acquainted with a few young people, some of whom turn out to be worthy acquaintances, while others, unfortunately, are not.
Christian elements:
*Both Henry Tilney (the hero) and Catherine's father are clergymen. Her father doesn't get much page time, but the character of Henry is very wise and moral. Catherine, too, is very moral (though not as wise as Henry.)
*The phrases "Oh, heavens!" and "Good God!" occur in the story. The first phrase doesn't bother me, but the second phrase feels like swearing - the equivalent of OMG.
Is it clean/chaste? Yes, of course! It's Jane Austen, isn't it?
What I liked:
*Henry Tilney is such an excellent hero. He is a flirt and a tease, yet mature, kind, and wise. I don't know whether he is my favorite Austen hero - I can't decide - but he is certainly the most fun one, and Northanger Abbey is certainly the flirtiest of the Austen novels.
*It had been so long since I read the original that there were two details/scenes which utterly surprised me, as they deviated from the movie version I am most familiar with.
What I didn’t like:
*On the grounds that it made it difficult for me to understand dialogue, the added background noises, while wonderfully depicting the scenes, were too much of a distraction for my hearing loss to cope well with. My comprehension dropped by about 20%, I'd say, and so I may avoid dramatizations in the future. If I have the opportunity to listen to Emma Thompson narrate another novel I know well, I will probably ignore my own advice. :-)
*A Goodreads friend told me that this book is abridged. This does make sense from the point of view that this is a dramatization, and I can see an "adaptor" has been named. But I would have preferred that the entire text be included, as I enjoy not only Austen's stories, but her writing itself.
*As each "negative" point is obviously a personal preference only, my five-star rating stands!
***********
The bottom line: I recommend this book to fans of Jane Austen, or to anyone who is interested in a romance with a bit of Gothic flavor. For first time readers of Austen, I'd definitely recommend Pride and Prejudice .
May 22, 2018
Emma Thompson... Eleanor Tomlinson....faints!!!
November 19, 2017
Horridly excellent!
Northanger Abbey is the most deliciously light of all of Austen’s books, filled with humour as Austen pokes gentle fun at her own class and gender. Catherine Morland is our naïve 17-year-old heroine, leaving her country parsonage home for the first time to visit the bright lights of Bath in the company of her generous neighbours, the Allens. Starry-eyed and romantic, and with an obsessive love of the Gothic sensation fiction of the day, Catherine is ready to be thrilled by everything and everyone she meets.
Having reviewed the book before, I'm concentrating here on the production and performances in Audible's new dramatisation of it.
This is done as half narration and half dramatisation. The narration is done superbly by Emma Thompson, someone who truly 'gets' Austen as anyone who has watched her performance in the wonderful 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility will know – a film for which she also wrote the script. In this one, she goes all out to bring out the humour in the script, and her affectionately ridiculing tone and excellent comic timing had me laughing aloud time and time again. It truly feels to me as if she's channelling Austen – I suspect if Jane read her manuscript aloud to her family, she'd have delivered it just like this, with the same fond teasing of our delightful Catherine and the same gasping drama over the Gothic horror elements, played strictly for laughs. Thompson verges perilously close to going over the top at points, but is far too masterful to actually do so. Part of me wished this was a straight narration – and I really would like her to narrate all the Austen novels, please, when she has a moment to spare.
That's not to suggest I didn't enjoy the dramatised elements too – I did, very much. The young cast were largely unknown to me, since I don't watch much TV or film, but several of them have impressive lists of credits to their names already. Each turned in a fine performance here with no weak links in the chain.
