Jane Austen and Beyond

Billie Fulford-Brown narrates a glowing tribute to London's West End, full of drama both onstage and off. Actor Freddy Carlton needs to choose: focus solely on prestigious dramatic roles or return to her beloved musical comedy roots. Theater critic James Ford-Griffin (Griff to his friends) needs to save his family's estate. Fulford-Brown portrays Freddy as animated and vibrant... Read More

Well known for writing clever twists on fairy tales for young adults, the author has written her first adult story. Aficionados will connect with the many allusions to Jane Austen's works in this modern-day story of 33-year-old Jane Hayes, who is frustrated in love and longing for an Austen-like romance. When her Aunt Carolyn wills her a three-week stay at Pembroke Park, an... Read More

Narrator Roshni Shukla's style lends an Austen-esque air to this contemporary retelling of the rich-boy-meets-poor-girl trope. Ayesha and Khalid are Muslims, Indian-Canadians, and neighbors. They both struggle to reconcile their traditional upbringing as the children of immigrants with the contemporary society that surrounds them. Shukla shifts between Ayesha and Khalid's... Read More

For Jane Austen fans who are team Mary Bennet, narrator Sarah Beth Pfeifer is here for the win. High school senior Marnie Barnes is desperate to win her school's Hunt Prize and step out of her older sister Lindy's shadow. Pfeifer voices a jaded, high-strung, book-loving Marnie who is as sarcastic as she is lovable. Marnie's uber supportive roommate, Adhira, has a warm, charming... Read More

L. Morgan Lee narrates an homage to PRIDE AND PREJUDICE set at a small liberal arts college. EJ, Jamie, and Tessa are enrolled at Longbourn University and are residents of Bennet House, the only all-women's dorm. Each of the three will experience the ups and downs of love. Lee perfectly hits each note of this loving tribute to Austen, while remaining firmly in the 21st century.... Read More

This fictional diary of a single 30-something took England by storm when it appeared as a weekly column in a British newspaper. Appearing in book form in the United States last year, it shot to the top of the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list. Read by Barbara Rosenblat, it has reached its apogee. Bridget's knowing commentary on the morés of 1990's Londoners is rendered in perfect... Read More

Humor and tenderness abound as author and narrator Ted Scheinman recollects how he became a Jane Austen superfan. An avid and eclectic reader and the son of a devoted Jane Austen academic, Scheinman was immersed in literature and the world of Jane Austen at an early age. In graduate school he founded a Jane Austen Summer Camp, which gave him a glimpse of the secret society of... Read More

With quirky characters, fast-paced dialogue, and a unique setting, this contemporary take on PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is enhanced by narrator Julia Whelan. Starting fresh in New York City, Liz Bennet works as an assistant by day; at night she takes the stage at Manhattan's top burlesque venue. Whelan captures Liz's initial attraction to patron Will Darcy--and projects her dismay... Read More

P.D. James matches her literary wit to that of Jane Austen in this homage to the nineteenth-century author. Her brave undertaking is joined gloriously with Rosalyn Landor's upper-crust enunciation and gentle yet crisp British accent. The story takes place in 1803, six years after PRIDE AND PREJUDICE's Elizabeth and Darcy were wed. Landor conveys women's vocal cadences... Read More

With just the right mix of sassiness, awkwardness, pop culture, and high school drama, this contemporary retelling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE with a Desi twist is a fun listen. Narrator Deepa Samuel portrays Leela Bose and Firoze Darcy. Both are part of the high school forensics teams at their respective schools. Leela is a passionate speech competitor attending public school, and... Read More

Regal, haughty, with a pinch of sly wit, Emma Thompson's delivery is perfect for Jane Austen's 1815 masterwork. Young, rich, and headstrong Emma Woodhouse lives in the lap of luxury with her wonderfully addled father. Her world is one of elegant dances, afternoon teas, and, especially, intricate and sometimes convoluted matchmaking. Isabella Inchbald (as Emma) and Alexa Davies... Read More

Brittany Pressley and Teddy Hamilton's sparkling characterizations and propulsive delivery of narrative demand the listener's attention throughout this contemporary retelling of Jane Austen's EMMA. The setting is the Upper East Side of Manhattan, where the Woodhouses and the Knightleys reside in neighboring townhouses. Pressley and Hamilton excel at conveying Emma Woodhouse and... Read More

This funny and sweet queer retelling of Jane Austen's EMMA, set in a wealthy Southern California high school, may remind listeners of the 1995 movie CLUELESS. Narrator Drew Caiden is pitch perfect as smart, handsome, popular Emmett. He prides himself on being nice and, as one of his acts of niceness, attempts to find a boyfriend for his former hookup. Caiden ably animates the... Read More

Jayne Entwistle narrates with a perfect combination of engaged enthusiasm and subtlety as bibliophile Sophie Collingwood is led into a scandalous mystery: Did her favorite author, Jane Austen, plagiarize PRIDE AND PREJUDICE? The chapters alternate between Sophie's story in the present day and Austen's story in the late 1700s. Entwistle delivers both delightfully with her... Read More

