Sense and Sensibility
Written by Jane Austen
Narrated by Rosalyn Landor
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was born in 1775 in rural Hampshire, the daughter of an affluent village rector who encouraged her in her artistic pursuits. In novels such as Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park and Emma she developed her subtle analysis of contemporary life through depictions of the middle-classes in small towns. Her sharp wit and incisive portraits of ordinary people have given her novels enduring popularity. She died in 1817.
More audiobooks from Jane Austen
Emma (Seasons Edition -- Spring) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pride and Prejudice (Premium) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sense and Sensibility (Seasons Edition -- Fall) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sense and Sensibility Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sanditon and Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Sense and Sensibility
Related audiobooks
Sense And Sensibility (Dramatic) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Emma Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pride and Prejudice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mansfield Park Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Northanger Abbey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sense and Sensibility Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Watsons, Sanditon Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5North and South Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Room with a View Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Far from the Madding Crowd Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bleak House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wuthering Heights Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Women Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cranford Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jane Eyre Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lady Susan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Watsons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Scarlet Pimpernel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Scarlet Letter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wives and Daughters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Howards End Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Gatsby Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Little Women (Unabridged) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great Expectations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Agnes Grey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love and Freindship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Memoir of Jane Austen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Villette Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Classics For You
The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5War & Peace - Volume I Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Master and Margarita Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Prince: Machiavelli Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frankenstein Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Kill a Mockingbird Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Gone With The Wind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Gatsby Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Atlas Shrugged Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Tale of Two Cities Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fountainhead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Iliad: A New Translation by Caroline Alexander Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Name of the Rose Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Other Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Perks of Being a Wallflower Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Complete Sherlock Holmes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pride and Prejudice: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sense and Sensibility Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Old Man and the Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Picture of Dorian Gray: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Crucible Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Thousand Ships: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Schindler's List Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Series of Unfortunate Events #1 Multi-Voice, A: The Bad Beginning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stone Blind: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/520,000 Leagues Under the Sea: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5White Noise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Sense and Sensibility
8,433 ratings217 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Review of the Audible Audio edition narrated by Rosamund PikeI'm not the audience for Jane Austen, but as this was offered in an Audible Daily Deal it was an easy pick to cross off my 1001 Books list and to try to hear what all the fuss is about.This isn't an ideal book for long travel commutes as I found my mind wandering constantly and it would only snap back to attention when Pike affected an especially entertaining upper-class voice for Mrs. Jennings or during the drama of the confrontations between Elinor and Willoughby. The scoundrel Willoughby was probably the only character of any dramatic interest.One main distraction was my constantly thinking about how these people knew each other's incomes on an annual basis? It seemed like a regular refrain throughout but the source of the information is never discussed. It is almost as if there was some sort of public domain registry for this sort of information. I began to wonder if there is any sort of annotated Jane Austen that explains these sorts of cultural nuances that will become even more inexplicable as the years pass.These are only reactions based on listening to an audio version under less than ideal circumstances. I should still try to give it a read in hardcopy format.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Two sisters find love and are heartbroken by the lies and deciet that are made. Society forbids them to marry above while another is engaged.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The quiet pleasure of a rereading of a well-known work.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5With Jane Austen, I think there’s always a lot that I don’t understand but that hasn’t stopped me from enjoying her books.Unlike when I read Pride and Prejudice, I had no idea what happened in Sense and Sensibility or even what it was about. I’m glad this was the case – knowing that happy endings weren’t assured for the characters made it more suspenseful.“Suspenseful?” I hear you say, “How can a book about the marriage prospects of two Regency era women be suspenseful?”The answer: It’s all about the characters. Jane Austen does characters fabulously. Marianne and Elinor Dashwood, the two sisters at the heart of the novel, are fully developed characters who could walk right off the page. And what’s more, they’re likable.I became deeply involved in these characters lives even if their concerns and problems are so utterly different from my life in the 21st century.Oh, and did I mention that Jane Austen’s funny? It’s a subtle sort of wit that’s more likely to make you grin than laugh out loud, but it makes her books wonderfully enjoyable.I’m not going to bother recommending Sense and Sensibility to anyone in particular; chances are, if you live in the Western world, you’re bound to read Jane Austen at some point in your education.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Originally titled Elinor and Marianne, in a way the book was still named after it’s two main characters. Elinor is eminently sensible, always putting her own feelings second to looking out for her mother and sister. Elinor is the exact opposite, entirely focused on her own sensibility and feelings with a complete lack of concern for the practical. Despite their dissimilarity, both sisters will face similar challenges as they navigate society trying to find love.
This was a reread for me and the first thing I noticed was that I didn’t remember just how funny Jane Austen can be. The humor is very dry and understated, but I thought that made it even better. She rarely outright tells you anything about a character, instead giving you snapshots of their lives that show their personality. As one of the critics quoted in the book pointed out, although the book isn’t overly predictable, the characters always act self-consistently enough that their actions don’t surprise you.
