A review by jodiesbookishposts
Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope

3.0

This is the first in a series of novels, adapting Jane Austen’s novels in a modern day setting. My mother was the first to tell me about the Austen Project and to be frank, I was sceptical for the outset. Adapting Austen isn’t new. Bridget Jones, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Clueless… these are all brilliant adaptations of Austen’s work. The thing with these re-tellings that make them so good is that they are markedly different whilst maintaining some of the key themes of the original.

Sense and Sensibility was okay. It was pretty well written dialogue and some interesting character developments. But, I don’t think it took enough risks.

I kept picturing the Emma Thompson film, the characters in the novel just jumped from the movie and it was until she dropped in a mention of jeans, Facebook or mobile phones that I even remembered it was supposed to be set in the present day.

There could have been so much more done with the story. It could have looked into avenues of other cultures than the typical white-middle class, it could have explored homosexual relationships or celebrity culture and work place nepotism. It could have been markedly different.

I’m hoping that my mother is right and that maybe Trollope was just warming up the idea and that other authors will take the risks but I can’t help but think that she has passed up an opportunity here.

We shall see when the next book comes out.