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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed these 3 stories. I only wish the 2 that were unfinished had been completed. These stories plus the others I recently read of her earliest writings are making me want to reread all her other novels as I feel like I'm getting more used to her writing and humor or these early/unfinished books may just be more my style than the ones that got finished/published.
This book of Jane Austen contains three short stories, were two of them are unfinished works by Austen.
Lady Susan
Lady Susan was quite interesting, and a very different heroine than the usual Austen ladies. Lady Susan was written in the form of letter entries, and for some reason it made it all the more dramatic. In the story we meet Lady Susan who is recently widowed, and is now on the hunt for a new husband. Lady Susan is very saucy and very scandalous, and very unabashed. It made me giggle while reading. She's not all sweet and funny though, and the writing style made the story captivating and dramatic. So I enjoyed this one!
Sanditon
This was SO short, I'm not even sure I can form an opinion on it.
Sanditon was a very short snippet of a story set in a seaside town.
Just as the story was begining, it ended. Now I can't wait to watch the mini series, to see what happened to the story.
The Watsons
In this short story we meet Emma Watson, who returns home after being fostered by her aunt for years. She is now back with a family that she doesn't really know.
This story seemed to have a lot of potential, just as Austen's full length novels. This was Austen's last piece before she passed away. I would've loved to see what would've become of the story.
I loved Lady Susan the most out of the three, but really wanted The Watsons to be longer. For the overall enjoyment of all three I probably end on 3.5 ⭐️
Lady Susan
Lady Susan was quite interesting, and a very different heroine than the usual Austen ladies. Lady Susan was written in the form of letter entries, and for some reason it made it all the more dramatic. In the story we meet Lady Susan who is recently widowed, and is now on the hunt for a new husband. Lady Susan is very saucy and very scandalous, and very unabashed. It made me giggle while reading. She's not all sweet and funny though, and the writing style made the story captivating and dramatic. So I enjoyed this one!
Sanditon
This was SO short, I'm not even sure I can form an opinion on it.
Sanditon was a very short snippet of a story set in a seaside town.
Just as the story was begining, it ended. Now I can't wait to watch the mini series, to see what happened to the story.
The Watsons
In this short story we meet Emma Watson, who returns home after being fostered by her aunt for years. She is now back with a family that she doesn't really know.
This story seemed to have a lot of potential, just as Austen's full length novels. This was Austen's last piece before she passed away. I would've loved to see what would've become of the story.
I loved Lady Susan the most out of the three, but really wanted The Watsons to be longer. For the overall enjoyment of all three I probably end on 3.5 ⭐️
Reading two novel fragments was hard. The characters were just starting to develop, and the storyline emerge when both Sanditon and The Watsons cut off. But Lady Susan, I loved this! Lady Susan was so scandalous and such fun. As a longtime Austen fan, I can't believe it took me so long to get to these.
Literally so boring- just self-indulgent idle rich people that become hypochondriacs as a hobby.
(Only read Sanditon)
(Only read Sanditon)
It's worth reading Margaret Drabble's introduction & edit of these three unfinished and minor novels by Austen. "Lady Susan" is an early epistolary novel which was adapted quite successfully into the 2016 film "Love & Friendship" with Kate Beckinsale and Chloë Sevigny. It feels much more of the 18th century - a little bit naughty & cynical & a little less moralistic as after the most bewitching character is the adulterous mother. "The Watsons" reads a bit like an early version of Emma or Mansfield Park, as Drabble points out more of the social details are there, the realities of the poorer relation. And "Sanditon" is frustratingly her last novel, a promising comedy of hypochondria (interesting given that Austen was really sick at the time). I would have love to see where this went as her style matured and developed & will seek out a good completed version. These works really flesh out Austen's writing in terms of how she developed her style, where she came from and where she built her writing to - a more mature psychologically drama.
It's been a couple years since I've read Lady Susan, but I've just read The Watsons and Sanditon, after watching Pemberley Digital's adaptation of Sanditon. I really like what they did with the characters - really gave them so much more life than the original. Jane's version read a bit dry, and I didn't really connect to the characters so quicks as in P&P or other main works. I did enjoy The Watsons much more, and out of the three would most like this one to have been finished. Although it did seem to be heading in the direction of a Pride and Prejudice/Mansfield Park combination.
slow-paced
I read The Watsons for class. 4.5/5 stars. I'm so upset she didn't get to finish!!! Emma Watson is my favorite Austen character out of her works I've read so far.
