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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
challenging
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It doesn’t quite seem fair to judge Austen based on a collection of her unfinished/unpublished works but here I am. I’m aware that many of my issues I had with these stories come from the fact they are purely typed up manuscripts that have not been altered for the sake of preserving Austen’s original work, so take what I say with a grain of salt.
Lady Susan
This one was fun. The only finished story of the bunch and it served well as a short story. It was quirky, funny and lighthearted. I wasn’t a massive fan of the letters format but I got over it & this book suffers from a case of ‘stuff happened, then it was over’. There was little to no character development to be found and it didn’t really seem like a fully-formed story.
The Watsons
I found it quite amusing that the main character was called ‘Emma Watson’. Also this was probably my favourite of the bunch. It was also the most unfinished. I felt like the story had just gotten going before it was cruelly stopped! However, it is the most similar to Austen’s other works so I can scratch this itch very easily by picking up Pride and Prejudice or something similar.
Sanditon
I could see the potential of this story but I couldn’t get past the writing. I found it very difficult to keep track of the myriad of characters & also who was speaking at what time. I couldn’t quite get the plot, in all honesty but I did find many of the character interactions to be quite amusing.
Lady Susan
This one was fun. The only finished story of the bunch and it served well as a short story. It was quirky, funny and lighthearted. I wasn’t a massive fan of the letters format but I got over it & this book suffers from a case of ‘stuff happened, then it was over’. There was little to no character development to be found and it didn’t really seem like a fully-formed story.
The Watsons
I found it quite amusing that the main character was called ‘Emma Watson’. Also this was probably my favourite of the bunch. It was also the most unfinished. I felt like the story had just gotten going before it was cruelly stopped! However, it is the most similar to Austen’s other works so I can scratch this itch very easily by picking up Pride and Prejudice or something similar.
Sanditon
I could see the potential of this story but I couldn’t get past the writing. I found it very difficult to keep track of the myriad of characters & also who was speaking at what time. I couldn’t quite get the plot, in all honesty but I did find many of the character interactions to be quite amusing.
It was so neat reading these short stories and unfinished works by Austen. I really liked The Watsons a lot, and Sanditon was so interesting to read and to see what inspired the adaptation.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Interesting to read through them but nothing that becomes my new favorite Austen
I sincerely wish that Jane had finished The Watsons and Sanditon. In this book there was the joy of reading an Austen for the first time and the disappointment of not being able to see how she would have finished them.
Sanditon Review: http://classiclit.about.com/od//fl/Sanditon-by-Jane-Austen.htm
The Watsons Review: http://classiclit.about.com/od/watsonsjaneausten/fl/The-Watsons-1803-1805-by-Jane-Austen.htm
Lady Susan Review:http://classiclit.about.com/od/Women-And-Literature/fl/Lady-Susan-1794-by-Jane-Austen.htm
The Watsons Review: http://classiclit.about.com/od/watsonsjaneausten/fl/The-Watsons-1803-1805-by-Jane-Austen.htm
Lady Susan Review:http://classiclit.about.com/od/Women-And-Literature/fl/Lady-Susan-1794-by-Jane-Austen.htm
This is my review for The Watsons, since Goodreads does not have a separate listing for the unfinished novel itself.
If you compare Watsons to Sanditon you see the progression Austen has made as a writer, and perhaps why she never returned to the earlier work. The characters aren't well-developed, and the story doesn't seem all that hard to predict. There is plenty to make it a compelling read, but in the end it is unfinished, leaving us only to wonder at what complications would have arisen to make for a good plot before the ladies became married.
If you compare Watsons to Sanditon you see the progression Austen has made as a writer, and perhaps why she never returned to the earlier work. The characters aren't well-developed, and the story doesn't seem all that hard to predict. There is plenty to make it a compelling read, but in the end it is unfinished, leaving us only to wonder at what complications would have arisen to make for a good plot before the ladies became married.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
So glad I finally got around to this one. Lady Susan is something else. I loved reading all the letters between Lady Susan and her family and friends. You get to see what each of the characters think and how Lady Susan manipulates them. I feel that she got what she deserved.
I really enjoyed The Watsons and wished that Austen had gone back to finish this one. This could have been another great novel from her, but alas we only have this fragment and we will never know if Emma gets her man.
Went into Sandition not knowing anything about it and was surprised by how humorous it was. Maybe this was just what Jane needed to write as she was very ill at the time.
Highly recommend.
I really enjoyed The Watsons and wished that Austen had gone back to finish this one. This could have been another great novel from her, but alas we only have this fragment and we will never know if Emma gets her man.
Went into Sandition not knowing anything about it and was surprised by how humorous it was. Maybe this was just what Jane needed to write as she was very ill at the time.
Highly recommend.