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3.11 AVERAGE
3.11 AVERAGE
I’m not sure what made me read this when I did. It certainly wasn’t a deep devotion to either Mansfield Park or Fanny Price that made me long for a continuation of the story. I know I acquired the book a good ways back because Joan Aiken is on my List, and because I was curious about her continuations of Jane Austen… it just slotted itself into my reading schedule, I guess.
So. Four years after the end of Mansfield Park, Fanny and Edmund are happily married and growing a family (MP spoiler! Well, but it’s in the book description); Edmund’s father has died and someone has to go to off to see to things on the plantations, and since every time anyone says “someone” everyone turns and looks at Edmund, off he and Fanny go. And with them neatly out of the way, the focus is free to shift entirely to Fanny’s sister Susan, brought to Mansfield at the end of the book to take Fanny’s place as Lady Bertram’s companion.
It was almost comical how briskly Fanny was ushered out of the book. After all, though, what’s to tell? She’s happy, and having children – how boring. On to Susan, who’s much more interesting anyway. There are new folks in the area – Edmund’s replacement as minister and his sister – and it’s almost comical how much they resemble the Crofts from Persuasion. They’re wonderful people, and bond with Susan, and even make a good impression on the Bertrams, fight though they must against their prejudices; I liked them – but then, I loved the Crofts, so I would do. And there are folks returning to the area: Mary Crawford, for one, who is ill and has fled her life of dissipation. Which of course now, as she begins to build a friendship with Susan, turns out to have been not so very dissipated, and she was wronged, and anyway she’s probably dying now so it’s all right. And then, of course, where Mary goes eventually Henry Crawford shows up – and you know, he’s not such a bad fellow, either. He was awfully in love with Fanny … but she’s married and not here anyway, and hey look here’s her little sister! It’s Fanny Lite! Maybe I have a shot with her … And of course as soon as it becomes clear that Crawford is sniffing around Susan, Cousin Tom Bertram wakes up to the fact that she’s of age now and no longer the uncouth plaguey nuisance of a child.
I don’t know. I have a great deal of respect for Joan Aiken, but this just seemed ill-advised from start to finish. All of the inconveniences from Jane Austen – Fanny, Mrs. Norris, Maria – have been surgically removed, and inconvenient aspects of other characters have undergone extensive plastic surgery, and really why not just write a whole new standalone novel? It was very hard to swallow the rehabilitation of two selfish, thoughtless, amoral characters. And the ending was … abrupt, and felt disjointed. It just didn’t work.
So. Four years after the end of Mansfield Park, Fanny and Edmund are happily married and growing a family (MP spoiler! Well, but it’s in the book description); Edmund’s father has died and someone has to go to off to see to things on the plantations, and since every time anyone says “someone” everyone turns and looks at Edmund, off he and Fanny go. And with them neatly out of the way, the focus is free to shift entirely to Fanny’s sister Susan, brought to Mansfield at the end of the book to take Fanny’s place as Lady Bertram’s companion.
It was almost comical how briskly Fanny was ushered out of the book. After all, though, what’s to tell? She’s happy, and having children – how boring. On to Susan, who’s much more interesting anyway. There are new folks in the area – Edmund’s replacement as minister and his sister – and it’s almost comical how much they resemble the Crofts from Persuasion. They’re wonderful people, and bond with Susan, and even make a good impression on the Bertrams, fight though they must against their prejudices; I liked them – but then, I loved the Crofts, so I would do. And there are folks returning to the area: Mary Crawford, for one, who is ill and has fled her life of dissipation. Which of course now, as she begins to build a friendship with Susan, turns out to have been not so very dissipated, and she was wronged, and anyway she’s probably dying now so it’s all right. And then, of course, where Mary goes eventually Henry Crawford shows up – and you know, he’s not such a bad fellow, either. He was awfully in love with Fanny … but she’s married and not here anyway, and hey look here’s her little sister! It’s Fanny Lite! Maybe I have a shot with her … And of course as soon as it becomes clear that Crawford is sniffing around Susan, Cousin Tom Bertram wakes up to the fact that she’s of age now and no longer the uncouth plaguey nuisance of a child.
I don’t know. I have a great deal of respect for Joan Aiken, but this just seemed ill-advised from start to finish. All of the inconveniences from Jane Austen – Fanny, Mrs. Norris, Maria – have been surgically removed, and inconvenient aspects of other characters have undergone extensive plastic surgery, and really why not just write a whole new standalone novel? It was very hard to swallow the rehabilitation of two selfish, thoughtless, amoral characters. And the ending was … abrupt, and felt disjointed. It just didn’t work.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
I liked Susan's characterisation, and I didn't mind what was done with Miss Crawford, but I wasn't really interested in the redemption of Henry Crawford so completely. I think sometimes a villain needs to stay a villain, because people so often do. Also, the match between Susan and Tom felt terribly artificial and forced. I would have much rather if Susan married anyone, it was the friend of her brother's or the temporary clergyman who liked archaeology. At least they had treated Susan with respect and interest and had spoken with her before the final pages.
