Sense and Sensibility

In this Audible Exclusive production, Academy Award® nominee Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl) narrates one of Jane Austen’s most beloved works, Sense and Sensibility. In this timeless tale of misguided romance and heartbreak, two teenage heroines must overcome the pitfalls of Georgian England’s high society in order to achieve the love and happiness they seek. The admiration that Pike has for Austen’s work is shown clearly through this passionate delivery of Austen’s first published novel.

“The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love.”

Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, tells the classic tale of love and heartbreak in late 18th-century England. The story follows the romantic trials and tribulations of the daughters of the recently widowed Mrs. Dashwood as they encounter, and learn to handle, the emotionally reckless male characters of Georgian society. In order to find happiness, the two teenage heroines (Marianne and Elinor) must each learn to navigate through a life where status and money govern the rules of love.

A true classic of English literature, Sense and Sensibility is written with all the hallmarks of Austen’s style, providing strong female protagonists, great irony and wit, and showcasing her superb talent for character creation and dialogue.

About the Author

Jane Austen is one of the most influential and celebrated novelists in English literature. The daughter of a Hampshire clergyman, she was the seventh of eight children and was, from a young age, an avid reader and writer. After graduating from Oxford, Austen survived typhus and embarked on a literary career seeing her works published anonymously throughout her life.

Best known for Sense and Sensibility (1811), Pride and Prejudice (1813), Mansfield Park (1814), and Emma (1816), her six full-length novels have rarely been out of print and have spawned numerous film, television, and drama adaptations. Rich in satire, romance, and wit, Austen is renowned for her critiques of 18th-century British high society and the role of women within it.

About the Narrator

Rosamund Pike is an acclaimed English actress most recognized for her breakthrough role as a Bond girl in Die Another Day (2002), where she won the Empire Aware for Best Newcomer, and her towering lead performance in Gone Girl (2014), which won her an Empire Award for Best Actress. A graduate of English literature from Oxford University’s Wadham College, Pike began her career in stage productions and television appearances before later transitioning into film. Having often spoken of her admiration for the works of Jane Austen, Pike played Jane Bennett in a 2005 film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice as well as providing narration of this novel for Audible in 2015.