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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
Another great Jane Austen romance! But this one is a little rough in 2025. If you’ve read any George R.R. Martin, you’ll probably be able to handle the cousin-romance. However, the family’s fortune relying on the maintenance of a plantation in Antigua is a far greater issue. It’s difficult to root for the heroine to end up living off of the spoils of slavery.
Fanny is also far less engaging as a protagonist than most of Austen’s heroines. She’s far more passive than, say, Elizabeth Bennet or Emma Woodhouse, and she lacks the interesting faults of character that help create frisson within a domestic comedy.
Despite being my least favorite Austen to date, I still have to acknowledge that “least favorite Jane Austen” is sort of like being the scrawniest guy in a bodybuilding contest — your competition isn’t exactly lightweight. I’d say it’s still worth a read if you’re already an Austen lover, but I wouldn’t recommend this as someone’s first Jane Austen novel.
Fanny is also far less engaging as a protagonist than most of Austen’s heroines. She’s far more passive than, say, Elizabeth Bennet or Emma Woodhouse, and she lacks the interesting faults of character that help create frisson within a domestic comedy.
Despite being my least favorite Austen to date, I still have to acknowledge that “least favorite Jane Austen” is sort of like being the scrawniest guy in a bodybuilding contest — your competition isn’t exactly lightweight. I’d say it’s still worth a read if you’re already an Austen lover, but I wouldn’t recommend this as someone’s first Jane Austen novel.
It surprises me to give one of Jane's books a two star rating, but my favorite character was Henry Crawford. I was not fond of Fanny or Edmund, so reading about how wonderful they were while practically everyone else was a demon just wasn't a really enjoyable read for me. Having read a few of the reviews I add that I found the social commentary to be heavy-handed. Fanny is perfect because she is moralistic. But being terrified and furious over a play? Different times, yes, but these were supposedly people she had more capacity to care about than anyone else. Fanny disapproved of everyone but was always written as more forgiving and loving than anyone else. I certainly never saw that Miss Crawford deserved half of the slander Fanny (the jealous lover) thought against her. But Fanny also disapproved of the low manners of her birth family. Everywhere she went, other than Edmund's company and sometimes even then, she found something to disapprove of. So I can't believe that she is meek and steady.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
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
My Rating: 3 stars
While this book is still better than Emma, it does not live up to expectations set before it. Being slow, long and very detailed, a lot gets lost along the way, causing relief when you get to the last page of the book.
*As this is a classic, there are spoilers ahead for the book.
My Thoughts:
Ooh Austen. We have a complicated relationship. You bring forward wonderful books like Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice and give me such high expectations and then you go and smack them down with books like Emma and Mansfield Park. Can’t we find an equal solid ground?
I unfortunately did not like this book which is disappointing because it is such an intriguing story. Knowing nothing about this book except that there was some infidelity in it, I went in with no knowledge about what was going to happen which kept me reading, even at points I wanted to put it down.
This book is long – over 500 pages. For a book to be this long, it needs to have a lot of drive and this book was severely lacking in it. The story follows Fanny, a young woman who goes to live with some extended family and we follow her for years. We meet her beloved brother William and her favourite cousin Edmund but also get to see her other family members as well as the intriguing Mary and Henry Crawford.
One of the key themes in this book is family and her family is not nice. Her cousins are very mean to her, and she is treated like an invalid. From what I could understand, Fanny was a sickly child, which caused there to be a lot of concern about her health throughout the book. It makes Fanny appear quite insipid which was irritating at times.
I like Fanny’s character. I think her thought processes are very extensive and since we spend a lot of time in her head, the reader gets to know her quite well, seeing everything through her eyes. Austen enjoys giving a lot of juxtaposition of characters – we have very strong and abrasive female characters and then you have quieter demure ones like Fanny. You have the strong, solemn male characters like Edmund, and then you have the equally strong but funny and lighthearted Henry Crawford. I think the fact that Fanny is so honest and truthful plays a big role in how you stick to reading this book.
So much happens in this book that doesn’t end up mattering later which truly shows the monotony of their lives. They spent their days bickering and walking and reading and while that sounds nice for a holiday or some time, reading about it for 500 pages is truly monotonous. There were multiple chapters about the play and their preparation and agonising feelings about it, but as soon as Sir Bertram arrived home, it all stopped. It amassed to nothing which was incredibly frustrating.
I was feeling very hopeful toward the end of the book, hoping desperately that Fanny and Henry would end up together but they didn’t. Instead, Fanny got stuck with Edmund, the one who spend hours pining after Mary Crawford. I feel as thought Fanny got the rough end of the stick. Henry would have been very good to her and I think that he truly began to care for her. He was one of my favourite characters and I am bitter about what happened with him. It’s funny to think that Edmund was one of my favourites at the beginning but then there was a point when I completely switched feelings between the two main male characters. Fanny deserved better than being Edmund’s second choice.
What bothered me with this book is that everything is leading towards Henry loving Fanny, Edmund loving Mary, the play, the family changes but nothing ever eventuates. You get to the end so dissatisfied because what happened in Chapter 4 had no impact on Chapter 42. Every word should matter, but this book just continued and continued. It was ok, but not great.
