A review by librarygurl
Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope

2.0

I think this book highlighted all the things I didn't like about the original Sense & Sensibility. I spent most of the read rolling my eyes and grumbling at all the characters. I just don't think that S&S translates well to a modern day setting. So much of what happens in the original is merely because of Regency era social structures. I think the only character that worked was Margaret. If Trollope had written this from her POV with that mix of teenage naivety and frustration, it may have come off better. Marianne's all-or-nothing attitude comes off merely as childish. Belle's unwillingness to take care of her family is immature. Elinor's stoic need to take care of everyone while taking care of nobody is frustrating. Ed and Wills are barely established as characters to care about. We never get to understand what happens between Marianne and Wills (other than getting caught having sex in his aunt's house) that makes her fall so madly in love with him. We never really understand the dynamic between Ed and the Dashwoods to explain why Elinor would be so quick to make assumptions about his motivations. The other surrounding characters come off as charictures of people in the upper class. They are all vapid and annoying. They are tolerated because they are generous, but none of it makes sense in 21st century society because it all is the same as the original.
There were only 2 things I liked about this book. First was Margaret, who was spot on. Second, it was a very easy read.
If the original S&S was not your favorite skip this.