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3.11 AVERAGE
3.11 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-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
This book is the first in a series, the Austen Project, of modern rewritings of Austen's six novels. I'm afraid the first 70 pages or so, the modernisation didn't come across very forcefully, but later on the setting was more clearly our own time rather than the 19th century. Some references were a bit half-hearted; Facebook is only mentioned a few times, whereas I'd say it is something more present in modern life than that. As when reading the original Sense and Sensibility, I realised how much I dislike Marianne. I guess the world is divided in Mariannes and Elinors (and, possibly, Lucys) and I am definitely and Elinor. In addition, the extra depth added to Margaret and the Dashwood mother was very nice. Even though the modernisation could have been executed more forcefully in my opinion, it's a very interesting specimen of rewriting. It may prove a good way into Austen for those not too fond of 19th century literature, as well as nice for Janeites knowing Sense and Sensibility by heart.
Fun, light retelling of the original. There's a little more telling instead of showing than in Austen's work, but a good read nonetheless.
Fun but nothing special in this. Kinda like watching a faithful rendering of the story in movie form transplanted to the modern day.
God, this was shocking. Even if I'd never read a Jane Austen novel in my life and I'd picked this up as a random romcom I still would have thought it was a shit book. As an adaptation of Sense and Sensibility it's pretty insulting.
I found this adaptation to be equally faithful to the original text and also original in it's taking on of the contemporary setting. Trollope was a great choice for an author for such a hefty task as taking a beloved Austen novel and making it more reachable for people who have trouble with the Edwardian language. However, some of the lingo used does age it a tad.
The Dashwood sisters were as loveable as always. Elinor is probably my favourite Austen Heroine ever (sorry Lizzie) so seeing her in this environment was fun and refreshing. Surprisingly, Bill Brandon was an unexpected favourite in this adaptation.
Overall, it was a fun, lighthearted read for sitting on the couch under a blanket and a hot drink.
I did have the fun task of taking the visuals from Ang Lee's film adaptation and trying to put them in contemporary clothes and situations.
I would recommend for younger people trying to get into Austen since it was easier to follow along.
The Dashwood sisters were as loveable as always. Elinor is probably my favourite Austen Heroine ever (sorry Lizzie) so seeing her in this environment was fun and refreshing. Surprisingly, Bill Brandon was an unexpected favourite in this adaptation.
Overall, it was a fun, lighthearted read for sitting on the couch under a blanket and a hot drink.
I did have the fun task of taking the visuals from Ang Lee's film adaptation and trying to put them in contemporary clothes and situations.
I would recommend for younger people trying to get into Austen since it was easier to follow along.
of COURSE Marianne has asthma. It all makes more sense now
The only reason this book is getting two stars is because it's quite obvious that Joanna Trollope knows her Austen, even if this modernisation was less than stellar. I think the major problem is that the authors involved in the Austen Project seem to think that they can bring Regency-era characters and situations into the 21st century by mentioning things such as texting, viral videos and WiFi. While the original Dashwoods were sympathetic characters, these Dashwoods are not. They come across as lazy, useless, and ungrateful - all except Ellie, that is.
Where do I even begin to start with this train wreck of an adaptation? Modernising a classic doesn't mean you take the exact same conflicts and toss in a few mentions of technology to force the story into the 21st century. To me, it means updating the story so that a person who has no idea about the plot or characters and can pick it up and understand and appreciate the hardships that the characters are faced with. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries was able to do this reasonably well with [b:Pride and Prejudice|1886|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461620558s/1886.jpg|3060926] (although some plot points were handled better than others). What happens in chapter one of Sense and Sensibility? Well, Henry Dashwood dies and his estate goes to his legitimate child, John, because... dun dun duuuunn!!! Henry and Belle never got married. Apparently, it is impossible for dependents to contest a will, especially concerning the property that they've lived in for twenty-odd years in this strange universe that Trollope's Sense and Sensibility is set in. My sister is a solicitor who specialises in property law, so it was hard for me to get past this point, really.
