Love and Friendship (aka 'Love and Freindship') cover art

Love and Friendship (aka 'Love and Freindship')

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Love and Friendship (aka 'Love and Freindship')

By: Jane Austen
Narrated by: Joanna Daniell
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About this listen

Jane Austen wrote Love and Friendship (originally spelled Love and Freindship [sic]) when she was just 14 years old. The three notebooks that contain her early works, including this story, are currently on display at the Bodleian Library and the British Museum. Taking the form as letters written by the heroine to the daughter of her friend, this story resembles a fairy tale that lampoons the conventions of romantic stories at the time.

Public Domain (P)2012 Audible, Inc. Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Classics

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Editor reviews

Like the Brontë sisters, Jane Austen wrote extensive juvenilia that was published and embraced by the general public after the author attained literary fame. Austen wrote Love and Freindship when she was only 14 years old, hence the typo in the title. The epistolary novel betrays the wit and precociousness of the young Austen, who sought to amuse her family by parodying the conventions of the romantic novels that helped comprise her childhood library. Joanna Daniell brings a high-class, archly enunciated diction to her performance that complements the entertaining, over-the-top material that surely had the entire Austen clan rolling on the floor in laughter.
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The most enjoyable part of this was spotting the obvious characteristics and voices of several of Miss Austen's most memorable cast of characters. It's interesting to see how she started developing her style so early in her life and note how she learnt to temper some of her sarcasm to just the right level not to be too tiresome.

The reading was mostly quite wooden and lifeless. It's probably not so easy to read epistolary fiction with much flair, but I think it can be done rather better than this - it might have been a lack of adequate direction.

Spot the future characters

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Fascinating early works by Jane Austen, a behind the curtain look at her fledgling style and content.

This is NOT a fully formed novel, more pieces and sketches, short stories and even plays/songs from Austen, when just a teenager, experimenting and writing for pleasure.

It was at times hard to keep track as stories moved quickly from one set of characters to another, but I could see my favourite author in there, in the wit and wordplay, the stories and societal setting.

I was fascinated to see her write in epistolary form, Austen could have been a master of the letter format later in life, based on this. So cutting and witty, these, I now need to reread Les Liaisons Dangereuses to see how it compares.

As someone who's read her works many times, it was wonderful to find something I'd not read of hers before, and at times the youth was clear, some quite immature moments (multiple faintings and overacting/melodrama) that are not her usual M.O. But then we have character names and hints of future stories that remind you of what was to come and just how brilliant this girl was about to become as her talent bloomed from this early effort and encouragement.

Well read for Audible, this was a great addition to the knowledge of any Austen fan.

Behind the curtains of a young Austen

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This collection of essays and other writings is a wonderful glimpse into Jane Austen’s early life learning her craft with hints of the magical works of literature that were to come it’s never boring in fact there humorous and entertaining and well worth listening too also beautifully narrated by Joanna Daniell 📚📕📖❤️❤️

Absolutely Enchanting 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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Funny but immature, I did love her explanation of the monarchs of England even if she was somewhat biased

Austen was funny when younger

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You can start to see Jane Austen’s style of writing developing, it’s a nice easy read

Worth the read

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Immature; best left to Austen scholars and die hard fans. Difficult to follow as many sentences are disjointed. Well read.

Best left in the writing desk

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