The Best Order To Read Jane Austen’s Books So You Fall In Love With Them And Her

If you get a group of Jane Austen fans together, they will ever so politely debate the order in which the books should be read. There were only six full length completed novels, so It’s a manageable discussion. I’m always trying to recruit readers to become Janeites so I think the order is important to get newbies to fully embrace Austen. I also think the order matters if you start reading the books as a teenager versus an adult. I’d switch them around a bit depending on the age of the reader. I’ve done rankings for both, but in this post I’ll just give my thoughts on the list for getting into Jane Austen as an adult.

The basic list:
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
MANSFIELD PARK
EMMA
NORTHANGER ABBEY
PERSUASION

Here’s why:

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE – This is the most popular book, probably because the humor is apparent within the first few pages, and the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, is very relatable to people today. She’s lively and intelligent, but doesn’t have overwhelming beauty, accomplishments, or wealth. I think that makes it easy for readers to identify with her. And while Mr. Darcy is too snobbish for my tastes, It is enjoyable to see him realize his snobbishness is overbearing by the end of the book.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY – Here Austen gives up two contrasting characters, Elinor and her sister Marianne.  Their personalities are wildly different and again, it makes it easy for readers to identify with one or the other or somewhere in between. The family’s situation is so unfair that the reader roots for them to overcome it. Their selfish brother and his wife are easy to dislike, which does make for a good story, though they aren’t the main villains. There are humorous characters as well, so that adds an extra appeal. The men don’t come across too well in this book, except for Colonel Brandon, but that is true of basically all Jane Austen’s books. In my mind, she doesn’t ever write the most appealing love interests except for one (more about that later), so it’s the story and the women characters and the social situations that are most interesting to read.

MANSFIELD PARK – I  have a fondness for this story though many readers find the main character of Fanny Price too meek. She’s such an underdog though, and in such a precarious position, I think it’s appealing that she eventually learns to speak up and remain firm in her principles. If you enjoyed THE SECRET GARDEN or THE LITTLE PRINCESS as a child, Fanny Price should appeal to you.

EMMA – I have to admit Emma is my least favorite Austen. I don’t find as much humor in this story as I do the others. Emma is quite a self-assured character for the time period, both wealthy and of what was considered ‘good’ family. She’s a bit clueless about other people’s feelings though she likes to meddle in people’s lives. If you’ve seen the movie Clueless, a modern day teenage version of Emma, there’s a reason they gave it that name. The main reason I don’t like Emma is because the love interest, Mr. Knightly, is so overbearing and so sure of his superiority over Emma. I find him extremely annoying. Many people love this book though, so it definitely should be read.

NORTHANGER ABBEY – This book is a fun read, though the characters aren’t as well drawn as in some of Austen’s other books. It makes more sense to read when you know that women of the time were fascinated by gothic novels full of sinister characters and mysterious houses.  

PERSUASION – This is my favorite Austen novel, though not when I first read it. It’s much better appreciated by older readers. The main character herself is a bit older than those in some of her other novels, and has had more disappointments in life. She’s dealing with difficult relatives, and she’s made some bad choices in the past. I do like the love interest, Captain Wentworth. He is not as dashing as Mr. Darcy, but he is steadfast and thoughtful. The book itself is one that reads to me as the most traditional romance of Austen’s works, and if you want to write romance, it’s a good book to study how it should be done.

So that’s my list. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

And I have to end with a boost for my own Austen-inspired contemporary romcom, PRIDE AND PEMBERLEY. What if Jane Austen’s characters had descendants living today? A single woman in possession of a crumbling mansion needs more than pride to keep it from falling down. Available as an ebook, paperback, and in Kindle Unlimited. Hardcover and large print editions coming soon.