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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
I've been listening to Jane Austen's novels in order of publication, and this is the third installment. I had only a passing knowledge of the plot, despite the fact that I have seen two different film versions of this story. My memory of the 1999 movie version is mostly of Johnny Lee Miller, and the fact that my Gram said several important things were changed from the novel - including Fanny's characterization and constitution. The other version I have seen also miscast Fanny - the 2007 TV movie with Billie Piper. I don't remember much about that version, other than that they wanted to put on a play.
So, going in, I didn't really know a lot about the details of this story. I had read some brief summaries, citing that this is her most complex novel.
I enjoyed it, and bits and pieces of the movies I've seen came back to me as I listened. There were some times when I found it difficult to stay engaged, but that didn't last long and didn't happen that often.
I felt like I identified with Fanny more than any Austen's heroines that I've read in the previous two novels. I felt so sad for her during the course of this novel. I felt like she didn't really get the love and attention she wanted (and deserved) anywhere. She was ill-used by most people in her life. While I think it's a bit weird to be in love with your cousin, I can't really blame Fanny for being in love with Edmund. He was the only one who ever really showed her kindness and love on a consistent basis. Her aunt Bertram does not show her the love of a mother, but does care for her. I couldn't help but immediately have a distaste for Mrs. Norris - not only from her characterization, but simply from her name. I guess that's what happens to ardent Harry Potter fans.
Anyhow...I feel like there was a lot more I wanted to say, but I've forgotten. Since I usually listen in the car or at the gym, I can't easily take notes while I read to help with my reviews. But, as I said, I did enjoy this novel. I gave it 4.5 stars instead of 5 just because it was a little more dense, and complex, than the two previous novels.
I've been listening to Jane Austen's novels in order of publication, and this is the third installment. I had only a passing knowledge of the plot, despite the fact that I have seen two different film versions of this story. My memory of the 1999 movie version is mostly of Johnny Lee Miller, and the fact that my Gram said several important things were changed from the novel - including Fanny's characterization and constitution. The other version I have seen also miscast Fanny - the 2007 TV movie with Billie Piper. I don't remember much about that version, other than that they wanted to put on a play.
So, going in, I didn't really know a lot about the details of this story. I had read some brief summaries, citing that this is her most complex novel.
I enjoyed it, and bits and pieces of the movies I've seen came back to me as I listened. There were some times when I found it difficult to stay engaged, but that didn't last long and didn't happen that often.
I felt like I identified with Fanny more than any Austen's heroines that I've read in the previous two novels. I felt so sad for her during the course of this novel. I felt like she didn't really get the love and attention she wanted (and deserved) anywhere. She was ill-used by most people in her life. While I think it's a bit weird to be in love with your cousin, I can't really blame Fanny for being in love with Edmund. He was the only one who ever really showed her kindness and love on a consistent basis. Her aunt Bertram does not show her the love of a mother, but does care for her. I couldn't help but immediately have a distaste for Mrs. Norris - not only from her characterization, but simply from her name. I guess that's what happens to ardent Harry Potter fans.
Anyhow...I feel like there was a lot more I wanted to say, but I've forgotten. Since I usually listen in the car or at the gym, I can't easily take notes while I read to help with my reviews. But, as I said, I did enjoy this novel. I gave it 4.5 stars instead of 5 just because it was a little more dense, and complex, than the two previous novels.
Just finished rereading this classic. It is better then I remembered.
"Let him have all the perfections in the world, I think it ought not be set down as certain that a man must be acceptable to every woman he may happen to like himself."
One of the most metal quotes in all of Austen.... and it came from the book about the meekest, most passive, most widely derided as a wet blanket heroine, Fanny Price? Bro. Brooooooo.
I'll admit in the first half I was a little exasperated with her and the dragging plot in general, but when Henry Crawford really comes into play and Fanny
Spoiler
trusted her instincts and refused himSpoiler
cousin EdmundSo I could have been perfectly content without that final chapter, but hey.