They have savings of £200,000 but obviously that won't last forever, so at some point somebody makes the ridiculous suggestion that the Dashwoods get jobs to support themselves but apparently the only one capable of working is Elinor. Margaret cannot get one for obvious reasons - she's thirteen and still in school - but Marianne's excuse is that she has asthma and Belle's is that she hasn't been in the workforce for a few years. Both of these reasons made me scratch my head, because honestly? They made Marianne and Belle look selfish, lazy and ridiculous, and Elinor a martyr who had already sacrificed her education and must now be the sole source of income for her family. Even if Marianne and Belle's excuses were legitimate, I'm fairly certain that there are things like welfare in England. Instead of feeling sorry for the Dashwoods and the predicament they find themselves, you end up wanting to blame them. Their awful personalities make you want to slap them! Unlike the original Marianne, who was very sweet and loveable despite being overdramatic, this Marianne thrives off of drama and complains about everyone and everything. I honestly cannot imagine why Brandon would want to be friends with this Marianne, let alone in a relationship, especially since Brandon is such a lovely, kind, caring character, possibly moreso than the original. Margaret was amusing, because she was so to the point and up front with people, but her teenage sulks became overplayed and boring.
Had I never read any Austen, I would never touch her books after reading this. Seriously lacking in any kind of wit or social commentary.
Where do I even begin to start with this train wreck of an adaptation? Modernising a classic doesn't mean you take the exact same conflicts and toss in a few mentions of technology to force the story into the 21st century. To me, it means updating the story so that a person who has no idea about the plot or characters and can pick it up and understand and appreciate the hardships that the characters are faced with. The Lizzie Bennet Diaries was able to do this reasonably well with [b:Pride and Prejudice|1886|Pride and Prejudice|Jane Austen|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1461620558s/1886.jpg|3060926] (although some plot points were handled better than others). What happens in chapter one of Sense and Sensibility? Well, Henry Dashwood dies and his estate goes to his legitimate child, John, because... dun dun duuuunn!!! Henry and Belle never got married. Apparently, it is impossible for dependents to contest a will, especially concerning the property that they've lived in for twenty-odd years in this strange universe that Trollope's Sense and Sensibility is set in. My sister is a solicitor who specialises in property law, so it was hard for me to get past this point, really.
They have savings of £200,000 but obviously that won't last forever, so at some point somebody makes the ridiculous suggestion that the Dashwoods get jobs to support themselves but apparently the only one capable of working is Elinor. Margaret cannot get one for obvious reasons - she's thirteen and still in school - but Marianne's excuse is that she has asthma and Belle's is that she hasn't been in the workforce for a few years. Both of these reasons made me scratch my head, because honestly? They made Marianne and Belle look selfish, lazy and ridiculous, and Elinor a martyr who had already sacrificed her education and must now be the sole source of income for her family. Even if Marianne and Belle's excuses were legitimate, I'm fairly certain that there are things like welfare in England. Instead of feeling sorry for the Dashwoods and the predicament they find themselves, you end up wanting to blame them. Their awful personalities make you want to slap them! Unlike the original Marianne, who was very sweet and loveable despite being overdramatic, this Marianne thrives off of drama and complains about everyone and everything. I honestly cannot imagine why Brandon would want to be friends with this Marianne, let alone in a relationship, especially since Brandon is such a lovely, kind, caring character, possibly moreso than the original. Margaret was amusing, because she was so to the point and up front with people, but her teenage sulks became overplayed and boring.
Had I never read any Austen, I would never touch her books after reading this. Seriously lacking in any kind of wit or social commentary.
I hadn't heard of the Austen Project until Sittenfeld's "Eligible" came out, and let me tell you ... I'm glad I started with that one, but this was simply unreadable. I couldn't even finish it. The whole idea of the Austen Project is to update the novels, to bring them into contemporary times, but everything contemporary about this felt forced ... and then many things were not contemporary at all and made the whole thing very confusing.
I'm not even sure I should attempt the other two ... maybe I'll just clutch "Eligible" and weep.
I'm not even sure I should attempt the other two ... maybe I'll just clutch "Eligible" and weep.