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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
some pretty good sister media. i love you elinor and marianne!! i love all these girls so much!! i had a fun time with this book. i'm once again faced with the fact that i kind of just love books where you're just watching people's life as the drama unfolds and they all talk amongst themselves. i am pointing and laughing at willoughby though!! stupid stupid man!!
better than northanger abbey, not as good as pride and prejudice. maybe it is just because of pride and prejudice that this feels subpar. i suppose there was only so much jane austen could write about in regard to society. money and marriage. and that’s okay. it’s just a bit boring now that i’ve read three in quick succession, so that might be on me. i liked the characters of elinor and marianne, and i wish there was more of colonel brandon.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
5 for the book obviously but 2.5 for the latest audio I listened to.
slow-paced
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
It feels nearly sacrelige to say this, but a lot of this book felt like a slog :( I loved Northanger Abbey, so I don't feel it was a matter of it being one of her earlier stories. I wasn't interested in the (actual) couples at all, and there wasn't any other dynamic that made up for the relationships being weird for me. Although I will say virtually every single thing happened against the girls' will, so it was just a lot of "I tried to get out of this but couldn't so now I'm here", which made them relatable at the very least lol. Okay, now for spoiler-y complaints: I felt confused on whether Elinor actually liked Edward until the very end!!! I wanted her with Colonel Brandon SO BAD. And Marianne was basically goaded into marrying Colonel Brandon. Austen herself said she was a gift to him for being such a good friend! I get it was late 18th/early 19th century, but still 😬 Also Elinor, who is supposed to be the sensible one, forgiving Willoughby even 1% AND not loathing Lucy for all of eternity was insane to me.
I have loved every other Austen I've read so far, so this was as disappointing as it was long. That said, in the context of which the book was written, S&S is incredibly well written, subversive, and went a long way in building the foundation that modern novels, especially those written by women, are built upon. For that reason, I struggled to rate it even this low.
Ranking to date:
1. Persuasion
2. Northanger Abbey
3. Emma
4. Pride and Prejudice (near equal with Emma, hard to choose!)
5. Sense & Sensibility
- Still to read: Mansfield Park, Lady Susan, Sanditon)
I have loved every other Austen I've read so far, so this was as disappointing as it was long. That said, in the context of which the book was written, S&S is incredibly well written, subversive, and went a long way in building the foundation that modern novels, especially those written by women, are built upon. For that reason, I struggled to rate it even this low.
Ranking to date:
1. Persuasion
2. Northanger Abbey
3. Emma
4. Pride and Prejudice (near equal with Emma, hard to choose!)
5. Sense & Sensibility
- Still to read: Mansfield Park, Lady Susan, Sanditon)
I decided to read Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility for the Everything Austen challenge because I haven't read it since high school and remembered very little about it. I'm always glad I created this book blog, but this is one time I'm really glad I created it; once I finish writing about Sense and Sensibility, I'll actually remember the book's premise rather than forget it in a week or two.
Sense and Sensibility was Austen's first work, published in 1811. She tells the story of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two of the three daughters of Mr. Dashwood who has passed away and left them with little money [the rules of inheritance were so strange back then:]. The story begins when Mrs. Dashwood and her three girls move to the cottage of a distant relative where they begin a whole new life. Elinor and Marianne are pressured to marry a wealthy man for financial support, but their low economic status does not make them very desirable to many men [marrying for money was common...and desired!:]. But the girls, like all of Austen's female leads, care more about love than money. Their quest to find romance is hindered by heartbreaking men, scheming young women, and meddlesome neighbors.
I have been reading this at the same time I've been watching the BBC's Pride and Prejudice, which may have not been the smartest thing to do. I'm sure an Austen-ite would fight me on this, but in my first experience with them, they seem pretty similar—females rebelling against society's norms and all that. Other observations:
I know Austen is praised for her wit, but in my experience, it's better illustrated on screen. Maybe that's just me.
I also think the characters would come to life better on screen. She was very wordy in this one.
I've always thought the setting was later 1800s. Guess I was wrong.
Salaries seem to be public knowledge and subject of frequent conversation. It's weird.
Her characters and their relationships are realistic with flaws. I appreciate the detail she pays to basic human emotion. Even the men have character.
Poor Margaret...she barely exists. I forgot there was a third Miss Dashwood.
I'm curious about an analysis or comparison of her novels. What makes them different? What makes one more enjoyable than the other? [comment here with input!:]
I also like Austen's sarcasm.
I can see why some people are big fans of the Austen world; everything is just so classy. The setting and lifestyle is a big draw for many, like a fantasy world where people were polite and society had rules and expectations [which could be fun...but also sadistic:]. While I would like to read all her novels just because they are classics and I should, I think I'd prefer them on screen.
Sense and Sensibility was Austen's first work, published in 1811. She tells the story of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, two of the three daughters of Mr. Dashwood who has passed away and left them with little money [the rules of inheritance were so strange back then:]. The story begins when Mrs. Dashwood and her three girls move to the cottage of a distant relative where they begin a whole new life. Elinor and Marianne are pressured to marry a wealthy man for financial support, but their low economic status does not make them very desirable to many men [marrying for money was common...and desired!:]. But the girls, like all of Austen's female leads, care more about love than money. Their quest to find romance is hindered by heartbreaking men, scheming young women, and meddlesome neighbors.
I have been reading this at the same time I've been watching the BBC's Pride and Prejudice, which may have not been the smartest thing to do. I'm sure an Austen-ite would fight me on this, but in my first experience with them, they seem pretty similar—females rebelling against society's norms and all that. Other observations:
I know Austen is praised for her wit, but in my experience, it's better illustrated on screen. Maybe that's just me.
I also think the characters would come to life better on screen. She was very wordy in this one.
I've always thought the setting was later 1800s. Guess I was wrong.
Salaries seem to be public knowledge and subject of frequent conversation. It's weird.
Her characters and their relationships are realistic with flaws. I appreciate the detail she pays to basic human emotion. Even the men have character.
Poor Margaret...she barely exists. I forgot there was a third Miss Dashwood.
I'm curious about an analysis or comparison of her novels. What makes them different? What makes one more enjoyable than the other? [comment here with input!:]
I also like Austen's sarcasm.
I can see why some people are big fans of the Austen world; everything is just so classy. The setting and lifestyle is a big draw for many, like a fantasy world where people were polite and society had rules and expectations [which could be fun...but also sadistic:]. While I would like to read all her novels just because they are classics and I should, I think I'd prefer them on screen.
augh. i am having a hard time getting through this book...