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A review by katykelly
Emma by Jane Austen
5.0
Great production values in this dramatised version of Austen, a pleasure to listen to.
I've read Emma several times and did not find I missed anything from the unabridged text in this version. It's a very well thought-out audiobook, with music, background sounds, an excellent voice cast, and a capable and dryly humorous narrator in an Austen veteran, Emma Thompson.
My first thought as it began was, "oh it sounds like the Archers!" as we opened on a scene with background voices and action, but I soon found it was rather wonderfully done, with Thompson taking on chunks of the text and alternating with scenes in which actors speak the characters' lines with no interruption from the narrator. It worked very well indeed.
One of my favourite aspects of the production was the divine music, it suited the tone and period to perfection. I did not enjoy however a few of the background noises - the ticking clock got on my nerves!
The story is intact though at roughly half the length of other audiobook versions of Emma, must be missing significant amounts of Austen's prose. I can't say I noticed, no key scene or character was missing, I believe chunks of narration and speech must have been edited out but not to the book's detriment. It flowed very well indeed.
The story of matchmaker Emma, 21 and sure of her own abilities, is a classic of both the author and of literature in general. With such memorable characters as Mr Woodhouse and Miss Bates and several romantic relationships, it has been successfully remodelled as teenage high school movie Clueless (a favourite of mine also) and transferred to film in its original period several times. It is a pleasure to see it dramatised for voices here so successfully.
Excellent voice cast, though anyone expecting Joanne Froggatt to have a leading role may be disappointed as she plays neither Emma nor Harriet. There are familiar voices but none I instantly recognised as 'big names', though all excellently cast to emphasise their characters' personalities.
An easy way to start Austen for the first time, a joy to listen to while driving.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
I've read Emma several times and did not find I missed anything from the unabridged text in this version. It's a very well thought-out audiobook, with music, background sounds, an excellent voice cast, and a capable and dryly humorous narrator in an Austen veteran, Emma Thompson.
My first thought as it began was, "oh it sounds like the Archers!" as we opened on a scene with background voices and action, but I soon found it was rather wonderfully done, with Thompson taking on chunks of the text and alternating with scenes in which actors speak the characters' lines with no interruption from the narrator. It worked very well indeed.
One of my favourite aspects of the production was the divine music, it suited the tone and period to perfection. I did not enjoy however a few of the background noises - the ticking clock got on my nerves!
The story is intact though at roughly half the length of other audiobook versions of Emma, must be missing significant amounts of Austen's prose. I can't say I noticed, no key scene or character was missing, I believe chunks of narration and speech must have been edited out but not to the book's detriment. It flowed very well indeed.
The story of matchmaker Emma, 21 and sure of her own abilities, is a classic of both the author and of literature in general. With such memorable characters as Mr Woodhouse and Miss Bates and several romantic relationships, it has been successfully remodelled as teenage high school movie Clueless (a favourite of mine also) and transferred to film in its original period several times. It is a pleasure to see it dramatised for voices here so successfully.
Excellent voice cast, though anyone expecting Joanne Froggatt to have a leading role may be disappointed as she plays neither Emma nor Harriet. There are familiar voices but none I instantly recognised as 'big names', though all excellently cast to emphasise their characters' personalities.
An easy way to start Austen for the first time, a joy to listen to while driving.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.