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Sense and Sensibility
by
,
Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780141439662
'The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!'
Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her ...more
'The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!'
Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her ...more
Paperback, Penguin Classics, 409 pages
Published
April 29th 2003
by Penguin Books
(first published October 30th 1811)
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Showing 1-30

Apr 23, 2010
Stephen
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobook,
classics,
easton-press,
literature,
1800s,
romantical,
love-those-words,
classics-european
I love Jane Austen.
I LOVE Jane Austen.
I LOVE JANE AUSTEN!!
I…LOVE…JANE…AUSTEN!!
I……LOVE…..JANE..…AUSTEN!!
I still twitch a bit, but I'm getting more and more man-comfortable saying that because there no denying that it’s true. Normally, I am not much of a soapy, chick-flick, mani-pedi kinda guy. I don’t spritz my wine, rarely eat quiche and have never had anything waxed (though the list of things that need it grows by the hour).
But I would walk across a desert in bloomers and a parasol to read M ...more
I LOVE Jane Austen.
I LOVE JANE AUSTEN!!
I…LOVE…JANE…AUSTEN!!
I……LOVE…..JANE..…AUSTEN!!
I still twitch a bit, but I'm getting more and more man-comfortable saying that because there no denying that it’s true. Normally, I am not much of a soapy, chick-flick, mani-pedi kinda guy. I don’t spritz my wine, rarely eat quiche and have never had anything waxed (though the list of things that need it grows by the hour).
But I would walk across a desert in bloomers and a parasol to read M ...more

Here is this book in a nutshell:
Marianne and Elinor: 'O, why are we not married yet?'
Hot Guy #1: 'Let's get married.'
Elinor: 'Yes, let's.'
Hot Guy #1: 'Nah, forget it.'
Elinor: (pines)
Old Guy: 'Let's get married.'
Marianne: 'No, let's not.'
Hot Guy #2: 'Let's get married.'
Marianne: 'Yes, let's.'
Hot Guy #2: 'Nah, forget it.'
Marianne: (pines)
Hot Guy #1: 'Hey, let's get married.'
Elinor: 'Hark! Now I may stop pining!'
Marianne: 'This sucks. I am way hotter than her.'
Old Guy: 'Let's get married.'
Marianne: ...more
Marianne and Elinor: 'O, why are we not married yet?'
Hot Guy #1: 'Let's get married.'
Elinor: 'Yes, let's.'
Hot Guy #1: 'Nah, forget it.'
Elinor: (pines)
Old Guy: 'Let's get married.'
Marianne: 'No, let's not.'
Hot Guy #2: 'Let's get married.'
Marianne: 'Yes, let's.'
Hot Guy #2: 'Nah, forget it.'
Marianne: (pines)
Hot Guy #1: 'Hey, let's get married.'
Elinor: 'Hark! Now I may stop pining!'
Marianne: 'This sucks. I am way hotter than her.'
Old Guy: 'Let's get married.'
Marianne: ...more

Oct 04, 2017
Sean Barrs the Bookdragon
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
love-and-romance,
romantic-movement
Money. It's all about the money. I mean, why else would you marry someone?
In Sense and Sensibility there are three major factors beyond the usual considerations of appearance, personality and character conduct when looking for a marriage in 19th century England. Indeed, what the Dashwood sisters look for- well Elinor really because she has more refined tastes and is far more discerning in regards to men- is a man’s opinion on literature and his understanding of natural beauty. What most people l ...more
In Sense and Sensibility there are three major factors beyond the usual considerations of appearance, personality and character conduct when looking for a marriage in 19th century England. Indeed, what the Dashwood sisters look for- well Elinor really because she has more refined tastes and is far more discerning in regards to men- is a man’s opinion on literature and his understanding of natural beauty. What most people l ...more

Jane Austen’s first published work, Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811, is more straightforward than most of her later works. The story focuses on two sisters, ages 17 and 19, and how their romantic interests and relationships epitomize their different approaches to life. The older sister Elinor embodies sense, good judgment and discretion.

