Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
This is the last of the three Jane Austen books I recently bought (the first two being Pride and Prejudice and Emma). I'm glad to be able to tick some more "classics" off my to-read list, especially because all three were really good reads.
Sense and Sensibility invites comparison with Pride and Prejudice, as both are about young women of a moderate income seeking marriage. While all three of the Austen books I read share similarities, however, they are all very different stories, largely because of the brilliantly imagined characters populating them. All three focus on a "strong female character", which I appreciate, and feature highly enjoyable, and often eccentric, minor characters. My favourite aspect of all three books was the unreliability of the narrator in regard to the inevitable marriages. I loved guessing what the different characters were thinking and feeling, and laughing at all their mistakes and misinterpretations.
I really liked the main character in Sense and Sensibility, Elinor Dashwood. I liked her competence and capability, and her capacity for self-control, and the way these characteristics were portrayed through the book's narration. However, Pride and Prejudice remains my favourite Austen novel so far, because I found the ending more satisfying than that of Sense and Sensibility, and, out of all the protagonists, I related the most to Elizabeth Bennet.
It took me a while to pluck up the courage to try any Jane Austen books, because I wasn't sure I would enjoy them. While they are relatively slow books, I think they're much fiercer and funnier than their reputation suggests. With Sense and Sensibility, I found myself constantly eager to find out what happened next, but the style of writing did mean I wouldn't have wanted to read the whole book in one sitting.
I look forward to watching Emma Thompson's adaptation.
Sense and Sensibility invites comparison with Pride and Prejudice, as both are about young women of a moderate income seeking marriage. While all three of the Austen books I read share similarities, however, they are all very different stories, largely because of the brilliantly imagined characters populating them. All three focus on a "strong female character", which I appreciate, and feature highly enjoyable, and often eccentric, minor characters. My favourite aspect of all three books was the unreliability of the narrator in regard to the inevitable marriages. I loved guessing what the different characters were thinking and feeling, and laughing at all their mistakes and misinterpretations.
I really liked the main character in Sense and Sensibility, Elinor Dashwood. I liked her competence and capability, and her capacity for self-control, and the way these characteristics were portrayed through the book's narration. However, Pride and Prejudice remains my favourite Austen novel so far, because I found the ending more satisfying than that of Sense and Sensibility, and, out of all the protagonists, I related the most to Elizabeth Bennet.
It took me a while to pluck up the courage to try any Jane Austen books, because I wasn't sure I would enjoy them. While they are relatively slow books, I think they're much fiercer and funnier than their reputation suggests. With Sense and Sensibility, I found myself constantly eager to find out what happened next, but the style of writing did mean I wouldn't have wanted to read the whole book in one sitting.
I look forward to watching Emma Thompson's adaptation.
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