Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Sense and Sensibility

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

19 reviews

waris_anderson's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

4.25

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

The pining was robust among the various love angles and the way things shook out between the woo-ers and woo-ees was practically diabolical.

Content Warnings

quotablehedgehog's review against another edition

3.5

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective relaxing 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

Content Warnings

daryn's review against another edition

4.0

funny lighthearted reflective 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

Content Warnings

hello_lovely13's review against another edition

3.75

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

At its core, this is far more about the relationship between two sister than it is about any sort of romance. Yes, a good deal focuses on who each of the sisters are falling for, but it is shown through the eyes and arcs of the sisters, rather than the progression of the romantic relationships, and I quite enjoyed that. This is slow, but the tea is piping hot. The whole affair with Lucy had me gripped (oh, Lucy made me mad because of how much I felt for Elinor, and I had so much fun with it), as well as Marianne's relationship with Willoughby (I am very proud of myself that I NEVER trusted him for a second). I was less interested in Marianne's relationship with Colonel Brandon, and by the end (in the beginning I was invested, but there was so little interaction between the two that it simmered down quite a bit) was also not overly interested (though I was curious how it would occur, what with so much drama!) in Elinor's relationship with Edward (he does not deserve her). While reading this, I realized that I really like reading about main characters with eldest sister syndrome, and Elinor fits that so well. She is so amazing; my heart goes out for her, and she deserves only the best. So far, she is my favorite Austen heroine because she is compassionate, intelligent, and still interesting. I don't know how anyone gets anything done without her (she really does the most for Marianne, and doesn't get enough thanks for it). Marianne is quite naive and tends to be a bit judgmental on a surface level, but through her own trials and help from her sister, she is able to grow to be more openminded (I personally wouldn't want to be compared to her, though). This is a bit too slow for me at times, which is partly why I didn't rank this higher (as well as the swift getting together of couples at the end, which, though they were both set up, happened a bit too quickly for me to be fully satisfied).

The last appearance of Willoughby had me SHOCKED because I was not expecting him at the door.

Team Elinor forever!

Content Warnings

quasinaut's review against another edition

3.75

funny hopeful slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

My first Jane Austen! I enjoyed reading about these characters that I'd only known about through media and cultural osmosis. Austen's ability to lovingly draw out her characters' faults and idiosyncrasies was quite fun. There were parts that felt too glossed over - like why some actions were forgiven or age differences allowed - but all in all, a solid introduction to her writing.

Content Warnings

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

3.0

emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I picked up the Barnes & Noble Classic edition of this novel in my quest to slowly collect and read more classics.
"Sense and Sensibility" follows Marianne Dashwood and her sister, Elinor. Marianne has fallen for John Willoughby, a man who truly does not deserve her time. Elinor warns Marianne to not be impulsive, but Marianne wants to follow her heart and give him a chance. Elinor, who has always played by the book, has her own romantic disappointment, but she tries to hide it from everyone. These sisters have to learn how to balance their sense and sensibility when falling in love in a world where money and status mean everything.
The thing I really enjoyed about this novel was the discussions of money and being a woman. During this time period, it was very uncommon for a woman to be self-sufficient nor to have a major voice over the family's finances. However, in this novel, Jane Austen writes strong women who know how to manipulate the conversation with their partners in order to control where the household money goes. I think this is so powerful and is great foreshadowing to highlight that women are going to play a bigger role in their households in years to come.
This was not my favorite Jane Austen novel, but it is not terrible either. Ultimately, I struggled to become invested in this story because the plot felt denser than it needed to be. I really loved the discourse surrounding money, and I think some of the ideas of proper and smart investments are very noteworthy and translatable for today's world. Something I kept reading was this idea of not spending more than the interest you earn on the wealth you have. We do not need to go into debt, and I really loved seeing this being discussed. Unfortunately, I was more interested in this plot line than any of the romance going on.
I will, of course, read more from Jane Austen in the future, and perhaps I will give this another read at a later date to see if I enjoy it more.

Content Warnings

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

3.5

hopeful mysterious 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

Sense and Sensibility is the third Jane Austen novel I have read. I have previously enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Emma, so I was looking forward to reading Sense and Sensibility.

If you have read Jane Austen before, you will recognize the clever social satire, well-written characters, humor, emotion, and heart that characterize her works. I quickly became invested in the lives of the two main characters, sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, and thoroughly enjoyed reading about their family, friends, and acquaintances. One thing that I did not expect is the level of mystery that persists throughout the book. There is not any murder or crime, but characters tend to act in unexpected ways that kept me guessing. Some of the twists and turns left me genuinely shocked!

Although the book has plenty of positive elements, certain things detracted from my enjoyment. The plot became too convoluted at times, and the ending felt far too rushed and unearned. I also would have liked to see Elinor have more character development throughout the book.

I would recommend this book to people who have already read and enjoyed one or more of Jane Austen’s novels, but suggest that people new to her works start with Emma or Pride and Prejudice.

Content Warnings