Sense and Sensibility in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Aug 05, 2008 Kerry rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, audiobook, about-a-woman, fromthelibrary, chick_lit

August 2008:
This is 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 f August 2008:
This is 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 etiquette of the day. Like, it's improper to exchange letters with a member of the opposite sex with whom you are not engaged? Crazy! But it's cool to be engaged and not TELL anyone? Insane! I love it.

I didn't get a chance to return this to the library right away, so I'm currently audio-book free, and instead of listening to music like a normal person, I STARTED IT OVER AGAIN. Seriously, who would think I would like Jane Austen so much?

The narrator was Donada Peters. I've never heard of her before, but she did a great job. I don't think I'd've enjoyed it nearly as much had I actually had to READ the thing.

I am now going to listen to every Austen audiobook I can get my hands on, and also a biography. I'm reading Frank Herbert and Jane Austen at once! I love it.

September/October 2021:
I listened to this book again (for the fourth or fifth time) because of my new strategy of listening to Jane Austen audiobooks in order to fall asleep. (I have since read every Jane Austen novel, most of them several times over, and think of her as an old friend.) I always forget how much of it takes place in London! This is probably my third-favorite Austen, after Persuasion and Emma. This one is nice because most of the characters are decent people, even if they might be, like, rude or overbearing or boring or something. I mean obviously not the bad guys, the Dashwood son and his wife and her mother. But everybody else is okay. As opposed to, say, Mansfield Park, which I also reread recently, in which everybody suuuuuuuuucks, even the people we are ostensibly supposed to be rooting for (or are we??) Elinor is the best, obviously. (I have no idea how this Elinor is spelled, as I only have listened to his, but I think I have it right, because it's weird and old-fashioned.) (Oh and Willoughby sucks too, forgot about him. And I kept falling asleep at the conversation that he has with E at the end where he apparently partially vindicates himself and his actions so I can't remember why E partially forgives him.) She is possibly my favorite Austen protagonist? I'm not sure, I'll have to read Persuasion again. Anyway if you want to talk about Jane Austen, get at me. ...more

120 likes · Like · see review

Aug 10, 2011 Allie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, audience-adults, classics, own, place-uk, genre-romance, blankies-book-club

Not quite as good as Persuasion, but then again what is?

This book has made me think of the romance genre, which I really really really like on film and TV but I can't quite get a handle on books. I think reading a romance last year for the Read Harder Challenge AND the PCHH romance novel special were great helps, but it's the one genre I still struggle to put my finger on what I like. It's not like I'm hurtin' for things to read, I'm just thinking about the subject. ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 01, 2013 Melissa Wiebe rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, bookclub, fiction, penguin-classics, 1001-books, jane-austen, 2010, re-read, readalongs, 2013

I would probably consider this my second favourite Austen novel. Even though I had to do a bit of a catch-up with the #pemberlittens readalong, I really quite enjoyed it and like the compare and contrast between Elinor and Marianne. Looking forward to the next book for the readalong.

2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 09, 2008 Donna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classic-fiction

Is it a recipe for disaster to say that perhaps I liked this better than Pride and Prejudice? OK, maybe Elizabeth Bennett is a bit more well-defined than Elinor Dashwood, but I found the story/plot itself more entertaining. Yes, Lizzie has more eloquent words, but the relationship between Elinor and Marianne is more developed. Two great works...just don't think Pride and Prejudice is the only great Austen novel. ...more

Like · see review