Once Persuaded, Twice Shy: A Modern Re-imagining of Persuasion – Melodie Edwards Free Audiobook

Written by Melodie Edwards
Read by Rachel Perry
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 128 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Books on Tape
Release date: February 27, 2024
Duration: 10:23:16

When Anne Elliott broke up with Ben Wentworth, it seemed like the right thing to do . . . but now, eight years later, she’s not so sure.

In her scenic hometown of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Anne is comfortable focusing on her successful career: filling her late mother’s shoes as town councilor and executive director of her theater company. She certainly keeps busy as the all-around wrangler of eccentric locals, self-centered family members, elaborate festivals, and the occasional attacking goose. But the more she tries to convince herself that her life is fine as is, the more it all feels like a show—and not nearly as good as the ones put on by her theater company. She’s the always-responsible Anne, always taken for granted and cleaning up after other people, and the memories of happier times with Ben Wentworth still haunt her.

So when the nearby Kellynch Winery is bought by Ben’s aunt and uncle, Anne’s world is set ablaze as her old flame crashes back into her life—and it’s clear he hasn’t forgiven her for breaking his heart.

“Narrator Rachel Perry will convince listeners that no retelling of Jane Austen’s PERSUASION can be complete without a resident attack goose. Anne Elliott, director of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s theater company, thinks Ben Wentworth is just a memory–until he returns to help with his aunt and uncle’s winery on former Elliott property. Perry portrays Anne as deeply interior, full of pain and repressed longing. This emotional, husky reading is not for prosaic people. But for hopeless romantics, Perry’s expressions of Anne’s angst juxtaposed with Ben’s quiet, low rejoinders will be satisfying listening fodder. Perry situates Edwards’s small-town humor alongside the melodrama of historical reenactors chasing manic geese at the annual pumpkin festival. Austen fans cannot go wrong with
this listen.” .. AudioFile 2024,