Sense and Sensibility - Starts 1st December (Aahana, Alexandra and Priyansha)

[Priyansha]

haha no problem
ik you'll catch up :)

[◐Devika]

I've decided to dnf this book mainly because I don't actually like this book. It felt so boring to me and I don't wanna read a book just because there is a buddy-read and someone else is liking it. I know I told you, An, that I will not dnf this a second time, but I'm sorry, this genre does not make me want to read more nor make me not miserable.
I was just not able to feel that excitement in reading this. Both our tastes are completely different, I know An, but this book wasn't even there in my tbr in the first place. This does not mean I'll not do any more buddy-reads with you again or that I resent you for asking me about the buddy-read😂
At least this time you have 3 other people with you🤷🏻‍♀️

[☆ alexandra ☆]

Oh, that's a shame that you don't like it, Devika. Hope you'll read something more enjoyable soon. If it won't be Jane Austen then that's totally okay, sometimes you just can't get to a specific book. :)

I agree with everyone, that the beginning is not very entertaining. Now, when I got a bit further (I'd say on page sixty, maybe?) I started to love it. I really enjoy watching both Dashwood sisters and how they how are they reacting in certain situations. They're both kinda extremes, you know. Elinor is more reserved, even though she actually does have a golden heart and care for the people she loves. Marianne is the exact opposite. She likes to experience everything with so many emotions! Grief, happiness, love...everything! Already excited for more to see what happens with our main characters.

[aarja, Founder & Groovy Thinker :D]

Priyansha wrote: "haha no problem
ik you'll catch up :)"

Aw thanks. <33

[aarja, Founder & Groovy Thinker :D]

Devika wrote: "I've decided to dnf this book mainly because I don't actually like this book. It felt so boring to me and I don't wanna read a book just because there is a buddy-read and someone else is liking it...."

I guess I'm on your side. But I won't actually DNF, maybe just put it on hold. I'll just read some more to make sure.
Sorry if I disappoint you guys... I kinda don't like classics meant for children coming of age. I guess because I'm not even a teen yet... :/

[☆ alexandra ☆]

Aarja wrote: "Devika wrote: "I've decided to dnf this book mainly because I don't actually like this book. It felt so boring to me and I don't wanna read a book just because there is a buddy-read and someone els..."

No that's okay, everybody enjoys something else. ;)
For example, I couldn't get into Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I found that one really confusing and dnfed it early on. As you said, you can read a bit more of S&S and decide afterwards if you wanna continue.

[☆ alexandra ☆]

Priyansha wrote: "It felt kinda boring in the beginning I hoped it'll grow into me as the chapters proceed. And I'm not disappointed :)
Btw does ur editions have a long looonnggg introduction section? And have guys ..."

And also to answer your question, Priyansha, mine doesn't have an introduction at all. I think there will be something at the very end but who knows.

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

No problem, Aj and Devika! Totally understand :)
I am loving it, I just adore Jane Austen. If Priyansha or Alexa want to DNF it, that's fine too! I am just going to read it this time for sure :)
And even if you DNF, I can still put it in the challenge to count as a BR right, cause there is a thread now. I don't know if that's allowed, but I'm a mod so I'll allow it. Kidding. But not really kidding :D

[aarja, Founder & Groovy Thinker :D]

Haha even I'm a mod, and I allow it too, but only the number of pages that we read would be counted :D

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

Ok so I read till pg 130 (I'm so sorry I'm behind schedule, I'm really trying to recover from my reading slump, but it's hard. But I'm getting better at it, I promise!) And here are my thoughts so far - (view spoiler)[Firstly, wth??Edward was already engaged yet he kept leading Elinor on! Like c'mon! I very much felt that he loved her considering his reaction when he got to know that they were moving from Norland.
Then onto Marianne and Willoughby. Just, wow! They both seem kinda destined for each other, cause their energy levels really match. But I am sure that even if they're supposed to be ending up together, it's not gonna happen without a whole lot of drama (and I'm living for it!)
And lastly, just some general thoughts. The locations.... Wow! Norland, Barton, Combe... These are all small countryside towns in England, right? I love the names! (hide spoiler)]
Those are my thoughts so far! What do you think, Priyansha and Alexa? :)

[◐Devika]

Aahana ♥ wrote: "Ok so I read till pg 130 (I'm so sorry I'm behind schedule, I'm really trying to recover from my reading slump, but it's hard. But I'm getting better at it, I promise!) And here are my thoughts so ..."