Austen fans will appreciate Molly Greeley's clever rendering of a little-known character from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Ell Potter's narration as Anne de Bourgh starts soft and dreamlike. Anne, a fussy baby, was prescribed laudanum to quiet her. The opium derivative keeps young Anne docile, compliant, and out of the way of her domineering mother, Lady Catherine, who arranges Anne's... Read More

Narrator Soneela Nankani shines in the third installment of Dev's series inspired by Jane Austen's works. While running to be California's first Indian-American governor, Yash Raje is shot and lands in the hospital. Dealing with the psychological trauma makes continuing to campaign difficult, and his family seeks counsel from family friend India Dashwood. Nankani deftly moves... Read More

Narrator Billie Fulford-Brown's British accent and charmingly quaint delivery provide the perfect vehicle for this romantic time-traveler's tale. Author Jane Austen finds herself transported 200 years into the future. Starting out in 1803 Bath, England, she soon finds herself in a future she no longer recognizes, complete with motorized vehicles and movies of books she has yet... Read More

Narrator Kate Handford will win listeners over with this sweet and charming performance. Jane of Austin is a contemporary retelling of the classic SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. Jane and her two sisters, Ceila, recovering from heartbreak, and Margot, still in school, move their business and lives to Austin, Texas, from their home in California after their shop is bought out. The... Read More

From Billie Fulford-Brown's first words, Jane Austen's world bursts into life. Characters from across the Austen spectrum populate this sequel to Gray's earlier mystery, THE MURDER OF MR. WICKHAM. This time, Jonathan Darcy, son of Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE), and Juliet Tilney, daughter of Henry and Catherine Tilney (NORTHANGER ABBEY), find themselves... Read More

There is something soothing about returning to the lost art of letter writing with this audiobook. Add to this the elegant style of the legendary Jane Austen and the equally elegant performance of Kate Reading, and the result is fine, indeed. Reading's voice is calm, measured, and appropriately slow paced. Even though we are hearing details about lives we largely know little... Read More

Baker’s exceptional novel offers an original look at Jane Austen’s PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and Emma Fielding’s performance is quietly appealing. While the Bennets, the Bingleys, and the Darcys cavort upstairs in well-appointed drawing rooms, Baker opens up the world below stairs. Fielding turns characters into genuine individuals—from housemaids Sarah and Polly to housekeeper Mrs.... Read More

Narrator Marisa Calin brings a refreshing voice to the previously barely heard from and often mocked Mary Bennet, the middle and least lovely of the Bennet sisters in Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Calin's clear, prim British-accented dialogue fits perfectly with our understanding of Mary as she speaks with her family. But her inner voice allows listeners to feel the pain... Read More

In a cultured, melodious voice, narrator Juliet Stevenson becomes Miss Cassandra Austen, older sister to Jane and keeper of her memory. In the course of this fictional biography, Cassandra, at the end of her life, tells the story of her relationship with Jane through letters and reminiscences. The story shifts between the late 1790s and early 1800s and the present of 1840, when... Read More

Harrison Knights gives a quietly charming performance of this queer YA retelling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. He portrays Oliver Bennet, a trans boy who just wants to live openly as himself, with a soft voice that sometimes edges into despair but just as often warms with humor. When Oliver meets Darcy on one of the rare nights he's out in London as himself, they form an instant... Read More

A full cast of outstanding narrators, led by Jessie Buckley and Johnny Flynn, capture the fun and heartbreak in this sparkling imagining of what might have happened to Lydia, the youngest Bennet sister from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Buckley shines as Lydia, bringing out her rage at her profligate husband and her enduring love for the family that has turned its back on her. Flynn... Read More

Narrator Billie Fulford-Brown's sparkling character portrayals and expressive tone create a theatrical experience of this enchanting Regency mystery. Favorite characters from beloved Jane Austen novels are featured. At Donwell Abbey, Emma Woodhouse-Knightley (EMMA) hosts a month-long gathering of her friends, including Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy (PRIDE AND PREJUDICE),... Read More

With her natural elegance, fine ear for the English language, and hint of mischief, Emma Thompson has the ideal voice to narrate this Jane Austen classic. The first to be written (1798) and the last to be published after Austen's death (1818), the gentle gothic satire concerns clergyman's daughter Catherine Morland, who is introduced to high society with all its manners, teas,... Read More

Narrator Rachel Perry will convince listeners that no retelling of Jane Austen's PERSUASION can be complete without a resident attack goose. Anne Elliott, director of Niagara-on-the-Lake's theater company, thinks Ben Wentworth is just a memory--until he returns to help with his aunt and uncle's winery on former Elliott property. Perry portrays Anne as deeply interior, full of... Read More

British actress Carla Mendonça narrates a charming story of the oft forgotten Bennet sister from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. While Elizabeth and Jane Bennet have received their happy endings, their plain and somber sister, Mary, is often cast aside as an afterthought. This new audiobook imagines a world in which Mary throws off the poisonous scorn of her mother and through her own... Read More