Her sister Marianne is emotional and volatile, following her heart with a supreme disregard for what society might – and does – think.

Elinor is pretty m ...more

Her sister Marianne is emotional and volatile, following her heart with a supreme disregard for what society might – and does – think.

Elinor is pretty m ...more

RE-READ January 30, 2019 - Do you ever notice how Colonel Brandon is a man, who steps up and takes care of things like a man? Edward is kind of useless, I think Marianne got the real prize here.
Also fascinating just how much Austen is saying in this novel. She's saying A LOT and more and more becomes clear to me on every re-read. The scene where Willoughby shows up to confess to Elinor when Marianne is ill was particularly striking to me this time. What does this say about 'bad people' and the n ...more
Also fascinating just how much Austen is saying in this novel. She's saying A LOT and more and more becomes clear to me on every re-read. The scene where Willoughby shows up to confess to Elinor when Marianne is ill was particularly striking to me this time. What does this say about 'bad people' and the n ...more

Dec 26, 2013
Barry Pierce
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
19th-century,
read-in-2015
Sense and Sensibility is dense with inactivity.

The story of two teenage girls with romantic troubles, caused by unreliable men (they have dark secrets, but who doesn't ? ), in 1790's England, calm Elinor Dashwood 19, and her younger sibling , by a couple of years, the emotional, Marianne, 17. When their father is no longer living, all the family, including the mother, Mrs. Dashwood and third sister, Margaret, 13, must vacate their mansion, in Sussex, Norland Park, a large estate, which many generations of the quiet, respectable Dashwoods, ha
...more

This is the third Jane Austen book I've read and it's by far my favorite. I love the story, love the heroines, love the MEN I just love everything about this. There was so much happening that it never felt slow or boring and the SUSPENSE and REVELATIONS at the end of the book were so fantastically done. AGH JUST SO GOOD.
TIME TO GO WATCH THE MOVIE.
Reread mid-Jan to early Feb 2016 for Austentatious
STILL MY FAVORITE
TIME TO GO WATCH THE MOVIE.
Reread mid-Jan to early Feb 2016 for Austentatious
STILL MY FAVORITE

Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. Henry Dashwood, his second wife, and their three daughters live for many years with Henry's wealthy bachelor uncle. That uncle decides, in late life, to will the use and income only of his property first to Henry, then to Henry's first son John Dashwood (by his first marriage), so that the property should pass intact to John's three-year-old son Harry. The uncle dies, but Henry lives just a year ...more
Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. Henry Dashwood, his second wife, and their three daughters live for many years with Henry's wealthy bachelor uncle. That uncle decides, in late life, to will the use and income only of his property first to Henry, then to Henry's first son John Dashwood (by his first marriage), so that the property should pass intact to John's three-year-old son Harry. The uncle dies, but Henry lives just a year ...more

'Know your own happiness. Want for nothing but patience -- or give it a more fascinating name: Call it hope.'
What does it mean for one to be 'sensible'? As we are all individuals, with our own needs, is it sensible to always act according to our countenance (to steal a lovely phrase from Austen), to keep true to ourselves, or is there a code of manners that we should adhere to in order to maintain a proper course of action? Austen’s aptly titled Sense and Sensibility, a staggeringly impressive f ...more
What does it mean for one to be 'sensible'? As we are all individuals, with our own needs, is it sensible to always act according to our countenance (to steal a lovely phrase from Austen), to keep true to ourselves, or is there a code of manners that we should adhere to in order to maintain a proper course of action? Austen’s aptly titled Sense and Sensibility, a staggeringly impressive f ...more

