The Only Jane Austen Book I Actually Enjoy.

[Brian]

I never understood why people spoke so highly of Jane. The humor never really impressed me, and the writing was nothing particularly inspiring. I did like this book, and highly approve of its influence and high praise (sudden memory: emma i also tolerable) There is just something about Ms. Austen that just rubs me the wrong way. As long as you keep the rest away from me, I think I can manage.

[Biniin84]

i was under stood what

[Clare]

both of you need mental checkups...yes, i may only be 13, but i KNOW good books before i open them...as for Jane Austen, not a better write has ever been born!
Sorry if I offend!

[Norman]

Whom may you be offending, Clare...other than yourself with your idiotic statement: "i KNOW good books before i open them..."?

Pride and Prejudice. All I gained from reading it was the knowledge that I would never want to read another Jane Austen work, or ever watch a movie based on what might be considered the prototype for today's mindless soap operas.

[Okenwillow]

I read my first Jane austen book a couple of weeks ago, Pride and prejudice, and I liked it, however, despite the fact that I really appreciate her style (even if I've read a french translation)I found a lack of passion, characters are too nice and sweet, even if she wanted to show and write about human feelings, that she describes so well, the novel is too....pale ? I prefer reading a Bronte, or a Dickens, whom characters are much more vibrant, and stories really captivating. But Austen must be read at least once in a lifetime, just to compare :-)

[LaVenna]

Women appear to appreciate her writings much more than men. I don't believe you actually completed the book. Some people have a difficult time reading old english, and maybe this happened with you? I think you should give her another shot:)

[Emily]

I personally have not read the book...but I hope to read the book. Do you think I should read the book?

[Bo]

I enjoy her. I agree that the stories are too similar to one another and the characters "too nice and sweet." Her use of language is enchanting though and makes me reread when I want something light. "Summer books" for me.

[Kristie]

I am a Jane Austen fan. It's a cliche to say it, but her books are astute examinations of human nature. There are no big plots or sweeping events, no broad humor, and no overt passion.

But anyone who doubts Lizzy's passion for Darcy simply hasn't been reading carefully enough. The passion is there in the small dramas of daily life.

[Cynthia]

Reading Jane Austen is like getting a letter from an old friend. Her plots are perhaps straightforward...Will the heroine get the man she loves?...but, her plots which explore the mores and manners of the day, her dialogue which is rich, and her ironic humor move the stories through their various twists and turns to satisfying conclusions. What Jane does is not that easy. Ask anyone who writes...but, on a cold winter day, with a cup of tea in hand, open one of her "letters" and be transported.

[Meh]

I liked Pride and Prejudice, but if you're looking for more emotion and maturity, read Persuasion. Anne is a great character, forever downtrodden, who eventually finds some inner strength. In Persuasion, also, there's no fraudulent charmer as there is in many of her books. I found that very refreshing. All the characters are straight-up, but always misunderstanding each other. My favorite of hers.

[Megan]

Pride and Prejudice is certainly tedious and trivial at times, but I think those are qualities that make the story endearing and applicable across generations. So much of our day-to-day lives are made up of the trivial, what could be easier to relate to? Elizabeth has to wait, day in and day out, for her life to change because it wasn't in her power to change it herself. Austen dragged us through that tedious period in her life and made us wait, and then wait some more, to see how her life would come together. Admittedly that tediousness nearly made me put the book down the first time through, but it's now one of my favorite novels. Pride and Prejudice wouldn't be the same without drawn-out suspense and inane conversation, it's what makes the story realistic and Elizabeth Bennet's good-humor all the more valuable/respectable.

[Bahar]

I think the problem here is reducing Jane Austen's books down to romance. Of course, romance is a big part of it but it is not the only thing that can be found in Austen's works. If you focus solely on love and romance, after one or two you would be fed up with Austen because her works are pretty predictable in this sense, they all have happy endings in one way or another. However one should also consider her tone, her humour, her ability to criticise the manners of the society. Think about it, in a period when marriages were fixed talking about love? Isn't it kind of brave?

[Kristen]

Madame Charlotte wrote: "I read my first Jane austen book a couple of weeks ago, Pride and prejudice, and I liked it, however, despite the fact that I really appreciate her style (even if I've read a french translation)I f..."