Billie Fulford-Brown's performance makes Claudia Gray's third venture into Austenland first-rate listening. Having previously revealed the killers of Mr. Wickham and the late Mrs. Willoughby, Jonathan Darcy and Juliet Tilney are summoned to Rosings Park, where several attempts have been made on Lady Catherine De Bourgh's life. Both their fathers agree to accompany them, but... Read More

Deepti Gupta narrates a novel loosely inspired by Jane Austen's EMMA. Beautiful, rich, and more than a little bored, Delhi socialite Ania Khurana is always on the lookout for a new "project" to keep busy. Currently, she is searching for a match for her friend Dimple. Gupta does an excellent job bringing the members of ultrarich Delhi society to life, subtly distinguishing... Read More

Narrator Elizabeth Acevedo's bold vocals and lyrical style take this contemporary retelling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE to amazing heights. For years Zuri Benitez and her four sisters have been watching their tight-knit Bushwick neighborhood succumb to gentrification. When Darius Darcy and his wealthy family move in across the street, Zuri and Darius make snap judgments about each... Read More

Narrator Juliet Stevenson and Jane Austen are well matched in this fine audiobook edition of the famed classic. Stevenson's flawless performance, sparkling with her distinctive voice and lyrical accent, brings Austen's story to life. In this beloved novel, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, possessed solely of daughters in the early nineteenth century, embark on finding suitable husbands for... Read More

A bright, lively narration by Alison Larkin makes listening to Jane Austen’s classic an experience not to be missed. She sounds as if she can’t wait to tell this delicious story, and she doesn’t disappoint. Larkin makes sure all the characters’ motives are believable—from frantic Mrs. Bennet to laconic Mr. B; from social-climbing Mr. Collins to devious Wyckham. Darcy’s and... Read More

Start with the classic PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and intersperse additional passages about the invasion of zombies in the countryside and the mayhem that follows in their wake, and, voilà, a novel of English manners is transformed. Katherine Kellgren delivers a serious reading that allows the tongue-in-cheek humor of the "new" book to stand on its own. She’s equally proficient with... Read More

Listeners will enjoy an aural treat as Morag Sims narrates the first audiobook of a Jane Austen-inspired teen mystery series. Lawyer's daughter Lizzie Bennet fervently wishes she could work for her father's firm. When a high-society murder takes place, Lizzie hopes to solve the case despite the displeasure of the suspect's lawyer, Fitzwilliam Darcy. Sims deftly captures the... Read More

For a story built on first impressions, perceptions, and secrets, tonal variety is key. Narrator Soneela Nankani does a beautiful job with the nuances in this fresh take on the Jane Austen classic. Chef DJ Caine is hospitable but steely to Dr. Trisha Raje after their disastrous initial meeting. The two are thrown together constantly by a series of circumstances, and there's an... Read More

Soneela Nankani returns to narrate the second installment in the Raje family series, loosely based on Jane Austen's popular novels. This retelling of PERSUASION focuses on Ashna Raje, who is struggling to keep her late father's Indian restaurant afloat. When her cousin offers her a spot on a new cooking show, Ashna agrees, hoping the prize money will save her. What she doesn't... Read More

With its engaging narration, this contemporary twist on Jane Austen's SENSE & SENSIBILITY is a must-listen. After a series of obstacles, sisters Amelia and Eleanor Bae-Wood--who are half-Korean--find themselves staying on the grounds of the Arcadia Cancer Center with their widowed hippie mother, Tabitha. Each woman's past--combined with family secrets and layers of drama--has... Read More

Jane Austen's classic novel about sisters Elinor and Marianne has been produced on audio many times and featured many talented narrators. This version stands out as one of the best. Alison Larkin's narration will captivate listeners from the first sentence. Her delicate voice and perfect English accent sweep the listener back in time, right into the lives of the characters.... Read More

Narrator Lillian Rachel does an excellent job bringing to life this twist on Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. In this offering, strong-willed and independent Elizabeth Bennet is forced to wed handsome and stoic Fitzwilliam Darcy when Mrs. Bennet claims Darcy has compromised Elizabeth. Can two near-strangers find love after such difficult beginnings? Rachel captures each... Read More

Narrator Alison Larkin's bright voice makes listening to this second book in the Mary Bennet series lots of fun. In Book 1, Mary, the middle and least accomplished daughter of the Bennets' five girls in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, comes into her own. Now in Book 2, Mary is hired as an undercover agent for the British government to investigate a murder. Larkin inhabits Mary's newfound... Read More

Author Soniah Kamal delivers a passionate and jovial narration of her Pakistani retelling of the classic novel PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Alys would be perfectly comfortable to remain a single woman employed as a literature teacher despite the social climbing, fashion consciousness, and marriage focus of her culture. She and her sisters, however, are under constant pressure to make... Read More

Narrator Joniece Abbott-Pratt has a cool, clear voice that will engage listeners throughout this contemporary retelling of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Small-town sports writer Hara Isari is sure she's gotten her big break when she wins a competition that will allow her to interview the latest basketball superstar. Then she meets grumpy rookie Derek Darcy. At first, she's not... Read More