Which Persuasion recording should you buy?
The complete readings of Persuasion that we list run 7 hrs 45 mins to 9 hrs 21 mins. Juliet Stevenson's name is on a complete reading, an abridgement and a BBC radio play, all under this title; around them are more abridgements, a BBC Radio 4 reading that Audible's catalogue marks unabridged, and AI voices.
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Short answer
Juliet Stevenson's complete Naxos reading, the one that matches her Pride and Prejudice and Emma. But read the runtime before you pay: her name is also on a Naxos abridgement and on the BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation, both under the same title. Greta Scacchi, Olivia Williams, Erin Doherty and the other complete readings in the table run 7 hrs 45 mins to 9 hrs 21 mins, so if you prefer another voice you lose nothing. The short listings are the trap. Janet Suzman's is subtitled "A BBC Radio 4 reading" and Audible's catalogue marks it unabridged, at a fraction of the length of the complete readings. Glenda Jackson's Phoenix Books recording is marked abridged. And the editions credited to an "AI Voice" are synthetic voices.
The recordings, compared
| Narrator | Length | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Juliet Stevenson Our pick | 8 hrs 43 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo, from Naxos. Her name is on an abridgement and a radio play under the same title, below. |
| Greta Scacchi | 8 hrs 13 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo, from Audible Studios. |
| Olivia Williams | 7 hrs 45 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. |
| Erin Doherty | 8 hrs 55 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo, the Penguin Classics edition. |
| Emma Gregory | 9 hrs 21 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. |
| Rosalyn Landor | 8 hrs 37 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. |
| Wanda McCaddon | 8 hrs 1 min | Unabridged | Complete and solo. |
| Anne Flosnik | 8 hrs 37 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. |
| Yolanda Kettle | 9 hrs 9 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. |
| Michael Page | 8 hrs 18 mins | Unabridged | Complete and solo. Listed as the AmazonClassics Edition. |
| AI Voice Bob | 10 hrs 41 mins | AI narration (Virtual Voice) | The text read by a synthetic voice: Audible's catalogue flags it as a Virtual Voice title. |
| AI Voice AI-generated (TTS) | 10 hrs 1 min | AI narration (Virtual Voice) | A second synthetic-voice edition, from an independent publisher; also flagged as Virtual Voice. |
| Juliet Stevenson and a full cast | 2 hrs 38 mins | BBC full-cast dramatisation | A radio play, subtitled "A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation", with Juliet Stevenson in the cast. Marked unabridged in Audible's catalogue. |
| Janet Suzman | 2 hrs 38 mins | BBC Radio 4 reading, marked unabridged | Subtitled "A BBC Radio 4 reading" and marked unabridged in Audible's catalogue, at 34% of the shortest complete reading here. Its description does not say what was left out; it is not a complete reading. |
| Glenda Jackson | 5 hrs 42 mins | Abridged | ABRIDGED, at 74% of the shortest complete reading here. |
| Juliet Stevenson | 3 hrs 51 mins | Abridged | ABRIDGED: the same reader and publisher as the complete pick. |
| Amanda Root | 3 hrs 4 mins | Abridged | Abridged. |
| Prunella Scales | 2 hrs 31 mins | Abridged | Abridged, an Argo Classics recording. |
| Anna Massey | 2 hrs 21 mins | Abridged | Abridged. |