The role of Catherine is vital, and Ella Purnell does an excellent job in portraying the youthful naivety that sometimes leads her into foolish behaviour. She brings great charm to the role, with the same infectious good humour that makes Catherine such a likeable heroine on the page. Henry, I always feel, is a harder role to pull off, since frankly he's so patronising to our lovely Catherine and his sister Eleanor that I often have an uncontrollable desire to hit him over the head with a well-filled reticule. So I was very impressed with the way Jeremy Irvine was able to navigate that aspect with such a degree of warmth in his tone that I found it easy to forgive him and to understand Catherine's attraction to him. (And bear in mind, girls, that I didn't even have the advantage of being able to see him... except perhaps in my mind's eye... ;) )
Douglas Booth and Lily Cole are both nicely unlikeable as the baddies John and Isabella Thorpe (Boo! Hiss!), Booth managing with aplomb all John's boastful silliness about his horses and so on, while Cole drips delicious insincerity with every word. As the sensible one, Eleanor Tilney can tend to be somewhat dull as a character, but Eleanor Tomlinson gives her some much needed vivacity, while in the big dramatic scene near the end, she brings out beautifully all her distress and embarrassment. My other favourite is Mrs Allen, played by Anna Chancellor. Again she can be a tricky character; her rather silly empty-headedness and obsession with clothes could easily be annoying in the wrong hands, but Chancellor brings out her affectionate nature and the true warmth of her feelings towards Catherine, and the script is very humorous at showing how she allows her husband to form all her opinions for her.
Directed by Catherine Thompson, the production itself is fun with all the appropriate sound effects of carriages rattling along the roads, dramatic music for the Abbey horror scenes and delightful dance music during all the various balls. The balance between narration and dramatisation is good and I find this format works particularly well for audio – better than either alone for me. The bursts of dramatisation hold my attention in a way that an unbroken narration, however good, sometimes doesn't; while the narration gives an opportunity to hear the author's voice and fill out the background that's sometimes missed when a book is reduced completely to dialogue. The script too, by Anna Lea, is excellent, sticking as it should entirely to Austen's own words. I felt it had been a little abridged, not just for the linking parts in the dialogue to make it work as a dramatisation, but also in some of the narrated parts. But if so, the abridgement is done smoothly and none of the important elements have been cut.
So another excellent audio drama from Audible, who seem to be producing more and more of these, and casting them with some of our top performers. Keep them coming, I say! And as for this one – highly recommended!
NB This audio drama was provided for review by Audible UK via MidasPR.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Northanger Abbey is the most deliciously light of all of Austen’s books, filled with humour as Austen pokes gentle fun at her own class and gender. Catherine Morland is our naïve 17-year-old heroine, leaving her country parsonage home for the first time to visit the bright lights of Bath in the company of her generous neighbours, the Allens. Starry-eyed and romantic, and with an obsessive love of the Gothic sensation fiction of the day, Catherine is ready to be thrilled by everything and everyone she meets.
They arrived at Bath. Catherine was all eager delight – her eyes were here, there, everywhere, as they approached its fine and striking environs, and afterwards drove through those streets which conducted them to the hotel. She was come to be happy, and she felt happy already.
Having reviewed the book before, I'm concentrating here on the production and performances in Audible's new dramatisation of it.
This is done as half narration and half dramatisation. The narration is done superbly by Emma Thompson, someone who truly 'gets' Austen as anyone who has watched her performance in the wonderful 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility will know – a film for which she also wrote the script. In this one, she goes all out to bring out the humour in the script, and her affectionately ridiculing tone and excellent comic timing had me laughing aloud time and time again. It truly feels to me as if she's channelling Austen – I suspect if Jane read her manuscript aloud to her family, she'd have delivered it just like this, with the same fond teasing of our delightful Catherine and the same gasping drama over the Gothic horror elements, played strictly for laughs. Thompson verges perilously close to going over the top at points, but is far too masterful to actually do so. Part of me wished this was a straight narration – and I really would like her to narrate all the Austen novels, please, when she has a moment to spare.
That's not to suggest I didn't enjoy the dramatised elements too – I did, very much. The young cast were largely unknown to me, since I don't watch much TV or film, but several of them have impressive lists of credits to their names already. Each turned in a fine performance here with no weak links in the chain.
