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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Lady Susan is a hilarious satire in letters - what a delightful new way to experience Austen! I enjoyed the Sanditon fragment, especially thinking how PBS recently adapted and expanded it into a wonderful series I loved. Wishing someone would give The Watsons a similar treatment!
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Watsons and Lady Susan are two brilliant tales. The Watsons felt like a real Jane Austen classic. Lady Susan is brilliantly written as you read a plot that develops through letters written between the characters. I found Sanditon to be boring and pointless in comparison to the others... but perhaps I just didn't get it.
challenging
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lady Susan has to be one of my favorites by Austen, because it reminds me so much of my all-time favorite, "Vanity Fair" by William Makepeace Thackeray.
One of the reasons I like VF so much is because of its main character, Becky Sharp. Unlike most books, she isn't the protagonist - she's the antagonist. I have never loved to hate a villan or main character so much as Becky Sharp in VF. Austen's Lady Susan is a chip off the ol' VF block - she's despicable and it is very entertaining to read about her plotting and manipulations and to see her get what was coming to her all along.
I definitely would have loved to read more of Austen's novel "The Watsons" which was the novel she was working on when she died. I also really enjoyed the character of Edward Denham in "Sandition" - he was very amusing.
One of the reasons I like VF so much is because of its main character, Becky Sharp. Unlike most books, she isn't the protagonist - she's the antagonist. I have never loved to hate a villan or main character so much as Becky Sharp in VF. Austen's Lady Susan is a chip off the ol' VF block - she's despicable and it is very entertaining to read about her plotting and manipulations and to see her get what was coming to her all along.
I definitely would have loved to read more of Austen's novel "The Watsons" which was the novel she was working on when she died. I also really enjoyed the character of Edward Denham in "Sandition" - he was very amusing.
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I adore Jane Austen's work and this collection was no exception! All three stories were delightful and witty. I always love her characters and their interactions with one another. It's always the best part of the story for me. Austen has a distinctive voice and formula to her work, so even with the two incomplete stories, you can somewhat predict how they may have ended.
I especially enjoyed Lady Susan which is the only complete work in this collection. Lady Susan is the epitome of girlboss, gaslight, gatekeep. She is such a menace and manipulator, but such a compelling character. Definitely one of my favorite Austen works, especially with how different it is from her later work!
It's amazing how in both The Watsons and Sanditon, the incomplete work is still compelling and stands on its own. I wish we were able to get the full story for both because I was completely invested in the characters and the paths they had just started on. You can guess at how it would all happen, but I would've loved to see exactly how Austen would've had it unfold. Especially with Sanditon which I think shows some experimentation and potential change to the typical Austen formula.
Absolutely worth the read! I think Lady Susan would be a great place to start for those looking to get into Austen's works too.
I especially enjoyed Lady Susan which is the only complete work in this collection. Lady Susan is the epitome of girlboss, gaslight, gatekeep. She is such a menace and manipulator, but such a compelling character. Definitely one of my favorite Austen works, especially with how different it is from her later work!
It's amazing how in both The Watsons and Sanditon, the incomplete work is still compelling and stands on its own. I wish we were able to get the full story for both because I was completely invested in the characters and the paths they had just started on. You can guess at how it would all happen, but I would've loved to see exactly how Austen would've had it unfold. Especially with Sanditon which I think shows some experimentation and potential change to the typical Austen formula.
Absolutely worth the read! I think Lady Susan would be a great place to start for those looking to get into Austen's works too.
A quick read from Jane Austen, full of a delightful and quirky cast of characters. Far different from her novels, Lady Susan gives the reader a different look at a woman's role in the Regency society. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend to anyone who enjoys Jane Austen or just wants a quick read.
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
"Lady Susan" is the basis for the film "Love and Friendship" that is currently in theaters. In a rather unusual switch, the film is better than the book. If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading right now and get to a movie theater. The film is a witty, bitchy, gorgeous piece of work. And many of the best lines in the movie came straight from the book.
But in fairness to the book "Lady Susan", it is early Jane Austen and she did not choose to publish it in her lifetime. At just about sixty pages in my edition, plus notes, it is really a novella. It is published in this case with "The Watsons" and "Sanditon". It is written as a series of letters to and from Lady Susan and her circle of acquaintances. The epistolary novel was very popular in the 18th century, made famous by Samuel Richardson's novel "Clarissa". "Lady Susan" was Jane Austen's only writing in this style, although "Sense and Sensibility" started out in this form. I think that it is apparent that Austen felt the constriction in storytelling in this format. The last few pages she just gives up and says that the characters stopped writing letters. Although the letters can be a bit tedious at times, Austen takes great care to let each correspondent speak in his own voice.
As to the story and the title character, "Lady Susan" shows a lady who is clearly not virtuous or kind or loving. She is a scheming, manipulative woman who is trying to force her sixteen-year-old daughter to marry a nincompoop while she carries on flirtations with at least two men. Some of her relatives see her for what she is but are unable or unwilling to stop her machinations. Propriety and being seen to be proper trump actual virtue, which is a very cynical viewpoint. But there are some defenses for Lady Susan's behavior which can be seen also in "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice". As a widow without wealth, Lady Susan's position in society is precarious. She does not have a grand home, so she settles in for long visits in the homes of her relatives and friends. The only way for a woman like her to make her way in the world is to remarry or to have her daughter marry a wealthy man. She is an intelligent woman who is trapped in a society that doesn't value that in a woman.
I rate this as a 3 star. It shouldn't be your only Jane Austen. But if you have ready everything else, or you enjoyed the movie, read this. Then re-read "Pride and Prejudice".
But in fairness to the book "Lady Susan", it is early Jane Austen and she did not choose to publish it in her lifetime. At just about sixty pages in my edition, plus notes, it is really a novella. It is published in this case with "The Watsons" and "Sanditon". It is written as a series of letters to and from Lady Susan and her circle of acquaintances. The epistolary novel was very popular in the 18th century, made famous by Samuel Richardson's novel "Clarissa". "Lady Susan" was Jane Austen's only writing in this style, although "Sense and Sensibility" started out in this form. I think that it is apparent that Austen felt the constriction in storytelling in this format. The last few pages she just gives up and says that the characters stopped writing letters. Although the letters can be a bit tedious at times, Austen takes great care to let each correspondent speak in his own voice.
As to the story and the title character, "Lady Susan" shows a lady who is clearly not virtuous or kind or loving. She is a scheming, manipulative woman who is trying to force her sixteen-year-old daughter to marry a nincompoop while she carries on flirtations with at least two men. Some of her relatives see her for what she is but are unable or unwilling to stop her machinations. Propriety and being seen to be proper trump actual virtue, which is a very cynical viewpoint. But there are some defenses for Lady Susan's behavior which can be seen also in "Sense and Sensibility" and "Pride and Prejudice". As a widow without wealth, Lady Susan's position in society is precarious. She does not have a grand home, so she settles in for long visits in the homes of her relatives and friends. The only way for a woman like her to make her way in the world is to remarry or to have her daughter marry a wealthy man. She is an intelligent woman who is trapped in a society that doesn't value that in a woman.
I rate this as a 3 star. It shouldn't be your only Jane Austen. But if you have ready everything else, or you enjoyed the movie, read this. Then re-read "Pride and Prejudice".
fast-paced