Although I personally relate much more to Elinor than to Marianne, I liked that the two heroines were so different. It added interest and should give everyone a character to empathize with. The plot was strangely engaging. Events move fairly slowly and what happens is all gossip and romance; not a description that I would expect for such an enthralling book! Despite the apparently unexciting contents, I couldn’t put the book down and always wanted to know what happened next.
In addition to liking the story, I also liked the edition I picked up. It was a Barnes & Noble classics edition and it included the best extras. The introduction was less spoiler-y than many but still thought-provoking. I also liked that at the end of the book there was some extra discussion, some book club discussion questions, and a few quotes from critics across the ages. It gave some great context to the story and I’ll definitely be picking up more classics from this series.
This review first published on Doing Dewey. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53.75 stars. This feels like a trial-run for later books.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love this book! The quartet of Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, and Persuasion are up there with my all-time favourite books of any age or genre. And the movie was good too, although I always find Emma Thompson in a young romantic role quite jarring - she always looks too old for the part (here a 36 year old playing a 19 year old).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An amazing love story
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5you will find underlying themes of this title in the book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I hadn't read much Austen at all since a much-abridged P&P when I was probably in late elementary school. After looking through a book on cover designs for Austen's works I decided I really ought to try her again, and settled on this one first. I enjoyed it immensely, and will certainly be back for me. Some excellent humor and set pieces alongside a very interesting meditation on English "rural elite" society and its strictures.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5An interesting story, and I still like Jane Austen... but maybe I like the movies better...
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Good, but not may favorite by Austin
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of my favorite books of all time. I can linger on each sentence.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Although not as bright and cheerful throughout the bulk of the novel as Pride & Prejudice, this is just as wonderful a story, especially considering that this was Austen's debut, and began as an epistolary novel when Austen was twenty. If you've never read Austen I would suggest P&P first and this one second. Austen is also very accessible to men. There is no doubt that one day, I will reread this.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Much better than Emma. It was really funny and I loved the sisters. All of the characters were much more likeable and I really liked this book.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love this book, love the author, even loved the movie. Austen has such a way with worlds and her descriptions that I can see it like a movie in my mind. I have read this book no less thn 5 times and I still get the same rush each time I read it.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I'll be honest. I read "Pride and Prejudice" thrice, I loved it more every time... and none of Austen's books has been even close to as good since then. I love her use of language but her stories are just not engaging my interest. I got interested in S&S on chapter 47 (of 50)...
A good line:
...and Marianne, who had the knack of finding her way in every house to the library, however it might be avoided by the family in general, soon procured herself a book. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed reading about the romantic entanglements of the two sisters. I also enjoyed reading about their interactions with other characters. But, I mostly enjoyed reading about the relationship between the two sisters. They stuck by each other no matter what, and I enjoyed their story.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Finally finished reading this. I don't know if it was because it was my first read on a Kindle or not. But it took me a while to get into this book, it may even be that it isn't my usual genre. I liked it but not one of my favorites.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This book is a character study that is superbly well- written, however I found I was impatient with the extensive descriptions. I also had to reread to capture meaning. I could not finish this book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sense and sensibility by Jane Austen was definelty a good read. OK.. till now I have read 4 books by Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion and Emma including this one. But compared to all the three this stands last in my favorites. Reason being, in the other 3 books I found both male and female protagonist quite strong and enchanting equally in their own way, but that was not the case with this book.In Sense and sensibility, I found there was more importance given to the female characters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood which made the male characters unappealing. But considering the fact that Austen had actually named this one as “Elinor and Marianne” before changing the title to "Sense and sensibility” the importance is quite justifiable too.
My favorite character in this book was Elinor she was a very strong willed women. Neither she showed off her weakness to anyone nor her happiness and both are very difficult emotions to hide with indifference which she hid it pretty nicely without giving any sign to anyone around, which appealed to me the most. Where as her sister Marianne though she was sweet and caring towards her sister and outspoken too at times yet emotionally she seemed very hasty and weak. The difference between these two sisters is portrayed beautifully.
Actually the best part of Austen’s books are the characters’ that she creates and their characterization. To begin with, there will be a lot of them and they all will be specifically very different from each other in every sense. Its almost like meeting all your annoying, artificial (fake) and genuine relatives at once in just one book! And the ending of course, which till the very end seems to be very sad and melancholic but in turn, turns to be a "happy one"!!!!! Which I love the most in Austens' novels!! - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Read this book in July/August of 2005. Also read it in July/August of 2007. Time to read it again.
