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Longbourn
- Narrated by: Emma Fielding
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
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Summary
If Elizabeth Bennet had the washing of her own petticoats, Sarah thought, she would be more careful not to trudge through muddy fields.
It is wash-day for the housemaids at Longbourn House, and Sarah's hands are chapped and bleeding. Domestic life below stairs, ruled tenderly and forcefully by Mrs Hill the housekeeper, is about to be disturbed by the arrival of a new footman smelling of the sea, and bearing secrets.
For in Georgian England, there is a world the young ladies in the drawing room will never know, a world of poverty, love, and brutal war.
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What listeners say about Longbourn
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Randal
- 18-05-17
Fabulous reader - Emma Fielding
The story is very gentle. If you're thinking that this will sparkle with the same kind of wit that underpins Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's meanderings around Hamlet, then this isn't the book you're looking for, but it's a solid story nevertheless. Good characters and a satisfactory ending. Pride and Prejudice, however is irrelevant. The story could be set anywhere in Regency England because the Bennets, Darcy and Bingley are hardly on the page. It's full of excellent historical detail, however, and is a good story in itself. What really makes this is Emma Fielding's excellent reading. It's perfect for the period and for the story. I loved it.
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24 people found this helpful
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- julia
- 21-02-14
New take on an old friend
What made the experience of listening to Longbourn the most enjoyable?
If like me, you know the story of P&P off by heart, you should read this new take on an old friend. Be warned though, it doesn't carry the comic element of the original but is written with a gritty realism that can make the reader uncomfortable at times.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I think it was her description of Mr Wickham that was most enlightening. In the original so much is uncertain in his character, how he could fool Elizabeth and appear both honourable and despicable at the same time, but this story leaves one with no illusions as to what he was really like.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
The original book makes one feel for the poor Bennett sisters who are portrayed as being socially disadvantaged, but this book makes one realise how far further down the disadvantaged scale there is to slide.
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15 people found this helpful
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- Janet
- 13-08-14
Wonderful voice!
One of the better Austen adaptations. Beautifully written, my only reservation being that it is rather a sad story, compared to Austen's usual cheerfulness. However, I must pile praise upon praise for the beautiful reading voice of Emma Fielding! I have been a monthly subscriber of Audible for a few years now, and this is by far the most lovely voice I have heard. I listen to these books to help me sleep, and despite finding some of the storyline a little more sad than I'd like, I still listened over and over to Longbourn because of the soft lilting voice, so intelligently and carefully putting across the exact nuances of meaning in every sentence.
Ms Fielding often crops up in radio plays and occasionally on TV. I keep an eye (and an ear) out for her now. A joy to listen to!
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12 people found this helpful
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- Catherine Mc Carthy
- 05-05-14
Pride and prejudice downstairs
A beautifully written and enchantingly narrated view of the life of Regency servants, the majority of Britain's population at the time of Austen's " Pride and Prejudice". Reading the original novel we tend to imagine ourselves as one of the Bennets , forgetting we may have belonged to Sarah and Polly's class.
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11 people found this helpful
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- holly bird
- 09-07-14
Clever below stairs take on Pride and Predjudice
Where does Longbourn rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Not a mind blowing novel but highly enjoyable. Good narrator.
What other book might you compare Longbourn to, and why?
I suppose all the below stairs novels amount to much the same thing, but this one didn't get too fanciful.
What does Emma Fielding bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
A fresh observation of the Characters in Pride and Predjudice. Fun.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No!
Any additional comments?
I liked the way it rounded up at the end without too much sentimentality.
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10 people found this helpful
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- Liz
- 08-05-18
Very enjoyable
I've just been through a little phase of reading 'new' pride and prejudice books. This and PD James Death comes to Pemberly (I read the book, not the audio of that). They expand the world of a favourite book and add much pleasure.
both are excellent. Longbourn is written from the point of view of the servants and as such the high drama of the house is more muted below, their concerns are more directed to what happened when Mr Collins comes into the house (a lovely and fascinating perspective).
The story develops towards the end more away from the main plot and is finished a little abruptly, as though the author just wanted to wrap the story up quickly. But apart from that the rest of the book is well told, well characterised and a real joy
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5 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-10-17
Great
I loved it ! It is well written, beautifully read, and I cared deeply about the characters.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Evie
- 19-02-16
Longbourn
This book is amazing. The characterisation is superb. Jo Baker is exemplary in building a picture of the world of Pride and Prejudice from the eyes of the servants. She is entirely credible in fleshing out what the actions of Austen's characters mean to those who have to wait on them, and in giving insights into the motivation of some of the characters, like Mr Bennet.
But the Bennets and the Darcys are merely incidental to this story of love and endurance.
Remarkable!
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5 people found this helpful
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- Rooty tooty
- 12-01-15
Fantastic embellishment of a much loved story
Normally I would shy clear of a fan fiction novel but this is done with such elegant prose and heart felt characters that it leads you every step yearning to know how the people fare.
The narrator is superb.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Helen
- 09-03-15
Very enjoyable, and will please fans of P&P
There is a pleasing satisfaction to this story with the background events in the household of the story Pride and Prejudice fans will know and recognise. But ultimately, it is a different story, and perfectly enjoyable as a stand-alone tale. The Prode and Prejudice story is merely a conceit, and not relevant at all. Perhaps it is a bit of a cheap trick?
Even so, I enjoyed the story.
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4 people found this helpful