The role of Catherine is vital, and Ella Purnell does an excellent job in portraying the youthful naivety that sometimes leads her into foolish behaviour. She brings great charm to the role, with the same infectious good humour that makes Catherine such a likeable heroine on the page. Henry, I always feel, is a harder role to pull off, since frankly he's so patronising to our lovely Catherine and his sister Eleanor that I often have an uncontrollable desire to hit him over the head with a well-filled reticule. So I was very impressed with the way Jeremy Irvine was able to navigate that aspect with such a degree of warmth in his tone that I found it easy to forgive him and to understand Catherine's attraction to him. (And bear in mind, girls, that I didn't even have the advantage of being able to see him... except perhaps in my mind's eye... ;) )
Douglas Booth and Lily Cole are both nicely unlikeable as the baddies John and Isabella Thorpe (Boo! Hiss!), Booth managing with aplomb all John's boastful silliness about his horses and so on, while Cole drips delicious insincerity with every word. As the sensible one, Eleanor Tilney can tend to be somewhat dull as a character, but Eleanor Tomlinson gives her some much needed vivacity, while in the big dramatic scene near the end, she brings out beautifully all her distress and embarrassment. My other favourite is Mrs Allen, played by Anna Chancellor. Again she can be a tricky character; her rather silly empty-headedness and obsession with clothes could easily be annoying in the wrong hands, but Chancellor brings out her affectionate nature and the true warmth of her feelings towards Catherine, and the script is very humorous at showing how she allows her husband to form all her opinions for her.
Directed by Catherine Thompson, the production itself is fun with all the appropriate sound effects of carriages rattling along the roads, dramatic music for the Abbey horror scenes and delightful dance music during all the various balls. The balance between narration and dramatisation is good and I find this format works particularly well for audio – better than either alone for me. The bursts of dramatisation hold my attention in a way that an unbroken narration, however good, sometimes doesn't; while the narration gives an opportunity to hear the author's voice and fill out the background that's sometimes missed when a book is reduced completely to dialogue. The script too, by Anna Lea, is excellent, sticking as it should entirely to Austen's own words. I felt it had been a little abridged, not just for the linking parts in the dialogue to make it work as a dramatisation, but also in some of the narrated parts. But if so, the abridgement is done smoothly and none of the important elements have been cut.
So another excellent audio drama from Audible, who seem to be producing more and more of these, and casting them with some of our top performers. Keep them coming, I say! And as for this one – highly recommended!
NB This audio drama was provided for review by Audible UK via MidasPR.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
March 23, 2019
4.5 stars
Everyone keeps telling me that I need to try audiobooks. I have only really done one or two in the last year or so and I found them to be fun but at the same time it just seemed like it would take me forever to ‘read’ a book that way.
I am a speed reader so depending on the book, I can crank out a few every week but with an audio book I worry that I am stuck listening at the narrators own pace. Then I ended up with Becoming by Michelle Obama on my Audible account and even though it took me forever to ‘read’ the book, it was so relaxing to have someone reading to me.
I found that I enjoyed the whole audio book experience and that I could easily work it into my days. My kid is the worst napper on the planet so a lot of the time I have to sit with him or lay with him and if he sees me reading on my iPad he wants it to play games. But with audio books I can pop in my head phones and lay there until he falls asleep with the lights out and listen to a great story!
So long story short, I ended up loving Audible and started looking for something entertaining to listen to next. Enter this dramatization of Northanger Abbey.
I read Northanger Abbey years ago for college so I know the story well enough that I felt I could enjoy this dramatization. While this book might be slightly condensed, it hit all the high notes and all the characters made for an awesome listening experience. This is a great edition for those readers who are maybe just discovering Jane Austen for the first time or maybe want something that ‘reads’ more like a movie.
That’s exactly what this book did for me. It was easy to follow and each narrator brought interesting tone to the story and I found myself thinking up reasons to be in my car more often just so I could listen to this book more and more.
The only thing that I was a little distracted by was Henry Tillney. In the book, I read him as way more sarcastic and I believe a number of other fans of this book have expressed similar sentiments. However in this edition, the actor who plays Henry Tillney portrays him as more sweet and silly rather than sarcastic. But other than that, I found everything about this narration satisfactory and I would highly recommend it to Austen fans. Plus Emma Thompson does Jane Austen so well that you simply can’t go wrong with her as a narrator!
