alexandra_7 's review for:

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

4.0

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This is certainly Jane Austen's least engaging novel, though not bad overall. The second half was better than the first. I wasn't sure what to expect since so many people dislike the book and, most importantly, the main character, Fanny. But now that I've read it, I can't in the least understand the hate for Fanny. She is constantly mistreated, emotionally abused, and belittled, and yet she carries on with so much strength of character. She strives to remain moral in an environment where all moral sense is ignored, and to be kind to others in a place where she is shown little kindness herself. She is the most likeable character in the whole book. I can't find anything to hate about her, but I can find plenty of faults in all the other characters, and in the way they treat her, to make me angry with the story and emotionally detached from all of them. Fanny deserves better, from both the other characters and the readers.