Jane and Prudence Audiobook By Barbara Pym cover art

Jane and Prudence

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Jane and Prudence

By: Barbara Pym
Narrated by: Maggie Mash
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About this listen

 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR

INTRODUCED BY JILLY COOPER

'I'm a huge fan of Barbara Pym' RICHARD OSMAN

'I devoured all her books, but Jane and Prudence remains my favourite' JILLY COOPER

'Barbara Pym is the rarest of treasures; she reminds us of the heartbreaking silliness of everyday life' ANNE TYLER

If Jane Cleveland and Prudence Bates seem an unlikely pair to be walking together at an Oxford reunion, neither of them is aware of it. They couldn't be more different: Jane is a rather incompetent vicar's wife, who always looks as if she is about to feed the chickens, while Prudence, a pristine hothouse flower, has the most unsuitable affairs. With the move to a rural parish, Jane is determined to find her friend the perfect man. She learns, though, that matchmaking has as many pitfalls as housewifery.

'This comedy of manners is a salutary reminder of just how good Barbara Pym was . . . This book is a gem' THE TIMES©1953 Barbara Pym (P)2011 Hachette Digital Classics Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction
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Where does Jane and Prudence rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Love Barabara Pym with whom we delight in the comic nature of the tiny things in our lives. The reader had just the right accent and collctions of voices for the characters but often spoke too slowly, so much so that you wondered if there was something wrong with these men. Apart from that, discover Barbara Pym.

What other book might you compare Jane and Prudence to and why?

Lightweight Jane Austen - a comedy of manners.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Maggie Mash?

While good, I found the slow speed of her narration of dialogue distracting.

Understated hilarious comic writing

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like reading a new jane austen’s novel, but slightly more modern. special thanks to the very dramatic performance.

great performance

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This is a very funny story, but is ruined by the narration. Her delivery is slow and over-emphatic, almost as if she were reading to people who are hard of hearing. This has the effect of erasing the subtlety of the writing.

Dreadful narration

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Unfortunately, I found it difficult to remember the characters and even more difficult to care. There didn't seem to be any plot development. I haven't managed to listen to the end.

Hard to stay awake

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