What? (view spoiler)[Edward was engaged?to whom?
But he wasn't really a lot sad and he only came to visit a long time after the girls left
I don't think that Edward really had any visible signs of affection to Elinor. Of course, it is mentioned in the story but from his behaviour and the way he acted, I honestly don't see much of any love there (hide spoiler)]
The story does seem to get a bit interesting (reading ur spoiler xD)
But I'm still putting it on dnf shelf. I might read it later though, a long time later.
And if it hasn't been clear till now, I'm still on page 100 from long ago, from my first br with An. So I don't remember everything exactlyand I'm still not gonna read more very soon. I'll just start over next year

[aarja, Founder & Groovy Thinker :D]

Then we can BR, Devika :D

[aarja, Founder & Groovy Thinker :D]

Also, isn't it SO LATE for you guys, An and Devika?

[◐Devika]

Aarja wrote: "Also, isn't it SO LATE for you guys, An and Devika?"

Yes, it is😂
I'm at my cousin's place and I always stay up late here, so...
And it is a holiday tomorrow (second Saturday!)
And it is also raining here outside, so it'll be the perfect time to read😊
And what about you Aarja? Isn't it late for you?(considering you're stil not a teen)

[◐Devika]

Aarja wrote: "Then we can BR, Devika :D"

Yes we can! Sometime later, after we finish all our currently agreed upon BRs?

[aarja, Founder & Groovy Thinker :D]

YES! Saturday!
Yes, I'll be reading too.
Haha I am sneaking in on my laptop and well... saving memes from Pinterest and listening to Evermore on repeat 😏

[aarja, Founder & Groovy Thinker :D]

Devika wrote: "Aarja wrote: "Then we can BR, Devika :D"

Yes we can! Sometime later, after we finish all our currently agreed upon BRs?"

Yeas, especially 1984 😂

[☆ alexandra ☆]

I'm on page 140 soo....:))
My edition, the Czech edition, is about 280 pages in total and that's very suspect, 'cause the English one is like 400. I suppose that my copy is in a smaller format. However, it still seems like they messed up. Even though I have read everything that you guys have written down as your thoughts, idk then.🤔

Anyways, onto what I think!
(view spoiler)[I feel like Willoughby is a big troublemaker. He seems to care about Marianne but then again he got kinda colder when he left? Or is it just me?
Something doesn't add up with him, just like it did with Edward. And what did that lead up to, right?! He basically deceived Elinor into thinking he loved her.
I mean, maybe he really did...But if yes, then why didn't he leave her alone? Wouldn't he think about the consequences when Elinor would found out (like she did). That she could be actually heartbroken after that?
She's really careful who she gives her heart to and she wouldn't just open up to some random man which she's met like two hours ago. She's too wise for that and it's in contradiction with her character.
I think that she believed that Edward really did have feelings for her in the beginning but didn't want to admit it to herself, just so she wouldn't be let down if he didn't.
When he came to visit them, she really started to hope that he would feel something for her. Okay, so this is getting longer than I thought it would be. I'll keep some of my thoughts to myself so I'll have something to talk about in the future. :DD (hide spoiler)]

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

Hey! I've read till pg 140. What page are you on, and what are your thoughts so far?
And yes, Alexa, my copy has 400 pages... It's fine! We just have to be careful not to give spoilers. Maybe since mine has more pages I'll always post first, so that you know till where I've reached in my copy, and hence don't give me spoilers :D

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

And now in response to your thoughts message - (view spoiler)[Willoughby definitely gives me a strange vibe. Like if he truly loves Marianne, why did he not bother even writing to her? And Edward.... I kinda hate him! He made poor Elinor so miserable... Also, don't you find the "lock of hair in a ring" kinda... weird :P (hide spoiler)]

[Priyansha]

oh, I'm sorry u didn't enjoy the book Aarja and Devika. Even I was giving a thought to DNF this one but I just kept pushing myself n I think the book grew into me..only enough that I did not DNF XP

I couldn't read much...I'm in chapter 6 of Vol II.
The book only got better for me as it proceeded :)
And truly the locations are so good !

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

Can you just tell us the page number? :D

[Priyansha]

Page 204
also my book has a long introduction section, so the page number might vary with the edition..

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

Yeah that's quite ahead of me! What's going on? Did everything that I put in my spoiler tag already happen?