I started off enjoying this book and not knowing how the romance would go. Susan has three possible suitors and I was intrigued to see how it would turn out but the ending was rushed and disappointing. I much preferred Jane Fairfax which was a very enjoyable read.
Why the heck did she end up with her cousin?? There was not chemistry between them and its weird to see it written in current day. I would have much preferred a more controversial pairing with Henry Crawford.
Nehéz ügy. Tulajdonképp hasonlít a stílus Jane Austenére, de mégsem. Austen lassabban ír, alaposabban magyaráz, Aiken átrohan az eseményeken, és ami a legfőbb: az érzelmeken. Történnek a dolgok, míg Austennél épülnek.
Számomra valószínűtlen volt, hogy Mary Crawford visszatérjen és Tom beleszeressen, aztán meg megint Susanbe… Jó ötlet volt viszont kivonni Fannyéket a képből, jó volt a sok antipatikus szereplő, keveset szerepelt viszont jó pár karakter, akiről jó lett volna még olvasni, pl. Susan bátyja, William.
Nem rossz könyv, de ahhoz képest, hogy Goodreadsen kifejezetten ajánlották, mint a legjobb JA fan fiction, hát, csalódás.
Számomra valószínűtlen volt, hogy Mary Crawford visszatérjen és Tom beleszeressen, aztán meg megint Susanbe… Jó ötlet volt viszont kivonni Fannyéket a képből, jó volt a sok antipatikus szereplő, keveset szerepelt viszont jó pár karakter, akiről jó lett volna még olvasni, pl. Susan bátyja, William.
Nem rossz könyv, de ahhoz képest, hogy Goodreadsen kifejezetten ajánlották, mint a legjobb JA fan fiction, hát, csalódás.
Mansfield Park Revisited takes the characters from Jane Austen's least popular novel and continues the story. Always wondered what happens to Mary Crawford, Tom Bertram, or Susan Price?
Well, now you can find out.
The book is, in some ways, a mixed bag. The language sounds very Austen. The plus side of this is that I was never jarred out of the story because of anachronistic language or more Heyer-like period slang. The downside is that I do not even find Austen super readable and I know where those plots are going. Reading without any idea what would happen next made it...often a matter of willpower to keep going.
The plot itself was fun enough but especially as the conclusion drew nearer, it just turned into Mansfield Park 2.0 but with a different Price sister. Characters also lacked much development outside of Susan.
Speaking of abrupt and undeveloped, Tom falling in love with Mary came out of nowhere as well.
If you like [b:Old Friends and New Fancies: An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen|306841|Old Friends and New Fancies An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen |Sybil G. Brinton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436546091l/306841._SX50_.jpg|297820], you will likely enjoy this one.
Well, now you can find out.
The book is, in some ways, a mixed bag. The language sounds very Austen. The plus side of this is that I was never jarred out of the story because of anachronistic language or more Heyer-like period slang. The downside is that I do not even find Austen super readable and I know where those plots are going. Reading without any idea what would happen next made it...often a matter of willpower to keep going.
The plot itself was fun enough but especially as the conclusion drew nearer, it just turned into Mansfield Park 2.0 but with a different Price sister. Characters also lacked much development outside of Susan.
Spoiler
I guess I'm glad she ended up with Tom but also skeptical. We're told they'd make a great couple...it certainly is set up for them to be one...but I never actually saw any spark between the two of them. Meanwhile, Henry Crawford had 0 personality so I never bought that she WOULD have him. The reader needs to be privy to more than two conversations!Speaking of abrupt and undeveloped, Tom falling in love with Mary came out of nowhere as well.
If you like [b:Old Friends and New Fancies: An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen|306841|Old Friends and New Fancies An Imaginary Sequel to the Novels of Jane Austen |Sybil G. Brinton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436546091l/306841._SX50_.jpg|297820], you will likely enjoy this one.
I was very impressed with this book, much more so than I thought I would be. Mansfield Park Revisited - a sequel to Jane Austen's much-beloved and widely read Mansfield Park - represents a daunting challenge to even a seasoned and gifted writer. However, the late Joan Aiken proved herself more than competent; not only did she wear the style and setting of the original book like a glove, but she wrote what turns out to be a genuinely good book. Well-written, funny, touching, surprising, and almost totally satisfying without being maudlin or predictable; I'm not sure that Jane Austen could have written this book any better.
QUITE charming. A bit abrupt at the end there, but still delightful.
This was one of several Jane Austen "sequels" that I read and hated. Authors don't generally seem able to recapture the grace and charm that Austen did, to view her world with a critical and yet often forgiving eye. Revisionist attitude, if not history, and an overriding bitter/ nasty tone make it as throughly NOT charming as Austen is charming.