[reread] 01.29.18: added another star this time round
My penultimate Jane Austen novel. (nooooooo!)
For me, it took too long to get going. Not until they arrived in London that I started to get curious about how the story will unfold and what will happen to the Dashwood sisters. Elinor, I liked well enough but I found Marianne to be too self-righteous and annoying. She did turn a new leaf in the end but I think it came too late for me to start liking her at that point.
Owning to the fact that bec ...more
My penultimate Jane Austen novel. (nooooooo!)
For me, it took too long to get going. Not until they arrived in London that I started to get curious about how the story will unfold and what will happen to the Dashwood sisters. Elinor, I liked well enough but I found Marianne to be too self-righteous and annoying. She did turn a new leaf in the end but I think it came too late for me to start liking her at that point.
Owning to the fact that bec ...more

This my first Jane Austen.
Okay, I LOVED this book. I don't even know why. It's about . . . girls who like boys! Who are jerks! Um, the end! But it was funny. But clever funny, which is my favorite kind. And I enjoyed deciphering the late 18th century prose. It made me feel smart, just to figure out what she was saying half the time!
Also I love all the wacky British society stuff. Like sending notes! And walking places! And having breakfast at other peoples' houses! And I enjoyed figuring out the ...more
Okay, I LOVED this book. I don't even know why. It's about . . . girls who like boys! Who are jerks! Um, the end! But it was funny. But clever funny, which is my favorite kind. And I enjoyed deciphering the late 18th century prose. It made me feel smart, just to figure out what she was saying half the time!
Also I love all the wacky British society stuff. Like sending notes! And walking places! And having breakfast at other peoples' houses! And I enjoyed figuring out the ...more

940. Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously; By A Lady appears on the title page where the author's name might have been. The novel follows the three Dashwood sisters as they move with their widowed mother from the estate on which they grew up, Norland Park, to their new home, Barton Cottage. The four women must move to a meagre cottage on the property of a distant relative, where they experience love, ro ...more
Sense and Sensibility is a novel by Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously; By A Lady appears on the title page where the author's name might have been. The novel follows the three Dashwood sisters as they move with their widowed mother from the estate on which they grew up, Norland Park, to their new home, Barton Cottage. The four women must move to a meagre cottage on the property of a distant relative, where they experience love, ro ...more

This book nearly failed the Bechdel test. There were an equal assortment of men and women, only the men seem to have a lemming like migratory bent, and fly from the nest for some reason or other.
Elinor is a blueprint for heroines that are strong. At least we can agree on the fact that most strong heroines in films are indistinguishable from men. But here there cannot be such confusion.
I was not immune to the charms of Sense and sensibility. It was very tough for me to read. At least I was now pr ...more
Elinor is a blueprint for heroines that are strong. At least we can agree on the fact that most strong heroines in films are indistinguishable from men. But here there cannot be such confusion.
I was not immune to the charms of Sense and sensibility. It was very tough for me to read. At least I was now pr ...more

New review to come eventually. Can't quite put it all into words yet.
* * *
ORIGINAL:Ah, the third member of the Holy Trinity of Austen. Also deservedly so. This is my intellectual favorite of the Austens. By that, I'm not calling it "intellectual" I'm just saying that taking emotional attachment to other books out of it, this is my objective favorite Austen. I actually believe that the story of the women is better than Pride and Prejudice. Go on, shoot me for that one. I've taken it before for t ...more
* * *
ORIGINAL:Ah, the third member of the Holy Trinity of Austen. Also deservedly so. This is my intellectual favorite of the Austens. By that, I'm not calling it "intellectual" I'm just saying that taking emotional attachment to other books out of it, this is my objective favorite Austen. I actually believe that the story of the women is better than Pride and Prejudice. Go on, shoot me for that one. I've taken it before for t ...more

Hmmm, how to critique one of the most revered writers of romance literature? Now, before all of your Jane-ites get on my case for being unromantic or whatever, let me say only that unfortuantely, I read "Persuasion," Austen's last novel, and found it to be one of the best books I've ever read. Now having read "Sense and Sensibility," I will say that it truly doese feel like a first novel, as if the author was still trying to find her voice. So I've done the bookends of Austen, much like a concer
...more

Call me Elinor.
Being the older sibling, while growing up I often felt like I was shoved into the role of being the sensible one, the reasonable one, the responsible one. That is how I was seen. That is what people believed of me. Underneath the skin of the rational, reserved tut-tutter writhed an often non-sensical, unreasonable, irresponsible being. But it took the occurrence of extreme circumstances for others to see it.
Such is the life of Elinor Dashwood, the elder sister in a small, displac ...more

CRACKING THE AUSTEN CODE! :)
...
...
... OR ATTEMPTING IT (Review still under construction)
"Many of Jane Austen's admirers, it is true, read her novels as a means of escape into a cozy sort of Old English nirvana, but they find this escape in her pages only because, as E. M. Foster has written, the devout "Janeite" "like all regular churchgoers ... scarcely notices what is being said."
(...)
Nor do we need such a great deal of ingenuity to see that all, or nearly all, the great issues in human life ...more
...
...
... OR ATTEMPTING IT (Review still under construction)
"Many of Jane Austen's admirers, it is true, read her novels as a means of escape into a cozy sort of Old English nirvana, but they find this escape in her pages only because, as E. M. Foster has written, the devout "Janeite" "like all regular churchgoers ... scarcely notices what is being said."
(...)
Nor do we need such a great deal of ingenuity to see that all, or nearly all, the great issues in human life ...more

Rereading Sense and Sensibility was a joy and a delight. It was also surprisingly enlightening.
Wait, enlightening? Seriously? Isn't that a bit much for a girly romance story?
Well, I think reading a Jane Austen novel can be enlightening because the characters are drawn so well that they resemble real people. I've been slowly rereading Austen's novels, and I am constantly impressed by her powers of observation and description. Even though she was writing 200 years ago, her stories remind me of man ...more
Wait, enlightening? Seriously? Isn't that a bit much for a girly romance story?
Well, I think reading a Jane Austen novel can be enlightening because the characters are drawn so well that they resemble real people. I've been slowly rereading Austen's novels, and I am constantly impressed by her powers of observation and description. Even though she was writing 200 years ago, her stories remind me of man ...more

Jul 19, 2008
Ashley
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
classics,
1700s-1800s,
anglophilia,
audiobooks,
favorites,
fiction,
lit-fic,
romantical,
satire

February 2016, Part II: A couple of years ago, I re-read Jane Eyre, and because I was overwhelmed with the task of writing a review for such a classic book, I decided to get weird and write the review in the form of letters to the characters. Since then, with an eventual plan to re-read all of Jane Austen's books, I've had it in the back of my mind that I'd do the same with as many future classic books that I could. So. This is me doing that. And I'll be doing it all year for the rest of Austen' ...more

Dear Austen
I will confess right off the bat that I’m one of those readers who never “got” you. I tried to read Pride and Prejudice years ago, but gave up after a few pages because of your writing style. What can I say – I had less patience in those days with long, indirect sentences which seemed to use 20 words to say what could be easily said in five (hah! I’m one to talk on that score…). I read Emma a few years ago and honestly did not care for it. It wasn’t so much the language this time; it ...more
I will confess right off the bat that I’m one of those readers who never “got” you. I tried to read Pride and Prejudice years ago, but gave up after a few pages because of your writing style. What can I say – I had less patience in those days with long, indirect sentences which seemed to use 20 words to say what could be easily said in five (hah! I’m one to talk on that score…). I read Emma a few years ago and honestly did not care for it. It wasn’t so much the language this time; it ...more

Sense and Sensibility is a richly rewarding story of manners from one of the world's greatest novelists. Full of feeling, humor, and beautifully realized characters, this book is treasured by teens and adults who enjoy a complex romantic page-turner. For two centuries, readers' hearts have broken for naive Marianne and long-suffering Elinor, and the book will surely find devoted readers for centuries to come.

This is actually the first time I've read this book the whole way through! I had this movie memorized by the time I was 7, so I've always set the book aside when the beginning chapters weren't done in as much detail.
And yes, a lot of detailed movie scenes are summarized in a few sentences in the book, BUT I finally admitted that the book expands in so many other areas. I loved seeing more into Elinor's mind and got a way stronger understanding of Marianne's character. They're still two of my ab ...more
And yes, a lot of detailed movie scenes are summarized in a few sentences in the book, BUT I finally admitted that the book expands in so many other areas. I loved seeing more into Elinor's mind and got a way stronger understanding of Marianne's character. They're still two of my ab ...more

Sense and Sensibility is a lot like a Fast & Furious movie, except there are no supercar races, gun fights, fist fights, robbery, and scantily clad girls. Come to think of it Sense and Sensibility is nothing like a Fast & Furious movie. I just had no idea how to start off the review.
Actually Sense and Sensibility is (seriously now) a lot like Pride and Prejudice. What with the sisters, one stoic and worldly, one a little wild, impulsive and naive, not to mention the youngest one who is ...more
Actually Sense and Sensibility is (seriously now) a lot like Pride and Prejudice. What with the sisters, one stoic and worldly, one a little wild, impulsive and naive, not to mention the youngest one who is ...more

I wish Jane Austen could see she became an admired literary standard. She conjures such scholarly connotations, I was wary of enjoying “Sense And Sensibility”. I hope my words attain quality that is discussed and absorbed for meaning but books are about the story, personages, message, setting, and sympathizing with them. I couldn't care less about structural intentions, like “symbolism”, thus my reviews are never going to be critical essay types. Just as a novel, I am thrilled to report I liked
...more

I hate romantic comedies.
I hate them for a wide variety of reasons - I hate their formulaic plots, their repeated character tropes that never seem to change (hmm, will this one have a sassy best friend who only exists to dispense advice?), I hate their consistent failing of the the Bechdel test, and I hate the way they try to make me believe that a skinny and gorgeous woman is incapable of finding a man because she's clumsy or has a job or something.
But mostly, I hate them because their plots ...more
I hate them for a wide variety of reasons - I hate their formulaic plots, their repeated character tropes that never seem to change (hmm, will this one have a sassy best friend who only exists to dispense advice?), I hate their consistent failing of the the Bechdel test, and I hate the way they try to make me believe that a skinny and gorgeous woman is incapable of finding a man because she's clumsy or has a job or something.
But mostly, I hate them because their plots ...more

Although I have read this book countless times, this time I noticed something I hadn't actually noticed before...a lot of Man-Bashing. Makes me wonder if Jane wrote this at a time when she was at-odds with most of the men in her life. It starts with an old uncle who allows the family to live with him, but, takes advantage of full time care, then leaves the whole estate to a horrible little boy, the son of the main heroines half-brother. Their father stupidly asks (from his own death bed) the hal
...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Classics Book Club: February 2019 Book! | 3 | 7 | Feb 14, 2019 01:04AM | |
The Rory Gilmore ...: Sense and Sensibility | 17 | 85 | Feb 13, 2019 09:18PM | |
Reading 1001: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen | 2 | 12 | Feb 13, 2019 11:47AM | |
Which one do you like better, S&S or P&P? | 40 | 152 | Feb 09, 2019 02:46PM | |
Goodreads Librari...: Wrong book cover | 2 | 13 | Dec 30, 2018 12:52PM | |
Leserunde - Let's...: Verstand und Gefühl | Abs. 3: Kap. 37 - Ende | 9 | 18 | Dec 12, 2018 09:51AM | |
Leserunde - Let's...: Verstand und Gefühl | Abs. 1: Kap. 1 - 22 | 7 | 26 | Dec 04, 2018 07:18AM |
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.
Austen lived her entire life as part of a close-knit family located on the lower fringes of the English landed gentry ...more
Austen lived her entire life as part of a close-knit family located on the lower fringes of the English landed gentry ...more
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“The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!”
—
7967 likes
“If I could but know his heart, everything would become easy.”
—
1019 likes
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