Well, I liked this enough to re-read it within a year, so that says something. And it's not a short book.
I love books that throw you into the deep end and expect you to swim. Several of William Gibson's books, but especially The Peripheral; Susanna Clarke's Piranesi. They start telling the story from the characters' point of view and leave you to figure out what's going on in the world.
Mansfield Park is not an unfamiliar setting (for the intended audience at the time), but it is an intensely social milieu, and Austen doesn't pull any punches. Within the first two pages, we're introduced to: Miss Maria Ward, Sir Thomas Bertram, Miss Ward, Miss Frances, Rev. Mr. Norris, Mrs. Norris, an unnamed Lieutenant of Marines, Lady Bertram, Mrs. Price, and Fanny. You need to be paying enough attention to infer that Miss Maria Ward and Lady Bertram are the same person, as are Miss Ward and Mrs. Norris, as well as Miss Frances, Mrs. Price, and Fanny. You should also have caught that Miss Ward (Mrs. Norris) is designated by that name as the eldest of the three sisters, and that the unnamed Lieutenant must be Mr. Price. Buckle up, here comes page three.
For someone who grew up on what are in essence boys' adventure stories of various stripes and levels of maturity, this is a very different experience, and it's frankly quite challenging. This is not the complexity of murder mysteries or political intrigues or heist stories. It's the complexity of social relations between a dozen or so people varying in age, social status, fortune and prospects, beauty and talent, availability, desirability, maturity, and character flaws, who are bound together by family relationships or thrown together by circumstance. It's all about social skills and character and life choices.
Part of what is fascinating is that it is so ordinary. The climactic drama is a social scandal. There are no fight scenes or chases, no countdown on a ticking bomb. There are four young ladies and a similar number of young gentlemen, and it will be interesting to see who ends up with whom.
[Still working on this. There's a lot to think about...]
(This copy, the one I read first, is my mum's. It's part of a full set of Jane Austen's novels from Oxford University Press, printed in 1946. I re-read the Project Gutenberg version on my Kindle, which while convenient is an altogether less emotionally resonant experience.)
I love books that throw you into the deep end and expect you to swim. Several of William Gibson's books, but especially The Peripheral; Susanna Clarke's Piranesi. They start telling the story from the characters' point of view and leave you to figure out what's going on in the world.
Mansfield Park is not an unfamiliar setting (for the intended audience at the time), but it is an intensely social milieu, and Austen doesn't pull any punches. Within the first two pages, we're introduced to: Miss Maria Ward, Sir Thomas Bertram, Miss Ward, Miss Frances, Rev. Mr. Norris, Mrs. Norris, an unnamed Lieutenant of Marines, Lady Bertram, Mrs. Price, and Fanny. You need to be paying enough attention to infer that Miss Maria Ward and Lady Bertram are the same person, as are Miss Ward and Mrs. Norris, as well as Miss Frances, Mrs. Price, and Fanny. You should also have caught that Miss Ward (Mrs. Norris) is designated by that name as the eldest of the three sisters, and that the unnamed Lieutenant must be Mr. Price. Buckle up, here comes page three.
For someone who grew up on what are in essence boys' adventure stories of various stripes and levels of maturity, this is a very different experience, and it's frankly quite challenging. This is not the complexity of murder mysteries or political intrigues or heist stories. It's the complexity of social relations between a dozen or so people varying in age, social status, fortune and prospects, beauty and talent, availability, desirability, maturity, and character flaws, who are bound together by family relationships or thrown together by circumstance. It's all about social skills and character and life choices.
Part of what is fascinating is that it is so ordinary. The climactic drama is a social scandal. There are no fight scenes or chases, no countdown on a ticking bomb. There are four young ladies and a similar number of young gentlemen, and it will be interesting to see who ends up with whom.
[Still working on this. There's a lot to think about...]
