Narrated by Alison Larkin
I’m not much of a classic literature buff, but there are a few exceptions. I adore Gone with the Wind, Jane Eyre, and Jane Austen’s Emma. So, when I saw that Emma was coming out as an audiobook with narrator Alison Larkin at the helm, I was eager to revisit the world Austen created so long ago.
Emma is a young English woman living in a pretty obscure village. She is fiercely devoted to her father, but seems equally devoted to sticking her nose into the business of her friends and neighbors. Some might find this a turn-off, and, normally, I would as well. However, Emma grows and matures so much during the course of the book. I’m not a huge fan of her meddlesome behavior, but I am entirely a fan of how human she is. No one could ever call Emma a Mary Sue.
As romantic heroes go, Mr. Knightley is truly divine. He is truly a gentleman, very different from the rakes and blackguards who fill so many of today’s romances. His regard for Emma is real, but their romance isn’t nearly as dramatic as the ones we read about today. Instead, Ms. Austen wrote a book about two people living their lives, finding love along the way. You might call it boring, and, honestly, if I listened to books like this all the time, I would very likely agree with you. However, it can be refreshing to listen to such a book every now and then.
Alison Larkin was the perfect choice of narrator to bring Ms. Austen’s work to life. Her cultured English accent fits the story perfectly. She is able to make everything sound completely authentic, a definite plus for any audiobook narrator. Her character voices are very believable, although there were a few times I had trouble telling the male characters apart. For the most part, Ms. Larkin used quite a number of regional accents to good effect.
I loved her interpretation of our heroine. She seemed to really get inside the head of Emma, voicing her many moods with a great amount of skill. I was able to sense her wistfulness, her pettiness, and her need to stand by those she loves without necessarily relying on Ms. Austen’s descriptive language to tell me how the character was feeling.
Fans of Jane Austen’s writing will most likely enjoy this version of Emma, and, if you’ve never delved into the author’s work before, this might be a good place to start.
Shannon
Narration: B+
Book Content: B+
Steam Factor: You can play it out loud
Violence Rating: Minimal
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: British Classic Audio
Emma was provided to AudioGals by Alison Larkin for a review.
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I must strongly disagree with you about Alison Larkin’s narration of Emma. The sample was enough to know I couldn’t listen to her…..I guess Larkin is not my cuppa, cuz my heart sinks every time I see that a book I love is narrated by her.
Have you listened to Rosamunde Pike’s P&P? It is wonderful!
I admit that I’ve had issues with Ms Larkin’s narrations in the past, but I thought she did a pretty good job here. I’m currently listening to Kate Reading in P&P :)