Description

“Larkin, lauded for her impeccably performed recordings of the complete novels of Austen, brings sparkling wit and sly satire to her narration of this collection of writings from Austen’s teenage years, which range from epistolary novellas (Lesley Castle; Love and Freindship [sic]) to scraps of letters, one act of a play, a poem (“I’ve a Pain in My Head”), and a laugh-out-loud parody of a stodgy history book, all of which poke fun at the precious sensibility of gentle society and reveal its underlying shallowness. With a startling range of voices, accents, and characterizations, Larkin captures the self-satisfied sighing of matrons, the volatile simpering of young ladies in love, and the oily pomposity of men of letters. Listeners may wonder how Larkin keeps a straight face when intoning the melodramatic lines uttered by poor Sophia, who dies from consumption after an injudicious fainting spell (“One fatal swoon has cost me my life. Beware of Swoons, Dear Laura…”). VERDICT: This entertaining collection, narrated with élan, comes alive in audio. A winner for any audio classics collection, and a treat for Austen fans.” —Library Journal

“Raised in England by adoptive parents, Alison Larkin was actually born in America. She herself is a comic writer and performer and she approaches Austen as a satirist…the voice reveals all.” —The New Yorker

Multi award-winning writer/narrator Alison Larkin brings the teenage writings of Jane Austen to sparkling new life in this delightful collection. Listeners will enjoy identifying where Jane Austen’s later comic creations came from as they listen to young Jane Austen gleefully lampooning the popular literature and culture of her time.

Introduction by Virginia Woolfe and Alison Larkin
Lesley Castle 
Love and Freindship (yes, that’s the correct spelling)
A Collection of Letters
Scraps, including more letters, Act One of a Play and a Tale
The History of England 

“This girl of 15 sitting in her private corner of the common parlor was writing not to draw a laugh from brothers and sisters and not for home consumption. She was writing for everybody, for nobody, for her age and for our own. In other words, even at that early age, Jane Austen was writing. The girl of fifteen is laughing, in her corner, at the world.” —Virginia Woolfe

Cover design by Lisa Cavender
Music Credit: Fly Away Home

Production ℗ copyright 2022 by Alison Larkin Presents. All rights reserved.