Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
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
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is one of my favourite Jane Austen books! I love the sense of humour that she has.
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
slow-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
Hate this book, hate those characters, hate the plot. Somehow i was bored and ragebaited at the same time
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
I listened to this as an audiobook, and honestly, I think that’s the only reason I managed to finish it. If I had been reading a physical or ebook copy, I probably would have given up. I struggled to stay focused, and my mind often wandered while listening.
I didn’t feel connected to any of the characters, and the story felt slow and dragging. I understand that this book was written a long time ago, and society was very different back then, but it was still hard for me to relate to their reactions — especially the idea of becoming physically ill because of heartbreak. It felt unrealistic to me.
I do appreciate the core message about balancing reason and emotion, and I admire Jane Austen for writing this during her time. Still, it wasn’t a book that I enjoyed reading, and it was very hard to get through.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I adore this book - as with the majority of the Austen’s this is a re-read for me, and I am so familiar with various adaptations that there were no surprises in the story, but there are so many additional elements that you get from the book that is always missing from an adaptation.
I suppose what I love about this story is Elinor who is one of my favourite heroines. She is not one of Austen’s flashier women, her personality is far more subtle, but however uninteresting some might find her I have always seen her as the backbone of the story; far more than her mother she is the cornerstone that’s binds the family together. She is sensible and discerning, and not one to push herself forward, and yet she is always there for others and willing to overlook their failings.
But with regards to Edward your heart just breaks for her, and there are 2 sections which always stay in my head. The first where she has to tell Marianne about Edward’s engagement to Lucy, and you can see the wave of emotion that she has been bottling up while also caring for her sister. The second is in her mothers realisation that just because Elinor did not show her emotions in the same way as Marianne, did not mean that her pain was any less severe, and that she was doing her eldest daughter a disservice by not recognising that.
But I do love the relationship between the sisters, who are so close and yet so different. With regards to Marianne I think that Austen, much with her other novels, does write this as an exposure of men’s vice to young women who will easily fall into their charms, and Marianne is definitely given a lucky escape from a desolate future. Not that Willoughby ever deserved her, but if he had given up the promise of a fortune to marry her, his love for her would not have lasted. And for a girl with such a passionate nature this would have had a devastating effect on her. So despite the alarming age gap, Brandon was ultimately the best man for her, and after her brush with passionate love she would be happy with a deeper devotion that would come from her marriage to Brandon.
I suppose what I love about this story is Elinor who is one of my favourite heroines. She is not one of Austen’s flashier women, her personality is far more subtle, but however uninteresting some might find her I have always seen her as the backbone of the story; far more than her mother she is the cornerstone that’s binds the family together. She is sensible and discerning, and not one to push herself forward, and yet she is always there for others and willing to overlook their failings.
But with regards to Edward your heart just breaks for her, and there are 2 sections which always stay in my head. The first where she has to tell Marianne about Edward’s engagement to Lucy, and you can see the wave of emotion that she has been bottling up while also caring for her sister. The second is in her mothers realisation that just because Elinor did not show her emotions in the same way as Marianne, did not mean that her pain was any less severe, and that she was doing her eldest daughter a disservice by not recognising that.
But I do love the relationship between the sisters, who are so close and yet so different. With regards to Marianne I think that Austen, much with her other novels, does write this as an exposure of men’s vice to young women who will easily fall into their charms, and Marianne is definitely given a lucky escape from a desolate future. Not that Willoughby ever deserved her, but if he had given up the promise of a fortune to marry her, his love for her would not have lasted. And for a girl with such a passionate nature this would have had a devastating effect on her. So despite the alarming age gap, Brandon was ultimately the best man for her, and after her brush with passionate love she would be happy with a deeper devotion that would come from her marriage to Brandon.