See my full review here
Everyone keeps telling me that I need to try audiobooks. I have only really done one or two in the last year or so and I found them to be fun but at the same time it just seemed like it would take me forever to ‘read’ a book that way.
I am a speed reader so depending on the book, I can crank out a few every week but with an audio book I worry that I am stuck listening at the narrators own pace. Then I ended up with Becoming by Michelle Obama on my Audible account and even though it took me forever to ‘read’ the book, it was so relaxing to have someone reading to me.
I found that I enjoyed the whole audio book experience and that I could easily work it into my days. My kid is the worst napper on the planet so a lot of the time I have to sit with him or lay with him and if he sees me reading on my iPad he wants it to play games. But with audio books I can pop in my head phones and lay there until he falls asleep with the lights out and listen to a great story!
So long story short, I ended up loving Audible and started looking for something entertaining to listen to next. Enter this dramatization of Northanger Abbey.
I read Northanger Abbey years ago for college so I know the story well enough that I felt I could enjoy this dramatization. While this book might be slightly condensed, it hit all the high notes and all the characters made for an awesome listening experience. This is a great edition for those readers who are maybe just discovering Jane Austen for the first time or maybe want something that ‘reads’ more like a movie.
That’s exactly what this book did for me. It was easy to follow and each narrator brought interesting tone to the story and I found myself thinking up reasons to be in my car more often just so I could listen to this book more and more.
The only thing that I was a little distracted by was Henry Tillney. In the book, I read him as way more sarcastic and I believe a number of other fans of this book have expressed similar sentiments. However in this edition, the actor who plays Henry Tillney portrays him as more sweet and silly rather than sarcastic. But other than that, I found everything about this narration satisfactory and I would highly recommend it to Austen fans. Plus Emma Thompson does Jane Austen so well that you simply can’t go wrong with her as a narrator!
See my full review here
December 12, 2020
Was not a fan of the actual story, but let me clarify upfront, that was not due to some sort of flaw with the author; I think possibly personal preference, as it seemed to lag on and I wish it had more drama, or action, or something.... I began to lack interest. However, the actual characters and spoken dialogue were wonderful and authentic for the time period.
This was an AUDIO book with Full Cast of characters, music and sound effects! It was amazing to listen too! The actors performing the script were superb! If you are an “Abbey” or Jane Austen fan, this would definitely appeal to you. The AUDIO alone, makes it brilliant and one of the best audible’s I have ever been privileged to hear.
This was an AUDIO book with Full Cast of characters, music and sound effects! It was amazing to listen too! The actors performing the script were superb! If you are an “Abbey” or Jane Austen fan, this would definitely appeal to you. The AUDIO alone, makes it brilliant and one of the best audible’s I have ever been privileged to hear.
September 20, 2020
My first audiobook! Emma Thompson’s narration was perfection, of course, and the performances of the actors really made the story shine 💕
September 6, 2022
Not even a full cast narration can make me like Northanger Abbey. The only positive thing I can say is that it's better than Mansfield Park.
Read via audio (narrated by Emma Thompson, Douglas Booth, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ella Purnell, Jeremy Irvine, and Lily Cole).
Read via audio (narrated by Emma Thompson, Douglas Booth, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ella Purnell, Jeremy Irvine, and Lily Cole).
August 29, 2018
This is a wonderful production. As it is 90 percent directly from the book, it is certainly a faithful one (I think even Mr. Tilney would approve of that adjective in this case). Emma Thompson is perfect as The Narrator (she is billed as "Jane Austen" but let's not confuse the author with the narrator). All the parts are extremely well played--I particularly liked Douglas Booth as John Thorpe. He really understood the character and played him perfectly--just smarmy and annoying enough.
