Negative Positive
Title: PRUNELLA SCALES NO HEIGHTS
Review: I've always been a fan of the British actress Prunella Scales and already own some of her readings of classic novels, including Cranford which she handles delightfully.So it was a big disappointment to find that she seems to have completely misjudged her narration of Emma. One of the pleasures of a Jane Austen novel is the author's deceptively quiet tone; its very understatement sharpens her satire and makes her jokes even funnier. Unfortunately, Miss Scales has adopted the opposite approach, using a hopelessly inappropriate shrill, impatient voice. Given that the opening chapters are dominated by two of literature's most tiresome characters, Emma Woodhouse and her feebleminded father, the result is unbearably irritating. I gave up after an hour, and was glad to track down a far more enjoyable reading by Juliet StevensonEmma (Classic Fiction)- by far the best Austen narrator on the market today.
Is the review positive or negative? 