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

Ugh why is it that classics have such confusing page numbers 😣

[☆ alexandra ☆]

Yeah, they have so many different editions. I guess that my edition shouldn't be exactly the same, it's in a different language so I think it makes sense.
It got confusing tho! :/

[☆ alexandra ☆]

So, how are you holding on guys? :)

[☆ alexandra ☆]

Any new thoughts?
I know that it's not the date that we should discuss it, but I thought that we could have a little update.

I'm nearly on the page 160, so there's not bigger progress on my side. And I loathe Willoughby!! Such a rascal!
I didn't think that that would be really a spoiler so I didn't put it into that formating. :D

[Priyansha]

I really like Elinor's character so far. She's so ...rational!?!
I'm annoyed by how Marianne thinks she's in love everytime she meets a guy..she's such a dramatic person XD

Also, the instances where I feel bored, I go and check the reading guide online and honestly, it is a huge encouragement. If anyone of you might be interested :)

[Priyansha]

which characters are you enjoying?

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

Hey! So, (view spoiler)[I HATE Willoughby. He's, as Alexa said, such a rascal! I didn't pay much attention to Edward, but Willoughby definitely led Marianne on, thinking he loved her. And then he marries someone else? That's just mean!
And I was also wondering, how are these people so polite?! Like do they always talk like this? In those times, was using such formal speech normal? I would just find conversing with everyone I meet this way exhausting! (hide spoiler)]

[Priyansha]

(view spoiler)[ Willoughby annoyed me for the same reasons. He led Marianne on!! aahhh!!! (hide spoiler)]
Yeah they're really polite in their conversations. Disagreements sound friendly here XD

[Priyansha]

How's it going? Sorry, but I couldn't make much progress. Seems like a bud book slump this side :/

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

It's ok!! I'm pretty behind schedule too. All that matters is that we enjoy the book, and I'm definitely loving it :)

[☆ alexandra ☆]

All of us are behind the schedule, so don't worry guys...:D
There will be no more exams for me until the next years so I'll have more time to read! But we keep each other going which is a good thing. Or leastwise you make me carry on and I'm thankful for that!
(view spoiler)[ I just don't understand why some women (not only females ofc but I'm saying women because of the other part of the message) have the need to do so many machinations, act like they're so sweet and when you turn around they'll stab you in the back...or tell everyone that you're such a "here you can put any inappropriate word you'd like :)".
It's so nice when we stick together! However, in some cases, you cannot unsee that women like to look at other women as kind of rivals. And my question is why if they did not do anything to you? Because you're jealous that you're not that pretty or what? Like I'm talking about Lucy Steel?! I hate her, she does outrageous things, that are so mean! She's not the evilest person that I've read about but it's teasing me to see her terrorize Elinor like that. She's giving so much irony into her words every time she speaks to her!
Maybe she has so much envy towards Elinor 'cause Edward actually loves her (by that I mean Miss Elinor Dashwood ofc)? (hide spoiler)]

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

(view spoiler)[Edward definitely loves Elinor! I mean, why would he not? Lucy is such a "you know what". She's being all jealous and I get why she's jealous, cause, um, the person she "loves", loves someone else, and that has gotta be painful. However, that is no excuse for what she's doing!
Also, what the hell is wrong with Willoughby!? Marianna IMO is better off without him. I didn't really understand what it is that he did to Colonel Brandon's foster daughter. Did he ghost her, in today's language, or something like that? (hide spoiler)]

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

Can anyone explain that part to me? :D

[Priyansha]

hey! so,
(view spoiler)[ even I was having some doubts on the same but it is something similar to what you said, he supposedly ghosted her!
I did go through the study guide after completing the chapters and it's mentioned that Willoughby "seduced and abandoned" Brandon's foster daughter :/ and then went on to marry this rich girl !!
(hide spoiler)]

I grew to dislike Willoughby after he led Marianne on and now this. His character has been dynamic ..and it went south for what I expected him to be like. :(

[☆ alexandra ☆]

Aahana ♥ wrote: "Can anyone explain that part to me? :D"

OMG, I was gonna do it but then I totally forgot! Sorry, An! :DD
I'm like on page 202 or something, so I have about 80 pages to go till the end. But in the spoiler section, I should only talk about things that you've read about as well.
(view spoiler)[Willoughby seduced Colonel Brandon's daughter (Eliza Williams), which he met in Bath, and then left her when she became pregnant. I'm not one hundred per cent sure if it's his child tho...:/
Edward definitely seems to (at least) care about Elinor but I just cannot understand what he saw in Lucy? Or their engagement has happened before he even met Elinor, so he hadn't thought that there could be a girl more special then Miss Steel? I mean, he was young and stuff but still...I guess he just didn't know better.