#TeamTilneyForever
#TeamTilneyForever
August 29, 2021
What could be better than Emma Thompson reading to you? I enjoyed this dramatization of Northanger Abbey with music, sound effects, and each character portrayed by a different actor. Emma Thompson as the narrator, Jane Austen, was perfect and very amusing. She conveyed so many subtleties of the story by her inflections. It is an abridged version, unfortunately, but it seems that the abridgment was very well done. I have seen all of the movie versions that I know of, but I still look forward to reading the unabridged version sometime soon.
I see that a couple of weeks ago Audible released The Jane Austen Collection, similarly narrated and played by top British actors, such as Claire Foy, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Billie Piper, and Florence Pugh.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
I see that a couple of weeks ago Audible released The Jane Austen Collection, similarly narrated and played by top British actors, such as Claire Foy, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Billie Piper, and Florence Pugh.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
September 6, 2017
The flawless Emma Thompson heads a supremely talented cast in this new Audible production of a classic. It was excellent and I hope both Emma Thompson and this audio book receive awards. Listening to this is like listening to the best radio theatre. There is absolutely no effort required to pick up on nuances or tone in this version because it is so beautifully portrayed. I believe that Emma Thompson's performance during the scene where Catherine spends her first night at Northanger Abbey is about worth the cost of admission on it's own. I highly recommend this! Both the production and the story itself are great!
August 28, 2020
3 1/2 stars
Let's start with the narration. Emma Thompson is just exquisite. I wonder if Jane Austen could read Jane Austen as well as Emma Thompson? Her inflections and tone are just so perfect. Sigh. I wish the rest of it was this good. The other narrators in this dramatized adaptation were well cast and I really enjoyed their performances, particularly Henry and Catherine.
So I listened to this because I've had a hard time getting into the actual novel. It just hasn't captured me as Jane Austen's other works have. I was hoping that this audiobook would get me excited to give NA another chance. Hmmm, not sure it worked. Catherine is just so silly. And Henry, as likable as he is, is also so patronizing at times. I suppose they must be to fit into JA's satire of the gothic novels of the time, but it got tedious for me. I am curious if the same will happen with the actual novel. Maybe I will give it a try again sometime soon.
Let's start with the narration. Emma Thompson is just exquisite. I wonder if Jane Austen could read Jane Austen as well as Emma Thompson? Her inflections and tone are just so perfect. Sigh. I wish the rest of it was this good. The other narrators in this dramatized adaptation were well cast and I really enjoyed their performances, particularly Henry and Catherine.
So I listened to this because I've had a hard time getting into the actual novel. It just hasn't captured me as Jane Austen's other works have. I was hoping that this audiobook would get me excited to give NA another chance. Hmmm, not sure it worked. Catherine is just so silly. And Henry, as likable as he is, is also so patronizing at times. I suppose they must be to fit into JA's satire of the gothic novels of the time, but it got tedious for me. I am curious if the same will happen with the actual novel. Maybe I will give it a try again sometime soon.
July 31, 2023
Something didn’t connect with me on this one. I probably should read a physical copy.
May 21, 2021
Loved the book and even the movie but this is the best of them all! Not quite an audiobook, but almost like a radio drama. With thoughtful sound editing and voice acting (especially by the great Emma Thompson)! Pretty faithful to the original text as I remember it (it’s been a few years), but I think some of the slower parts may have been edited out.
Although pride and prejudice gets more publicity, I love this one for its playful, knowing takes on its contemporary novels (and tropes and heroines), the definition of women’s novels (and a leading man who reads them!), and of course the wit of the narrator herself. An eternally important discussion: what would the equivalent be today? So-called women’s fiction and especially the young women who read them?
In conclusion: Witching hour thoughts: last night, at 2 A.M., I was listening to a murder mystery and felt scared to sleep afterwards. That’s basically Catherine’s relationship with books.
Huge thanks to Stuti for letting me know that this entire Austen collection is available as one (1) 40-hour audiobook!! Time to reread Persuasion next.
Although pride and prejudice gets more publicity, I love this one for its playful, knowing takes on its contemporary novels (and tropes and heroines), the definition of women’s novels (and a leading man who reads them!), and of course the wit of the narrator herself. An eternally important discussion: what would the equivalent be today? So-called women’s fiction and especially the young women who read them?