This might be my favorite of Austen's books - yes, even more than Pride & Prejudice. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wonderful sisters, another terrific heroine, and the least engaging of all Austen's heroes. This was my last full-length Austen novel to complete, and I finished it convinced that Austen never wrote a bad book. I was prepared not to love this one, having seen the movie, but Elinor won me over, although I still cannot fathom for the life of me what she finds attractive about Edward Ferrars! I listened to the audiobook (Kindle WhisperSync) and the narrator was terrific.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was my first Austen, and I enjoyed it a good bit. The three sisters being eerily similar to my sisters and I being a contributing factor. I can see why Austen is so popular. Despite several things which didn’t work for me – the dramatics of how poor the family is (you have servants, you’re not poor!) and the inexplicable attraction Marianne and Colonel Brandon have for one another – I was sucked into the story. The real beauty of the work lies in the pitch-perfect characters – who among us has not had a Lucy Steele in their lives, that wretched cow. I will definitely be searching out more Austen.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A romantic story. I love my sisters, but certainly Elinor and Marianne would be fantastic part of the family. Jane Austen shows how often our perceptions are wrong. Her prose style is wonderful. The times and fashions may change but people remain much the same. It is almost sure some of the characters will remind of someone you know. A lesson from this novel is that sometimes is better to wait a little bit for Mr. o Mrs. Right that get Mr. or Mrs. Wrong in a hurry.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I'm sorry Jane, it's not you it's me. You're really very witty and you're great with the twists but blimey I find your prose a drag. It seems to push my eyes away, deliberately through sub-clause and deviation make me think about the commute and the shopping list and everything except the romantic intrigue actually being discussed. This is my noble confession, disinherit me if you must.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seems cooler than P&P, but I've read P&P so many times that I may attribute to it more because I love it so. I think I should read the books before I watch the movies. I love the movie too much and the book suffered. But still-- sly humor, sneaky social commentary, great characters.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was a difficult book to read. Like many I had seen the 1995 film with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet before I ventured to read the book. The language of the book is not simple, so it can be hard to follow. There are lots of characters, largely unlikable, including Marianne Dashwood, who can at times be very irritating. The real heroine of this tale is her oldest sister, Elinor. You can't help but want Elinor's lot to improve, for her to find love, and a secure place in life. I definitely preferred the film.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm familiar with many Jane Austen stories, but this is the first time I've successfully read one of her novels. Years ago, surely eight or nine years now, I made a very lackluster attempt to read Mansfield Park, but I gave up within a mere ten pages. My heart just wasn't in it at the time. More so than that of many of her contemporaries, the language Austen uses can be a chore to get through and I struggled to understand what I was reading (and why). The time has come, however, to give Austen another try.Judging by the stories that have survived and remain in our hearts—from Shakespeare to Austen to Dickens to...—there really wasn't much difference in British drama for three hundreds years. Through the quirky interactions of memorable characters, these authors provide entertaining romps through sentimentality with a satirical edge. And yet, I would argue that Austen's stories were more realistic than those of her contemporaries. Certainly, Austen dwelt a bit heavily on the “woes” of the higher class, but the characters' wants and needs transcend status. Unlike many of the two-dimensional characters in the stories of the time, Austen's primary characters are individuals with ever-changing perspectives (secondary characters, not so much). Of course realism from a much more humble point-of-view was just a generation away with authors such as Anne Bronte being born in this era, but clearly Austen had her finger on the pulse of humanity.And yet these stories lack realism. How anyone can be so oblivious is beyond me. Can two people carry on a conversation for so long without realizing they're talking about two very different things? Sure, it's humorous, but it's not believable. So are these stories meant to be believable, or not? Does love ever come so easily in the end? How is it that the destitute daughters of these tales always find the one descent human in the aristocracy? I think that's the magic of Austen and it certainly works well in Sense and Sensibility. These are characters that are human and though their situations may be very different from our own, they are very much like us. Through struggles and the embrace of all that is “good” and “right,” they enter the fairy tale that so many of us envy. These are the stories that capture the heart of the romantic.Sense and Sensibility is double the romance. The characters are engaging. The wit is on point. The story is entertaining. And it's all so clever—there's an excellent word for the work of Jane Austen: clever.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Better than I expected!
I am completely in love with the movie version. It is one of my all-time favorites and was worried that in reading the book, it would ruin the movie for me. This was not the case at all.
While it was not exactly an easy read, it was not tedious as I assumed it would be. Even though the language is not as modern as I am used to, it wasn't so difficult that I found myself confused by what I was reading. I only had to look up a few words that I was unsure of their meaning/usage.
The story itself is a beautiful one of love, family, relationships and propriety. The title makes so much sense now (duh)! This was just lovely and reading it not only made me love the movie all the more, it has given me confidence that I will enjoy other works by Ms. Austen, such as Emma, which may be next on my classics to-do list.