Audiobook review: Marianne: A Sense and Sensibility Sequel by Alice McVeigh

Narrator: Elizabeth Grace

Vibes: 💓🪭🎩

Thanks to the author, Netgalley, and Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for the free ALC.

This is the first of Alice McVeigh's Austen stories I've read but it might not be the last. She captures the feel of Austen's writing astonishingly well, though without a lot of the satire. Elizabeth Grace's narration of the audiobook is also perfectly suited to the style of story and the audiobook experience was lovely!

While the main focus is, of course, some of the characters from Sense and Sensibility, the other main players are from Mansfield Park (with various side characters from Austen's novels making appearances). I would strongly recommend having read both Sense and Sensibility AND Mansfield Park before reading this one as this forms something of a sequel to both.

Unfortunately, I think I would have enjoyed this more if these two weren't my least favourite Austen novels! McVeigh stays reasonably true to the characters and, alas, they still don't do it for me. It's hard to say exactly why I didn't enjoy parts of this without major spoilers, but ultimately I think I was just hoping for a different story to what I got. Marianne didn't have the degree of personal growth I was anticipating and there's a redemption arc that I was not wholly convinced was warranted. I also wanted less romance and more of Marianne being free and able to grow as a person without the pressure of needing to marry. Unfortunately I think I just went in with the wrong expectations of the kind of story I was in for.

Pub date: 26 June 2026