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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Ack. As much as I wanted to love this book as much as Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Sanditon, or Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park didn’t measure up. I was so bored and skimmed through the second half just to finish up and find out what happened. Even with skimming, the plot still took FOREVER.
Here’s my rating system for this book:
1. Is the writing style professional, understandable, and entertaining? Definitely not my preference. Jane Austen tends to have long, wordy sentences that take far too long to get through and I feel like I’m stumbling over them when I read them in my brain. I get that this partially has to do with the era she lived in and language then, but for me, getting through it was a S T R U G G L E.
2. Are the characters relatable, round, deep, and interesting? Yes, Jane Austin often does a good job at interesting and deep characters. I really like how Fanny’s backstory basically involves her trying to stay out of the way and be sweet and good for her aunt and uncle because she really wants everyone’s approval and to not be a burden. This manifests itself later in life when Fanny feels the need to base all of her decisions off of others and assumes herself to be the least important in the room. That’s why it’s such a critical moment for her when she refuses to marry Mr. Crawford even against the will of her uncle Sir Thomas.
3. Are there important and interesting themes, motifs, subtext, and lessons learned, whether obvious or subtle?
Yes. I’m sure I didn’t even pick up on half of them (since I skimmed A LOT) but I love how Jane Austin incorporates the culture she lived in, flawed and humorous as it was, to give us a peak at what life was like. What has society learned from this time period and what mistakes do we keep repeating? The classism really gets me in her novels. It’s really funny yet also fascinating how people can divide themselves up so easily based on their class, and base all of their critical opinions of others on these factors.
4. Is the plot creative, interesting, well-developed, and unpredictable? Disappointingly, no. Wayyy too many chapters covering unimportant events (how many covered the silly little play in the beginning again?) stretched on forever. When something interesting did happen, it was anticlimactic and easily foreseeable. I know the adultery in the end was supposed to be shocking and dramatic, but the way it was written just felt bland.
5. Is this a book I would want to own or read again? Sadly, I don’t think I’d read this book again.
Here’s my rating system for this book:
1. Is the writing style professional, understandable, and entertaining? Definitely not my preference. Jane Austen tends to have long, wordy sentences that take far too long to get through and I feel like I’m stumbling over them when I read them in my brain. I get that this partially has to do with the era she lived in and language then, but for me, getting through it was a S T R U G G L E.
2. Are the characters relatable, round, deep, and interesting? Yes, Jane Austin often does a good job at interesting and deep characters. I really like how Fanny’s backstory basically involves her trying to stay out of the way and be sweet and good for her aunt and uncle because she really wants everyone’s approval and to not be a burden. This manifests itself later in life when Fanny feels the need to base all of her decisions off of others and assumes herself to be the least important in the room. That’s why it’s such a critical moment for her when she refuses to marry Mr. Crawford even against the will of her uncle Sir Thomas.
3. Are there important and interesting themes, motifs, subtext, and lessons learned, whether obvious or subtle?
Yes. I’m sure I didn’t even pick up on half of them (since I skimmed A LOT) but I love how Jane Austin incorporates the culture she lived in, flawed and humorous as it was, to give us a peak at what life was like. What has society learned from this time period and what mistakes do we keep repeating? The classism really gets me in her novels. It’s really funny yet also fascinating how people can divide themselves up so easily based on their class, and base all of their critical opinions of others on these factors.
4. Is the plot creative, interesting, well-developed, and unpredictable? Disappointingly, no. Wayyy too many chapters covering unimportant events (how many covered the silly little play in the beginning again?) stretched on forever. When something interesting did happen, it was anticlimactic and easily foreseeable. I know the adultery in the end was supposed to be shocking and dramatic, but the way it was written just felt bland.
5. Is this a book I would want to own or read again? Sadly, I don’t think I’d read this book again.
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
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
slow-paced
While I did enjoy this book (obviously, its Jane Austen) it was probably my least favourite of hers. I just found it took a long while to get going, but once it did I really liked it.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
BORING omg
as my dad said “literally just people sitting down and talking to each other”
no way edmund actually only got feelings for her in the last three pages 😦 maybe i was wrong but i thought this was a romance book
as my dad said “literally just people sitting down and talking to each other”
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
very much dragged in the middle but the twist made up for it. mrs norris turns into one of the most dislikable literary villains of all time
Mein liebstes von Austen bisher (Überredung und Verstand und Gefühl fehlen noch).
Aber das Ende, wäre ich nicht vorher gespoilert worden, hätte ich das nicht gepackt.
Aber das Ende, wäre ich nicht vorher gespoilert worden, hätte ich das nicht gepackt.
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I went into Mansfield Park with low expectations since I know that this is generally Austen’s least liked work, but now that I’ve finished it I can say that I had nothing to worry about. This book was laugh out loud funny several times. I’ve heard people complain about Fanny, but I love her—I also like avoiding things that give me anxiety until they simply go away on their own without me having to do anything that changes my routine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse