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A review by savage_book_review
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Purists, avert your gaze! While this is every word of one of the most classic love stories in history, a few extra scenes which would have caused certain scandal in Jane Austen's day have been added to this edition. It is a truth universally acknowledged that I have never been able to enjoy the classics, so I was hoping that this version may induce me to look favourably upon its countenance. But alas, I fear my affections and wishes are unchanged...
It has been years since I've tried to physically read this book, but it is always the classic I revert to whenever I get it into my head to try and convert myself to the ways of some of the pantheons of the English language. Mainly because I at least know the story, which makes the flowery language and interminable idle chatter easier to follow. Most of the time, I rely on audio versions, usually radio plays, or indeed the good old fashioned standby of the 1995 BBC TV adaptation (not a fan of the Kiera Knightley film...). So this is the first time in a long time that I've actually heard the words as written in their entirety. Now, this does mean that I can be entirely certain that Bloom Stories haven't made other little tweaks to the narrative, so I may be about to make myself look like a complete idiot... but I think this is the first time I've actually picked up on the genuine slow burn of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy's affections. It's always come across to me as a really sudden shift from enemies to lovers, but there was more examination of the complexity of the characters' feelings in here that I ever remember reading before. This made the story a little more bearable, but nevertheless it's still not a romance I can fully get behind. I just don't buy their story.
I think Elizabeth is the only character who doesn't annoy me, because she seems to have an actual personality, rather than being comprised of a single state of being - 'goody two shoes' Jane, brattish Lydia, hysterical Mrs Bennett... they all come across as so two-dimensional to me. And I can't say I particularly care for the story either - I can fully appreciate it's of its time and portrays the world Jane Austen moved in, but the fact that Elizabeth is the only one to stand up for herself and what she wants, while all about her are only concerned with how much money the potential suitors have and how quickly we can get everyone married off just makes my teeth itch.
In respect of this specific version of the book, I will say that Alice Edwards' narration is top notch throughout. Her voice totally suits the story, she embodies Elizabeth really well and, for all that I would tune out because of the language, she made it very easy to listen to. I will also note that my understanding is this is the first full length audiobook produced by Bloom Stories, and if this is the case they've done a pretty good job for a first attempt. However, I do question some of the production decisions. It's an odd mix of a traditional audiobook and a graphic audio, with Alice narrating all of the characters throughout and an announcer introducing each chapter, but with music and ambient sounds to draw you further into the world of the Bennett family. The musical cues for the chapter breaks are a bit loud and I would probably just have let Alice advise the reader of the chapter number, or indeed not bothered with the chapter breaks at all to keep things flowing.
The single biggest oddity to me is that Noah White is credited as playing Mr Darcy, but he only makes an appearance during the *ahem* added intimate scenes. The rest of the time, Alice just drops her voice an octave. Given that Noah has a great voice for Mr Darcy, I cannot understand why this wasn't made a proper dual narration. Not only would it have made the story sing a little more, but I feel like it actually detracts from the additional scenes because suddenly this new voice comes out of nowhere. Just feels like a waste of talent...
As for the additional scenes themselves... I get it. I do. But for all the hype this production received precisely because of these additions, they are somewhat underwhelming. I had been hoping for scenes that perhaps added to the UST, or that they'd build to a proper climax (pun intended 😉). But they're just... there. The additional writing does fit with the source material extremely well, so it's not like they feel like they've been shoehorned in for no reason, but they don't really do anything for the story. The last of the scenes is more obviously inserted, both because it appears in the middle of one of the more famous scenes and because there's no build up to it - you go from the recognised dialogue in one sentence to clothes coming off in the next. And, well, let's just say it's these scenes that lean into the 'graphic audio' label and all that entails.
*sighs* I think it's time I accept that I'm never going to be a fan of pre-20th Century literature... even when it's trying to appeal to my romantasy tastes.
It has been years since I've tried to physically read this book, but it is always the classic I revert to whenever I get it into my head to try and convert myself to the ways of some of the pantheons of the English language. Mainly because I at least know the story, which makes the flowery language and interminable idle chatter easier to follow. Most of the time, I rely on audio versions, usually radio plays, or indeed the good old fashioned standby of the 1995 BBC TV adaptation (not a fan of the Kiera Knightley film...). So this is the first time in a long time that I've actually heard the words as written in their entirety. Now, this does mean that I can be entirely certain that Bloom Stories haven't made other little tweaks to the narrative, so I may be about to make myself look like a complete idiot... but I think this is the first time I've actually picked up on the genuine slow burn of Elizabeth and Mr Darcy's affections. It's always come across to me as a really sudden shift from enemies to lovers, but there was more examination of the complexity of the characters' feelings in here that I ever remember reading before. This made the story a little more bearable, but nevertheless it's still not a romance I can fully get behind. I just don't buy their story.
I think Elizabeth is the only character who doesn't annoy me, because she seems to have an actual personality, rather than being comprised of a single state of being - 'goody two shoes' Jane, brattish Lydia, hysterical Mrs Bennett... they all come across as so two-dimensional to me. And I can't say I particularly care for the story either - I can fully appreciate it's of its time and portrays the world Jane Austen moved in, but the fact that Elizabeth is the only one to stand up for herself and what she wants, while all about her are only concerned with how much money the potential suitors have and how quickly we can get everyone married off just makes my teeth itch.
In respect of this specific version of the book, I will say that Alice Edwards' narration is top notch throughout. Her voice totally suits the story, she embodies Elizabeth really well and, for all that I would tune out because of the language, she made it very easy to listen to. I will also note that my understanding is this is the first full length audiobook produced by Bloom Stories, and if this is the case they've done a pretty good job for a first attempt. However, I do question some of the production decisions. It's an odd mix of a traditional audiobook and a graphic audio, with Alice narrating all of the characters throughout and an announcer introducing each chapter, but with music and ambient sounds to draw you further into the world of the Bennett family. The musical cues for the chapter breaks are a bit loud and I would probably just have let Alice advise the reader of the chapter number, or indeed not bothered with the chapter breaks at all to keep things flowing.
The single biggest oddity to me is that Noah White is credited as playing Mr Darcy, but he only makes an appearance during the *ahem* added intimate scenes. The rest of the time, Alice just drops her voice an octave. Given that Noah has a great voice for Mr Darcy, I cannot understand why this wasn't made a proper dual narration. Not only would it have made the story sing a little more, but I feel like it actually detracts from the additional scenes because suddenly this new voice comes out of nowhere. Just feels like a waste of talent...
As for the additional scenes themselves... I get it. I do. But for all the hype this production received precisely because of these additions, they are somewhat underwhelming. I had been hoping for scenes that perhaps added to the UST, or that they'd build to a proper climax (pun intended 😉). But they're just... there. The additional writing does fit with the source material extremely well, so it's not like they feel like they've been shoehorned in for no reason, but they don't really do anything for the story. The last of the scenes is more obviously inserted, both because it appears in the middle of one of the more famous scenes and because there's no build up to it - you go from the recognised dialogue in one sentence to clothes coming off in the next. And, well, let's just say it's these scenes that lean into the 'graphic audio' label and all that entails.
*sighs* I think it's time I accept that I'm never going to be a fan of pre-20th Century literature... even when it's trying to appeal to my romantasy tastes.