The book is written in classic language. It is not easily read, but it is beautiful when you get into the hang of things. I do love Austen’s writing, but this was not the book for me. It doesn’t mean I would read it again, as I know this might get better with age.
Recommended for: If you enjoy reading classics and books about a lot of daily life, then you will enjoy this book! (However, I would encourage you to read Persuasion or Pride and Prejudice first!)
Quotes (Spoiler Free):
“Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure.”
“Her own thoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions.”
“Oh! Do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch.”
“But there certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them.”
“I understand Crawford paid you a visit?”
“Yes.”
“And was he attentive?”
“Yes, very.”
“And has your heart changed towards him?”
“Yes. Several times. I have – I find that I – I find that-”
“Shh. Surely you and I are beyond speaking when words are clearly not enough…. I missed you.”
“And I you.”
While this book is still better than Emma, it does not live up to expectations set before it. Being slow, long and very detailed, a lot gets lost along the way, causing relief when you get to the last page of the book.
*As this is a classic, there are spoilers ahead for the book.
My Thoughts:
Ooh Austen. We have a complicated relationship. You bring forward wonderful books like Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice and give me such high expectations and then you go and smack them down with books like Emma and Mansfield Park. Can’t we find an equal solid ground?
I unfortunately did not like this book which is disappointing because it is such an intriguing story. Knowing nothing about this book except that there was some infidelity in it, I went in with no knowledge about what was going to happen which kept me reading, even at points I wanted to put it down.
This book is long – over 500 pages. For a book to be this long, it needs to have a lot of drive and this book was severely lacking in it. The story follows Fanny, a young woman who goes to live with some extended family and we follow her for years. We meet her beloved brother William and her favourite cousin Edmund but also get to see her other family members as well as the intriguing Mary and Henry Crawford.
One of the key themes in this book is family and her family is not nice. Her cousins are very mean to her, and she is treated like an invalid. From what I could understand, Fanny was a sickly child, which caused there to be a lot of concern about her health throughout the book. It makes Fanny appear quite insipid which was irritating at times.
I like Fanny’s character. I think her thought processes are very extensive and since we spend a lot of time in her head, the reader gets to know her quite well, seeing everything through her eyes. Austen enjoys giving a lot of juxtaposition of characters – we have very strong and abrasive female characters and then you have quieter demure ones like Fanny. You have the strong, solemn male characters like Edmund, and then you have the equally strong but funny and lighthearted Henry Crawford. I think the fact that Fanny is so honest and truthful plays a big role in how you stick to reading this book.
So much happens in this book that doesn’t end up mattering later which truly shows the monotony of their lives. They spent their days bickering and walking and reading and while that sounds nice for a holiday or some time, reading about it for 500 pages is truly monotonous. There were multiple chapters about the play and their preparation and agonising feelings about it, but as soon as Sir Bertram arrived home, it all stopped. It amassed to nothing which was incredibly frustrating.
I was feeling very hopeful toward the end of the book, hoping desperately that Fanny and Henry would end up together but they didn’t. Instead, Fanny got stuck with Edmund, the one who spend hours pining after Mary Crawford. I feel as thought Fanny got the rough end of the stick. Henry would have been very good to her and I think that he truly began to care for her. He was one of my favourite characters and I am bitter about what happened with him. It’s funny to think that Edmund was one of my favourites at the beginning but then there was a point when I completely switched feelings between the two main male characters. Fanny deserved better than being Edmund’s second choice.
What bothered me with this book is that everything is leading towards Henry loving Fanny, Edmund loving Mary, the play, the family changes but nothing ever eventuates. You get to the end so dissatisfied because what happened in Chapter 4 had no impact on Chapter 42. Every word should matter, but this book just continued and continued. It was ok, but not great.
The book is written in classic language. It is not easily read, but it is beautiful when you get into the hang of things. I do love Austen’s writing, but this was not the book for me. It doesn’t mean I would read it again, as I know this might get better with age.
Recommended for: If you enjoy reading classics and books about a lot of daily life, then you will enjoy this book! (However, I would encourage you to read Persuasion or Pride and Prejudice first!)
Quotes (Spoiler Free):
“Selfishness must always be forgiven you know, because there is no hope of a cure.”
“Her own thoughts and reflections were habitually her best companions.”
“Oh! Do not attack me with your watch. A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch.”
“But there certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them.”
“I understand Crawford paid you a visit?”
“Yes.”
“And was he attentive?”
“Yes, very.”
“And has your heart changed towards him?”
“Yes. Several times. I have – I find that I – I find that-”
“Shh. Surely you and I are beyond speaking when words are clearly not enough…. I missed you.”
“And I you.”
Had a particular Jane Austen story in mind that I wanted to reread today, made a stab that this was the title and happily got it right. The story of Fanny Price who goes to live with her cousins at Mansfield Park. Includes the infamous scene where they attempt to put on a play.