I think Austen was focused more of struggling to find happiness while still appeasing society’s norms and expectations at the time. I don’t doubt that they aren’t passionate; I just believe it is a more controlled passion than that of Bronte, etc. I think that most of the women in the novel had to keep their passion in check because when they didn’t they were considered foolish and improper by their society (ex. Lidia, and even Mrs. Bennet). Lizzy is very different from many women in her society at that time period. Turning down a marriage to save her sister and family from destitution because she would be satisfied with nothing less than being loved and adored by her husband was very liberal during that time and she does it without being disgraced by the society around her. She is also very critical about the expectation of her own sex as well which is reflected in the conversation that she has with Darcy at Pemberley. Despite the fact that her family up bring was not as society would dictate it should be for her to be a lady, Lizzy never let that hinder her from being agreeable to it. I think that one reason that Darcy was persuaded to marry below his status to her was because of the good head she has on her shoulders.
I also think that Austen’s stories speak more to women as well because women are still struggling with being happy and fitting into society’s norms. Men have more freedom in our society, where there are numerous double standards for women even today.

[Atarah]

I enjoy Jane Austin's books. Some may take a higher intellect you fully comprehend what she is saying so I am sure some would get bored out of writing. I could understand why. To each their own. Some may not have liked some may have loved it. I think there isn't an in between with Jane. You either love her or hate her works.

[Gabrielle]

Jane Austen is one of the best authoresses ever. She writes believable stories unlike modern authors who write ridiculous and unbelievable love stories.

[Lily]

I sometimes say my American background made Jane Austen inaccessible to me for many, many years -- I dislike the class structures taken for granted and the "British" humor and irony and satire -- I wanted something I called more direct and honest. It also irritated me that she was the only female originally included by the men who compiled the "Great Books" of western literature, since her works seemed so concerned about romance and marriage.

Time, re-reading, and lots of others, both other readers and more academic types, as well as gifted film producers, have slowly taught me how much is in these slender volumes. I can only encourage you to keep re-reading them, alongside reading lots and lots of other things. I truly have come to believe they belong to that category to which Mark Twain refers when he said "Don't read good books. There isn't time for that. Read only the best."

But, there are lots and lots of other "bests" besides Ms. Austen, and I have come to accept that some days the "best" is the whatever entertains us or informs us.

[Pola]

Madame Charlotte wrote: "I read my first Jane austen book a couple of weeks ago, Pride and prejudice, and I liked it, however, despite the fact that I really appreciate her style (even if I've read a french translation)I f..."

i agree with you about the lack of passion.. I would attribute that to the lack of passion in her life though.. As for the book i really loved it and i was really interested in finding out about how people and especially ladies would behave back then..

[Robin]

I guess you write of what you know, or lack thereof. I am fascinated by that whole era and time and place. For me, it is different than these times that is for sure.

[Lily]

Robin wrote: "...For me, it is different than these times that is for sure."

Robin -- I hope you are able to see the similarities as well -- for example, there is a line (at least in the PBS/BBC movie) that I had missed in earlier readings with Jane rhapsodizing about the good she would have been able to do as mistress of Pemberley (before she and Darcy reconciled). I didn't remember the line (I haven't double checked the text), but it reminded me so much of The Privileges by Jonathan Dee. Even though the overall messages of the two books are very different, a belief in the usefulness of material wealth to accomplish good ends seems to have a continuity.

[Victoria]

BunWat wrote: "I LOOOVE Austen, always have, she's the best ever at what she does, but you've gotta like what she does. She's not in your face with big emotions, fires and tempests and shipwrecks. So if you aren..."

I completely agree! The subtle witty-ness and complicated text is sometimes nice. Makes your brain work and you start to think deeper... at least that was my experiece with this book. I found myslef excavating the literature and not just reading word after word and liking it because the "girl ended up with the guy" motife that most people go for. :)

[Lucía]

Oh come on! before you open them??? And you expect to impress this guys saying that??

[Victoria]

Lucía wrote: "Oh come on! before you open them??? And you expect to impress this guys saying that??"

If I am correct and you are referring as to what Clare said, then yes. I agree with you. How can one possibly know what a good book is before you open them??? Unless she is like every other young child in this world that googles the book before reading them. Come on now Clare, please be serious and honest. Just cause its a pretty picture doesn't mean its a good book. Jane Austen is a decent writer, not all her works are earth shaking...

[Victoria]

Clare wrote: "both of you need mental checkups...yes, i may only be 13, but i KNOW good books before i open them...as for Jane Austen, not a better write has ever been born!
Sorry if I offend!
"

Lucía wrote: "Oh come on! before you open them??? And you expect to impress this guys saying that??"

If I am correct and you are referring as to what Clare said, then yes. I agree with you. How can one possibly know what a good book is before you open them??? Unless she is like every other young child in this world that googles the book before reading them. Come on now Clare, please be serious and honest. Just cause its a pretty picture doesn't mean its a good book. Jane Austen is a decent writer, not all her works are earth shaking...

[Lucía]

Victoria wrote: "Clare wrote: "both of you need mental checkups...yes, i may only be 13, but i KNOW good books before i open them...as for Jane Austen, not a better write has ever been born!
Sorry if I offend!
"
..."


