Reputation

Bridgerton and Beecham House actress Bessie Carter performs this debut Jane Austen–meets–Mean Girls Regency-era novel. Georgiana Ellers, whose parents abandon her, moves to live in the English countryside with her aunt and uncle, where she expects her life to be boring. When she is befriended by the wealthy and enchanting Frances Campbell, she is pulled into an elite world full of wild parties brimming with forbidden pleasures. Carter’s performance is delightful. She easily differentiates between each character, captures the myriad of emotions, and brings both them and the story to life. One can easily imagine the bacchanalian soirées and drunken escapades. Some pausing between sentences in the earlier chapters may put off listeners, but the delays decrease and turn into an aural illustration of how Georgiana’s dull life becomes more entertaining and exciting.