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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
relaxing
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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
An interesting premise that Austen took and beat like a dead horse. I have so much respect for her social commentary and general cleverness, both of which were definitely present here, and I was engaged at various points; but overall, this was quite a slog.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
On closer acquaintance, I don't hate you, Fanny Price, but I don't love you, either.
Truth be told, I read and reread this one for the lovely, amoral and entertaining brother/sister act. ...and Lady Laudanum. Could be wrong, but I suspect Jane enjoyed writing the Crawfords, Lady Bertram and Mrs. Norris more than Fanny or the rest of the dreary Bertram crew.
Not my favorite Austen novel by a mile, but it has its moments.
Truth be told, I read and reread this one for the lovely, amoral and entertaining brother/sister act. ...and Lady Laudanum. Could be wrong, but I suspect Jane enjoyed writing the Crawfords, Lady Bertram and Mrs. Norris more than Fanny or the rest of the dreary Bertram crew.
Not my favorite Austen novel by a mile, but it has its moments.
This was a tough one - boring lead, drip of a male, love interest.
kinda liked the ending
lowkey similar plot points to pride and prejudice…
lowkey similar plot points to pride and prejudice…
hopeful
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Second read-through: I discovered new elements, such as the true extent of Mary Crawford's lack of empathy and how successfully she charmed me into missing it, the fact that Fanny is not such a saint and actually suffers a good deal from petty jealousy, and what I believe to be Austen's affirmation that Fanny and Mr. Crawford, who really did love her, actually could've been happy if he hadn't gone and screwed up the whole thing. These new discoveries added to my enjoyment and love of this book, and I will keep my previous 4.5 star rating. That being said I feel like rounding up last time may have been overly generous, so this time I'm rounding down. This remains a favorite, but it's not quite perfect.
***
4.5 stars
Let him have all the perfections in the world, I think it ought not to be set down as certain that a man must be acceptable to every woman he may happen to like himself.
This was my first time reading Mansfield Park, and it was different from what I was expecting. Fanny Price is not one of those strong, admirable Austen heroines, who speak their mind and know their worth. She's painfully shy, her health is delicate, and she has been raised to think of herself as being literally of less value than those around her. But when the time comes Fanny shows where her strength truly lies. In the end, I wanted all her fondest wishes to come true, even if the people involved in those wishes did not in fact deserve to be a part of them. So Fanny Price is a bit of a saint, but Austen made me love her all the same. She's probably the best Cinderella-type character I've ever come across, and the whole story has at times the feel of a fairy tale.
The other, much more colorful characters that inhabit Mansfield throughout the course of the novel provide the perfect stage on which Austen plays out the biting social commentary she's so well known for. Through Fanny's fair eyes we see it all. Messy love triangles, flirtations, and elopements, oh my! The story is slow at first. It takes Austen a while to let us into Fanny's heart, which seems by design, and it takes her a while to build her society house of cards, but once it is built, it all comes crashing down, taking every character with it, and the ride is well-worth every page.
Note: Before reading Mansfield Park, I heard that reading the play which figures in the story, Lovers' Vows, would add more context to all the drama (hah) surrounding those scenes. I found it to be a surprisingly fun read, and the reasons I enjoyed it are many of the same reasons it was considered such a scandalous choice in Mansfield Park. It's a quick read, and I highly recommend it as a companion text.
Jane Austen July 2022 Prompt 1: Read one of Jane Austen’s main six novels.
***
4.5 stars
Let him have all the perfections in the world, I think it ought not to be set down as certain that a man must be acceptable to every woman he may happen to like himself.
This was my first time reading Mansfield Park, and it was different from what I was expecting. Fanny Price is not one of those strong, admirable Austen heroines, who speak their mind and know their worth. She's painfully shy, her health is delicate, and she has been raised to think of herself as being literally of less value than those around her. But when the time comes Fanny shows where her strength truly lies. In the end, I wanted all her fondest wishes to come true, even if the people involved in those wishes did not in fact deserve to be a part of them. So Fanny Price is a bit of a saint, but Austen made me love her all the same. She's probably the best Cinderella-type character I've ever come across, and the whole story has at times the feel of a fairy tale.
The other, much more colorful characters that inhabit Mansfield throughout the course of the novel provide the perfect stage on which Austen plays out the biting social commentary she's so well known for. Through Fanny's fair eyes we see it all. Messy love triangles, flirtations, and elopements, oh my! The story is slow at first. It takes Austen a while to let us into Fanny's heart, which seems by design, and it takes her a while to build her society house of cards, but once it is built, it all comes crashing down, taking every character with it, and the ride is well-worth every page.
Note: Before reading Mansfield Park, I heard that reading the play which figures in the story, Lovers' Vows, would add more context to all the drama (hah) surrounding those scenes. I found it to be a surprisingly fun read, and the reasons I enjoyed it are many of the same reasons it was considered such a scandalous choice in Mansfield Park. It's a quick read, and I highly recommend it as a companion text.
Jane Austen July 2022 Prompt 1: Read one of Jane Austen’s main six novels.
reflective
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:
No
Whelp that ending was unexpected and unpleasantly so. I adore Austen’s writing, Pride and Prejudice is an all-time favourite, but she lost me in the last ten chapters and I dislike the ending.