Yes, Marianne deserves much better...What Willoughby did to her was very cruel and careless! :(
Oh and John Dashwood is acting like a dumbass, I must tell you that! (hide spoiler)]

[☆ alexandra ☆]

Priyansha wrote: "hey! so,
even I was having some doubts on the same but it is something similar to what you said, he supposedly ghosted her!
I did go through the study guide after completing the chapters and it's ..."

When I started writing my message you haven't posted anything yet, that's why I wrote the reply on An's question as well! :)
But glad that both of us have understood the part pretty much the same!

[Priyansha]

haha no problem :)

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

(view spoiler)[I thought so, thank you for confirming! That's just disgusting! I hate him :/
Also, something that I find really disturbing is how supposedly Colonel Brandon was infatuated with Marianne, who loved Willoughby, who "seduced and abandoned" the Colonel's daughter, Something about that... age difference thing just doesn't sit right with me. (hide spoiler)]

[☆ alexandra ☆]

Okay, guys, I finished the book yesterday evening! I'm sorry if we were supposed to do that together but I just couldn't wait...:D
Since I don't want to spoil anything to you, please let me know how is it with your progress and we can discuss more when all of us finish!

[☆ alexandra ☆]

Also An:
(view spoiler)[Yes, what perverted game Willoughby plays is truly disturbing and wretched in my opinion...Didn't feel sorry for him at all.
Also isn't Marianne described as seventeen years old? Like they are quite far from each other but I think that the worst thing about Willoughby and fifteen or how-many-years old Colonel's daughter affair is that he left her pregnant and ran away from his duties. That's so wrong! (hide spoiler)]

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

Hey! So, I have been reading this for so long! But luckily school's easier now since the holidays are so near :D and I'm left with just 100 pages, so I should be able to finish it by Thursday!
Anyway, not read a lot since last time but here are my thoughts (view spoiler)[Firstly, if I was told to describe the dialogue in one word, I'd say dramatic! It's slightly... odd, how easily they all like, fall in "love", feel "dread" and ofc, how often they "cry", you know? Like, Jane Austen just throws around the words like they mean nothing! Don't get me wrong, I adore the passion and intensity of her writing, but just thought I'd mention it since it's something that came to mind :)
Onto the story! Um, I have a question. It was said that Edward is marrying some "Ms Morton". Wasn't he supposedly engaged to Lucy? Alexa, (and Priyansha if you've read ahead as well) please don't give me spoilers! I just mentioned this as it was something I was pondering over. Just let me know your thoughts when you read about it, if you've already read the part.
All in all, as I said, it's super dramatic, and I'm quite enjoying it! I can sense the climax coming on, and I'm really excited to finally see Elinor and Marianne get their happy ending, after everything that they've had to go through so far! :D (hide spoiler)]

[☆ alexandra ☆]

You can do it, I believe in you!! <3
(view spoiler)[Haven't thought about that actually but I must admit it's kinda true. :D
But I also liked the way how stirringly it was written and I wasn't thinking of Marianne or Elinor (mostly Marianne) as crybabies or something like that. I think that they experienced these type of things, in the past, kinda differently than us today. So, it's hard to tell if Jane Austen wasn't just writing what she saw around her, you know? Like how people acted in certain situations back in those days.
About the engagement part: I wasn't confused or anything, I think that you've understood it kinda differently than how it was meant to be. You said no spoilers, so I'll be keeping it spoiler-free, that's why I won't tell you anything about it! :D (hide spoiler)]

[☆ alexandra ☆]

What about you Priyansha, how's your reading? :)

[Priyansha]

☽ alexandra ☾ wrote: "What about you Priyansha, how's your reading? :)"

I'm down for the drama!!
I've exams going on so didn't read much :(
I'll update u guys in the morning

[Priyansha]

☽ alexandra ☾ wrote: "Okay, guys, I finished the book yesterday evening! I'm sorry if we were supposed to do that together but I just couldn't wait...:D
Since I don't want to spoil anything to you, please let me know ho..."

That's amazing!! Hope you enjoyed it Alexandra :D

[Aahana, aka Aelin Whitethorn :)]

☽ alexandra ☾ wrote: "You can do it, I believe in you!! <3

Aw! Thank you! I really hope so!
And haha ok. I guess I really need to buck up now, cause I'm really curious :D