In conclusion: Witching hour thoughts: last night, at 2 A.M., I was listening to a murder mystery and felt scared to sleep afterwards. That’s basically Catherine’s relationship with books.
Huge thanks to Stuti for letting me know that this entire Austen collection is available as one (1) 40-hour audiobook!! Time to reread Persuasion next.
October 27, 2018
2.5, interesting to learn more about the period. Also intriguing to read from a feminist critical point of view. However, for reading for pleasure I found the characters comical in their ridiculousness or dull. The plot didn't really interest me but it's not a bad book, just not for me. Despite that, I do want to read Jane Eyre.
July 9, 2022
Yassss!!!
This book was so good!!
I’m so happy about the ending! 🥳
🥰
This book was so good!!
I’m so happy about the ending! 🥳
🥰
April 30, 2025
This was a really fantastic audiobook. I don’t think I would have enjoyed this book nearly as much without the dramatization. Tilney is a little patronizing at times but I feel like his voice actor was able to deliver it in such a way that it came across as loving and charming. The narration was SO good and I feel like the actress really captured the humour that Austen intended. Sometimes I feel like audiobooks can detract from my experience of a book, whereas this one enhanced it. It allowed me to pick up on nuances that I likely would have missed without it, and it definitely kept my attention. Really recommend it if you’re looking for an Austen audio!
May 30, 2025
these audio dramas are a great way to introduce jane austen to your kids. they are just so fun to listen to!
November 6, 2020
I loved this audio dramatization of one of Austen’s most fun novels. The full cast acting is excellent and Emma Thompson as Jane Austen is perfect. I loved that this production adds music and sound effects. It made me feel like I was listening to an old radio show. November is the best time to listen to or read Northanger Abbey!
June 7, 2019
I’ve always loved Jane Austen‘s writing. However I had never read this classic, and I absolutely love this adaptation into an audiobook. Emma Thompson was freaking hilarious in the narration, and the actors playing each of the individual roles were simply fantastic.
Jane Austen always transports us easily into her world with her literary style, and I always feel like I’ve stepped away from the modern day on a little vacation. Simply enjoyable.
Jane Austen always transports us easily into her world with her literary style, and I always feel like I’ve stepped away from the modern day on a little vacation. Simply enjoyable.
Read
January 14, 2024I haven’t read this book in a really long time. Listened to a full cast production, it took me a few minutes to get used to the background sound effects, but this was the perfect thing to listen to while I cleaned up Christmas decorations. Emma Thompson does the voice of the narrator, and her acting skills really made the funny parts stand out. I do think that the main character: Catherine is one of my top five favorite Austen characters.
August 12, 2017
Despite my love of the Gothic, this has never been my favorite Austen. This dramatization worked really well, though, especially with Emma Thompson as the voice of the narrator.
September 20, 2017
A dramatized version of Northanger Abbey.
Totally Wonderful! Most of the voices were great and completely fit the characters. It made the story really come alive.
Totally Wonderful! Most of the voices were great and completely fit the characters. It made the story really come alive.
July 7, 2019
Reread. Still delightful and hilarious. The audible original is super fun.
January 22, 2020
Audible production very good, but I am nust not a Jane Austen fan.
July 5, 2021
Absolutely delicious. Wonderful adaptation of one of possibly my favourite Austens.
March 6, 2023
Mr Tilney has my heart and is by far my favourite Jane Austen man <33
Also this is my favourite Jane Austen book so far!
Also this is my favourite Jane Austen book so far!
July 7, 2023
I had something different in mind but I'm not disappointed. It's a great dramatisation of the novel.
February 11, 2025
Loved this audiobook so much! The story was so enjoyable listening to all the different characters!
September 23, 2017
3.5. fun dramatization. Emma Thompson's humorous narration is very nearly over the top, but it suits the book well. and although jj feild is still my adaptation-Tilney, Douglas Booth isn't bad.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews