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Scones and Sensibility
by
Seek tirelessly and you shall not find a contemporary heroine of middle-grade literature as refined and romantic as Miss Polly Madassa. Still swooning over the romantic conclusions of Pride & Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables, twelve-year-old Polly decides her purpose in life: helping along lonely hearts in search of love. Polly's only task this summer is to make deliveri
...more
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Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
December 22nd 2009
by EgmontUSA
(first published December 1st 2009)
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Community Reviews
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Start your review of Scones and Sensibility
i'm such a sucker for a pretty book cover, and i still think that this one is a beauty. but it also raised expectations, already somewhat elevated by some advanced praise i read of the book. alas, it didn't quite live up to either. which is a darn shame, because i still think the idea is solid and that polly has the makings of a good character. but ...
the word "annoying" has been bandied about a lot on these other goodreads reviws and i'm going to agree with them. and it isn't just the trying-t ...more
the word "annoying" has been bandied about a lot on these other goodreads reviws and i'm going to agree with them. and it isn't just the trying-t ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Polly Madassa is quite the winsome character, and I adore her. She takes her favorite novels very seriously, allowing them to inspire the way she dresses, talks, and interacts with others. With books as her guide, she tends to get lost in whimsical fantasies and has a flair for the dramatic. But her heart is in the right place.
Though she sometimes slips up and talks like a modern girl, her narration is very much like reading novels by Jane Austen and Lucy Maud Montgomery. It was refreshing. And ...more
Though she sometimes slips up and talks like a modern girl, her narration is very much like reading novels by Jane Austen and Lucy Maud Montgomery. It was refreshing. And ...more
12 year-old Polly Madassa dreams of the days when Elizabeth Bennet walked the halls of Pemberley with Mr. Darcy and Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe (Anne of Green Gables) rambled down Lover's Lane. Polly lives and breathes her two favorite novels, even attempting to speak like a 19th century heroine. In the small seaside town where her parents own a bakery, Polly searches for real life Elizabeths, Darcys, Annes and Gilberts for her nearest and dearest. She also wants to regain the affections of
...more
Jan 03, 2010
JG (Introverted Reader)
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
own,
z_author_american,
middle_grade,
reviewed,
z_setting_us,
covers_i_like,
fiction,
just_plain_fun,
4_stars,
z_read_in_2011
At the tender age of 12, Polly Madassa has discovered Jane Austen and fallen hopelessly in love. Convinced that she's an Austen heroine born in the wrong time, Polly walks around her modern town speaking in Austen's flowery prose. She's only read Pride and Prejudice, and so has not learned Emma's lesson about meddling. Polly goes about delivering baked goods from her family's bakery and trying to spread happiness and love among her neighbors by matchmaking. Of course, as we all know, the course
...more
Lucy Maud Montgomery and Jane Austen book fans will enjoy this modern day middle grade story. I did!! It's breezy and fun. Wittingly, twelve old Polly Madassa "channels" revered literary idols, Anne Shirley and Elizabeth Bennett, as she goes about her business (and that of many others) in a dreamy coastal town. Her self-proclaimed sole purpose is to devise ways to assist townsfolk in finding true love. She speaks with the lilt of bygone days and thus the story unfolds with triumphs and troubles.
Oct 01, 2016
Anna
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Anna by:
browsing
Shelves:
child-teen-heroes-ya,
humoresque
After reading "Pride & Prejudice", 12-year-old Polly decides to emulate her new romantic role model Elizabeth Bennet who surpasses her previous one -- Anne Shirley of "Anne of Green Gables"-- by becoming a matchmaker during her summer vacation while making deliveries for her parents' bakery.
The title is a bit of a misnomer. The story had more in common with Green Gables than Austen. The first chapter was fine and I was expecting a kind of Flavia de Luce character. By the end of the second chapte ...more
The title is a bit of a misnomer. The story had more in common with Green Gables than Austen. The first chapter was fine and I was expecting a kind of Flavia de Luce character. By the end of the second chapte ...more
Feb 25, 2013
Stefanie
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-middle-grade,
contemporary
This book was utterly adorable. Polly was a great main character and I loved how the entire thing was written like we were actually there with Jane Austen, even though it takes place in the twenty first century. There were a couple times though I was a bit annoyed by the characters, which is why I gave it four and not five stars. Still an overall enjoyable read.
I really wanted to like this book, with its cute premise of a young girl infatuated with all things Jane Austen, the pastry shop, and multiple courtships, but I just didn't. While it might be because the 12 year old character Polly grated on my nerves with her endless talking as if she somehow was a Romantic period character, I simply couldn't shake my annoyance over her behavior. Yes, Polly was cute, the way a 12-year old is supposed to be cute, but I didn't really believe her either. I couldn'
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Polly Madasa is darn near one of the cutest protagonists I've read. I fell hard for her quirky ways! A lover of all things quaint and romantic, Polly is like a fish-out-water in the rough-and-tumble 21st Century. She prefers candlelight to electric lamps, carriages to cars, and good old fashioned courting to today's internet dating. When she decides to take her town's romantic interests into her own hands, silly matchmaking (and hilarity) ensues!
Funny, sweet, and charming, Scones & Sensibility ...more
Funny, sweet, and charming, Scones & Sensibility ...more
Did not finish.main character was too pretentious.
Initial Response
Oh, Polly...Have you no SENSE?
Seek tirelessly and you shall not find a contemporary heroine of middle-grade literature as refined and romantic as Miss Polly Madassa. Still swooning over the romantic conclusions of Pride & Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables, twelve-year-old Polly decides her purpose in life: helping along lonely hearts in search of love. Polly's only task this summer is to make deliveries for her parents' bakery, leaving ample time for this young cupid to find h ...more
Oh, Polly...Have you no SENSE?
Seek tirelessly and you shall not find a contemporary heroine of middle-grade literature as refined and romantic as Miss Polly Madassa. Still swooning over the romantic conclusions of Pride & Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables, twelve-year-old Polly decides her purpose in life: helping along lonely hearts in search of love. Polly's only task this summer is to make deliveries for her parents' bakery, leaving ample time for this young cupid to find h ...more
Review originally posted here.
Polly is a very quirky 12 year old. She is a precocious young reader who read Anne of Green Gables in fourth grade and at 12 has just read Pride and Prejudice for the first time. She has requested that her computer be replaced with an old fashioned typewriter, learned calligraphy, embroiders and wears frilly dresses. She also talks like Anne at her most flowery and melodramatic. The book is a first person narrative from Polly's POV so the entire thing is written in ...more
Polly is a very quirky 12 year old. She is a precocious young reader who read Anne of Green Gables in fourth grade and at 12 has just read Pride and Prejudice for the first time. She has requested that her computer be replaced with an old fashioned typewriter, learned calligraphy, embroiders and wears frilly dresses. She also talks like Anne at her most flowery and melodramatic. The book is a first person narrative from Polly's POV so the entire thing is written in ...more
SCONES AND SENSIBILITY, Lindsay Eland’s debut novel, introduces to us a quirky yet endearing heroine who will probably remind us all too well of ourselves, especially if you are, too, a fan of Anne Shirley and Elizabeth Bronte. Its romantic affectations may make it appeal more to older readers instead of its intended middle-grade audience, but readers of all age will be able to laugh at Polly’s misconceptions and mistakes, and smile as she grows up and discovers the difference between fiction an
...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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The Original Review - Here!
The narrator of the story, Polly, is a charming girl who enjoys classic stuff. In the summer the story’s narrated, Polly finds herself at a new job; making deliveries for her parent’s bakery while remembering her matchmaking gift at a singular situation she decides to find an “true love” to her Dearest Fran father. This is where the adventure starts since Polly already feels confident about her gift that she decides to take her town’s romantic interests into her own ...more
The narrator of the story, Polly, is a charming girl who enjoys classic stuff. In the summer the story’s narrated, Polly finds herself at a new job; making deliveries for her parent’s bakery while remembering her matchmaking gift at a singular situation she decides to find an “true love” to her Dearest Fran father. This is where the adventure starts since Polly already feels confident about her gift that she decides to take her town’s romantic interests into her own ...more
Eland's protagonist, a middle schooler newly obsessed with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice after a childhood of Anne of Green Gables, is written with quirky charm as she takes up calligraphy, wears dresses and bonnets, and otherwise does her best to live up to the example of her literary heroes. She has even schooled herself to speak (and think!) in an approximation of the proper English of centuries ago. It is the perfect hook.
Unfortunately, the protagonist is blind to the real-world needs of ...more
Unfortunately, the protagonist is blind to the real-world needs of ...more
I was disappointed in this book. I thought it would have more humor and more cute twelve year old romance but really it was about a whiny little girl who wanted to set people up when she really didn't have a clue how to do it. Instead of Sensibility she was playing a little bit Emma but way more annoying.
The main character, Polly, loves JA and throughout the entire novel talks like they did in JA books. At first I thought it was endearing but it really it was annoying. However, I found it fabul ...more
The main character, Polly, loves JA and throughout the entire novel talks like they did in JA books. At first I thought it was endearing but it really it was annoying. However, I found it fabul ...more
A romantic book for tweenage readers who love Anne of Green Gables and Mr. Darcy?! That was all I needed to hear before delving into this charming tale of twelve-year-old Polly Madassa, who decides to play matchmaker (ála Austen’s Emma) in her small beach town, often with disastrous and comical results. The language is hilariously overwrought and the chapter titles adorable, as in “In Which My Family Is Introduced and My Bosom Friend Gives Me Distressing News.” I happily embraced my “30 going on
...more
This was such a fun, light-hearted read! I really enjoyed the way it was written, like it was meant to sound like a Jane Austen novel or Anne of Green Gables. I know some people thought Polly's matchmaking and continually making the same mistakes was annoying. Personally, I've always been very intent on finding love and definitely remember having crushes in fifth grade, so I found her behavior to be relatable and understandable. I think middle grade readers will relate to what Polly goes through
...more
How adorable is this book? I mean really, it's so cute and I fell in love with it immediately. Polly is 12 and has just read Pride and Prejudice and it has changed her life. She is transformed into a well bred elegant lady who must become a matchmaker for all the love starved people in her little town. Unfortunately, Polly's matchmaking turns disastrous and she has to learn the hard way that books are very different than real life. I loved the cover, the title, and all of the characters. I laugh
...more
Cute and sugary story of a young girl, Polly, who is equal parts Emma Woodhouse (Austen's "Emma") and Anne Shirley (Montgomery's "Anne of Green Gables").
Polly is a matchmaker wannabe in the modern world, desperately trying to keep her bosom friend Fran from hating her when her matchmaking skillz go rabidly wrong for her father. Polly's also doomed at trying to find Mr. Right for her sister. Will she get it right? Or wallow in the pits of despair at being the ultimate busybody and failure?
Mix th ...more
Polly is a matchmaker wannabe in the modern world, desperately trying to keep her bosom friend Fran from hating her when her matchmaking skillz go rabidly wrong for her father. Polly's also doomed at trying to find Mr. Right for her sister. Will she get it right? Or wallow in the pits of despair at being the ultimate busybody and failure?
Mix th ...more
This was sweet and funny - with a narrator who wants to be Elizabeth Bennet, but whose matchmaking attempts turn out more like Emma Woodhouse's.
So stinkin' cute! Polly's like a little mini Emma Woodhouse who tries to help her friends and neighbors find love with disastrous results.
Another Jane Austen-related book. A young girl tries to be a matchmaker, but it backfires on her.
Wow, some of the other reviewers took this way too seriously. I can practically see it flying right over their heads. It's supposed to be tongue-in-cheek and ridiculous. The language is supposed to be Polly trying to be all old-timey. I loved how silly and precocious she was. Listen to this:
"I imagined him pulling out my school portrait from within the pocket of his shirt, holding it close to his heart, and allowing but a few tears to fall down his ruddy cheeks over his unrequited love. Later, ...more
"I imagined him pulling out my school portrait from within the pocket of his shirt, holding it close to his heart, and allowing but a few tears to fall down his ruddy cheeks over his unrequited love. Later, ...more
I enjoy cheesy, badly written book based on Jane Austen. Once in awhile, I find a gem, but it is rare...and it never fails that the book is....just awful. I don't mind the bad--- I find it amusing and I like seeing how authors are inspired by Ms. Austen herself.
This book has been on my list forever--- and I assumed (oops) that it would be a modernized version of Sense and Sensibility...nope. Sadly-- it was a book inspired by Austen and Montgomery....not so sure why she chose this title except i ...more
This book has been on my list forever--- and I assumed (oops) that it would be a modernized version of Sense and Sensibility...nope. Sadly-- it was a book inspired by Austen and Montgomery....not so sure why she chose this title except i ...more
May 10, 2019
Heidi-Marie
added it
I thought this book would be right up my alley. I could see myself being a bit like the main character if I had discovered Jane Austen a few years sooner in my life. That being said, I also was SO annoyed by her. She was just a bit too much, too over-the-top. I have a guess that she learned some lessons throughout the book that helped her mellow, but I just didn't find myself wanting to come back to the book. While yes, it isn't as easy to find time for print books any more, I'm sure I could hav
...more
This was one of my most favorite books EVER!!!! Polly (the main character) was so relatable on so many levels. What especially made the book better was that Polly was 12, as am I! I devoured this book because I loved this book so much, which is what makes a great book. This was like a modern Sense and Sensibility story, which kind of makes me want to read Jane Austen. I'd recommend this to all of my friends, for certain!
Cute cover. Cute premise. Not so cute heroine. I wanted to like Polly, as she tried to mimic Anne Shirley and wanted love for those around her, but I just didn’t. It felt, to me, that the author gave her the words of Anne but not the depth nor the humility. And for some reason it really bothered me that her parents were so clueless as to what was going on. Mr. Nightquist was my favorite character, and the sole voice of reason. Oh well, it was a quick read.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Addicted to YA: Scones and Sensibility | 9 | 90 | Aug 21, 2016 06:52PM | |
| Polly Madassa | 5 | 6 | Dec 18, 2011 11:07AM |
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