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Friday, February 10, 2012

Emma (Audio Version)-Bookish Thoughts #10


What Emma is about:
Beautiful, clever, rich - and single - Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for either love or marriage. Nothing, however, delights her more than interfering in the romantic lives of others. But when she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempts to arrange a suitable match for her protegee Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have consequences that she never expected. 


Why I wanted to listen to it:  I decided to give audio a try this year and so I signed up for Audible.com. I was trying to decide which book to listen to first when I realized that I could probably listen to Emma faster than reading it and that is why I chose to listen to this one. 


Source: Audible.com

  •  Listening to Austen's book was very challenging! I found myself occasionally getting lost with all of the different characters and with the wording. A couple of times I had to get out my hard copy and go over certain parts in the book so that I could make sure that I understood what was going on.
  • I did love the narrator's different voices and the British accent...that was very fun.
  • I listened to this while I was shelving books in the library. It was an excellent way to to get through this story and do my job.
  • Many of my students wanted to know what music I was listening to and that allowed me to open up a discussion about books on audio and how much fun I was having "listening" to a book instead of reading it. What I really got excited about was that several of my most reluctant readers were eager to listen to an audio book too. So, I checked out a couple of high-interest books (Walter Dean Myers' Monster and Terry Trueman's Stuck in Neutral) burned them on CDs and sent them home with those students. I'm happy to report that they are loving them and I may have made a connection for them...keep your fingers crossed!!
Even though I enjoyed my time spent with Emma, her family, and friends, I'm not sure that I would listen to Austen on audio again. I think her writing is something that I have to visually see and read for it to really make sense and for me to feel involved in the story. I do plan on reading the book sometime this year and I'm sure that it will go faster for me because of listening to it earlier in the year. 

Bookish Thoughts #10
© 2012, Staci of Life in the Thumb. All Rights Reserved. If you reading this on a site other than, Life in the Thumb or Staci's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission. 

30 comments:

  1. I have a hard time listening to audios books with British narrators. For me, it takes away from the experience because it takes lots of extra concentration and no distraction just to understand what most of the readers are saying (at least for me). Sorry this didn't work out perfect for you.

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    1. I absolutely agree...it was hard to concentrate at times!! So what do I do? I'm listening to an Agatha Christie book right now!! LOL!!

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  2. Staci, I meant to say, on audio book I loved was: "I Thought You Were Dead", by Pete Nelson, it was so awesome. It's about a guy and his dog, narrated from the perspective of the dog. The reader was great as well.

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    1. Thanks for the suggestion...will check it out!

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    2. I bought on Audible.com!! Can't wait to listen to it!

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  3. I would probably have a hard time listening to Austen too!! BUT YAY YAY YAY YAY for the students getting the audio books!! That is AWESOME!!!!

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    1. I'm working on getting some iPods for check out and other devices for audio!!

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  4. I have only read 2 JA books..yes stone me now! And one of those I tried to listen too but got annoyed cos there was something wrong with the cd

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  5. I'm an audio book fan--I listen to books in the car rather than music or the news most of the time. It's interesting you didn't care to listen to Austen as I find she works best read aloud. In fact, I could never get inspired to read Lady Susan, but count it one of my favorite Austen works after listening to it. And, it was the only way I could read Huck Finn the first time.

    I introduced my kids to audio books early, and we listened to a lot of books in the days I was driving them to/from school. And that was a way I could "reread" many of my favorite kids books.

    I think listening to Emma will make rereading it in visual form a breeze!

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    1. I am hoping that it will work out that way for me Jane!!! I may try it again but this time when I won't be distracted!!

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  6. I too think Austen might be too much for audio! But how cool about the students getting turned on to the idea of audio!

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    1. My reluctant readers kill me, Jill! So I'm willing to do anything to get them interested in reading!!

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  7. I bet that was a challenging audio. It always takes me a little while to adjust to the language of her books.

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    1. The language was tough!! I should try one that I've already read!!

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  8. I can't listen to any of her books and apparently, I can't read them in book form either!! I have never read an Austen but I tried... on my Kindle and about halfway thru, I realized that the FREE version I download had chapters that were out of order and I never even noticed it! Is that good writing? Or horrible writing if the story can be all out of order and I didn't even notice.

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    1. Oh, no!!! That totally stinks either way!! I do, however, enjoy reading her books and may try an audio version of one that I've already read.

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  9. I've found that I enjoy Austen on audio much more if I am familiar with the book. I've listened to P & P and S & S on audio and loved it.

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    1. That's what I'm thinking...I should try an audio of one that I've already read!

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  10. Emma is one of my favorite Austen characters. I haven't listened to an Austen book so it's nice to know your thoughts on it.

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  11. I cannot listen to Austen on audio because I often get lost. I'm so glad that you are making connections between students and reading even through audiobooks.

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  12. Some books are probably better on audio than others. You were so fantastic and giving to burn those cd's for the students. You may have opened up a whole new world of "reading" for them.

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    1. Keep your fingers crossed, Kaye!! I hope so!

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  13. How great that you were able to bring books to reluctant readers in a new way that just might get them interested in books! If you think Austen is tough to follow, I once tried to start Tolstoy on audio - yikes!

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    1. Tolstoy on audio...egads!!!

      I'm hoping that they will love it and come back for more!

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  14. I saw the movie based on Emma on TV today, starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Pretty good. I especially liked the period gowns Emma wore.

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  15. Very thought-provoking post, Staci. I've been an audiobook fan for about 10 years and feel like my listening skills have improved dramatically over time. Initially, I had a hard time with British accents and classics. Now I've gotten to the point now where I actually prefer Dickens on audio. Still haven't tried Austen on audio though.

    I love that you got your students excited about audiobooks!

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  16. I've had Emma on my re-read list for several years now. As I was looking at the books I wanted to read this year, it occurred to me that I could listen to the book. After your experience, I think I'll stick to reading with my eyes.

    I love how you con your students into reading. Good for you.

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  17. I'm not big on audio books, so I can't see myself listening to Jane Austen's novels. I'm glad that you were able to interest your students in audio books, though!

    Blodeuedd and I will be reading Emma together in May. Can't wait!

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  18. I listened to this one and S&S on audio. Not sure of this is why they have been my least two Austen books so far.

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