(This copy, the one I read first, is my mum's. It's part of a full set of Jane Austen's novels from Oxford University Press, printed in 1946. I re-read the Project Gutenberg version on my Kindle, which while convenient is an altogether less emotionally resonant experience.)
This was my first time reading Mansfield Park unabridged. I really feel like this work of Jane Austen doesn't get as much credit as it deserves. Some of the things that occur in the book can boggle the mind if you only look at it through a modern lens, but if viewed with the societal norms and practices of the day, that can make the responses, choices, and certain practices a bit clearer. Fanny Price, in my estimation had virtues that most of us should attempt to emulate.
5 Times Fanny Quietly Showed Love For Others
5 Times Fanny Quietly Showed Love For Others
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I always feel strongly conflicted while reading Jane Austen and this book was no exception 😩 Reading it was an experience but should I be happy with how things turned out? Maybe it's because I went into this expecting a romance - it's not 😑 I'm getting a headache just thinking about it 😵💫
Here are some thoughts I had on certain topics while reading 🤔
Consent
Plot structure
Romance
Ending thoughts
Also good riddance to Mrs Norris (officially the most annoying character, even the characters were glad to be rid of her 😂)
If you’re thinking of reading some of Jane Austen’s works, I strongly do not recommend starting with this one 😮💨 but don’t end with it either!!! It makes for some heavy reading and isn’t quite as romantic or lighthearted as say, Pride and Prejudice (now that’s a good one to start with…🤭)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
26 Books Challenge - A book I read in school. MP is not my favourite Austen, but it has grown on me. And it's one of the few works of literature featuring (incidental) characters with my surname.
You won't hear me say this often, so brace yourselves: I liked the movie better. I must admit that I prefer the writing style of the Brontes, as I had trouble getting into Pride and Prejudice as well for some of the same reasons.
The overall story was very good, however, I found that many of the descriptive sections carried on far too long. There were many run on sentences, which sometimes made the narrative difficult to follow. At times, I found myself having to read passages multiple times, simply to tell which of two conversing characters was the one speaking at a particular point in the conversation.
The characters themselves were very well defined, diverse, and what I liked most about the book. There were well drawn out contrasts between many of the main and supporting characters, as well as a contrast between the two locales focused on in the book: Mansfield Park and Portsmouth.
The character contrasts start from the onset. The three sisters are all very different from one another: Maria being an indolent, easy-going personality who married into a very comfortable lifestyle, Mrs. Norris being an incredibly active, uptight personality, who married into a modest, but comfortable living with a Reverend, and Frances being much like Maria in personality, but forced to be active due to marrying a Marine Lieutenant without an education.
Likewise, the contrast between the impoverished lifestyle that Fanny once lived in Portsmouth, and the lifestyle she has at Mansfield make for a stark contrast.
A very good book in its best spots, and a slow read in some of its worst, but overall, this book is a recommeneded read.
The overall story was very good, however, I found that many of the descriptive sections carried on far too long. There were many run on sentences, which sometimes made the narrative difficult to follow. At times, I found myself having to read passages multiple times, simply to tell which of two conversing characters was the one speaking at a particular point in the conversation.
The characters themselves were very well defined, diverse, and what I liked most about the book. There were well drawn out contrasts between many of the main and supporting characters, as well as a contrast between the two locales focused on in the book: Mansfield Park and Portsmouth.
The character contrasts start from the onset. The three sisters are all very different from one another: Maria being an indolent, easy-going personality who married into a very comfortable lifestyle, Mrs. Norris being an incredibly active, uptight personality, who married into a modest, but comfortable living with a Reverend, and Frances being much like Maria in personality, but forced to be active due to marrying a Marine Lieutenant without an education.
Likewise, the contrast between the impoverished lifestyle that Fanny once lived in Portsmouth, and the lifestyle she has at Mansfield make for a stark contrast.
A very good book in its best spots, and a slow read in some of its worst, but overall, this book is a recommeneded read.