I was indeed thinking about Clare´s comment. Please forgive my lack of contextualization, I´m new at goodreads and still learning how to use it... I actually thought I was adding a comment to hers :)
Thanks for the answer, by the way!

[Kerry]

Love Jane - but you have to appreciate her dry, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. P&P, Emma and S&S are the best. Persuasion is good, but the characters are not as likeable as in the other books. NA and MP are just awful. Sorry!

[Alex]

I'm not a Jane Austen fan. Although, thanks to my mother's love of all things Austen, I have been exposed to most of her works. For me, the main problem is, that whilst her writing style is entertaining enough and her characters mostly likable, all the plots are roughly the same.

That said, I actually like Pride and Prejudice. It's a fun read, with good characters, some decent humour and a happy ending.

[Maxine]

I love Jane Austen's books but I can see why many don't. She is, after all, a product of her time (extended Regency) and her class (upper middle) and that may be offputting for many who are looking for more action or romance. Instead, she writes of everyday life at a time of relative peace in England but she does it with such great wit and insight. She also pokes fun at the overblown novels of her time, the Romantics like Byron (Persuasion) and the Gothic Romances (Northanger Abby) as well as at many of the Georgian social views on love and marriage. In fact, the only genre that fits all of her novels is satire and, in the two centuries since she wrote, no one has done it better. Let's face it, the opening line of P&P is one of the wittiest in all literature.

[Natasha]

for now, Pride and Prejudice is the only one of jane austen's book that i love! i'm having a hard time reading emma that i think i started a month or two ago. but this may have to do with the fact that i still find the language a bit difficult to understand, i think that's maybe why not so many people like jane austen. but i actually like the humour in pride and Prejudice, i love the way they speak to one another, how even when they're angry they reamin civil...i just love how mr Darcy changes! i actually wish we could have hadmore time with elizabeth and mr darcy, rather than just elizabeth and her silly family! hehe!! :D but come on, you have to love mrs bennet and her poor nerves!! :D hahaha!! love it!

[Michelle]

I read Pride and Prejudice last year and found it really hard to get through. I thought it was dry, and I didnt understand the humour. Recently I read Emma and I enjoyed it a lot more. I liked the humor in it better; it was the jokes conserning her father that I related to more.

[Tasha]

Emily wrote: "I personally have not read the book...but I hope to read the book. Do you think I should read the book?"

Yes Emily I think you should. It's really good in my opinion. It's one of those classics that everyone should at least read once. But if at first you don't understand it, watch the movie. I had to do that with Midsummer's Night Dream. The book is far better than the movies, but it does give you an idea.

~Tasha

[Emily]

i like Mansfield Park, and Sense and Sensibility.... and there is this other book, Mr. Darcy's Daughters. It's not by Jane Austen but its based off of Pride and Prejudice. its about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth's children

[Brad]

"only be 13
know good books BEFORE i open them
Sorry if I offend!"
-Clare

Bwahahahahaha

[Michele]

I love Jane Austen. I have read all of her six main books, but none of the other miscellaneous writings. I first read P & P in college. I enjoyed it much more on the second reading. I think Mansfield Park is the most scandalous, maybe the most interesting. However, for sheer longing I like Persuasion best. I do think that they are not like modern easy reads and they flow better after you read a few and are immersed in the language.

Also, I think knowing a bit of the politics of the time helps. I cannot remember the actual statistics, but I when my family lived in England and visited Bath I learned that the ratio of women to men during this Austen's period was quite daunting. There were very few men as they'd all been killed off fighting Napolean. So, times were desperate, especially if marriage was the only legitimate way to support yourself.

[Brad]

I was mostly amazed by how well Austin was able to convey the dynamics between men and women. I don't notice the differences in the time periods as much as my attention is focused on how similar people can be in such different time periods.

[Emily]

Brad wrote: "I was mostly amazed by how well Austin was able to convey the dynamics between men and women. I don't notice the differences in the time periods as much as my attention is focused on how similar p..."

Exactly!!!

[Emily]

Jane Austen is my inspiration for writing. That and J.K. Rowling

[Steve]

I read Pride And Prejudice simply because it's considered one of the classics, but I enjoyed Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre more, maybe because there was more emotion, more conflict. But Pride And Prejudice has its humor, summed up in the immortal first line of the novel: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."

What overbearing mother has there ever been that hasn't agreed with that statement? Read the book!

[Michele]

I also loved Jane Eyre, and at a younger age. Northanger Abbey is somewhat more gothic than the other Austen books, although there is apparently some debate about whether Austen was knocking gothics ore sincerely writing one.

[Lida]

I agree, I tried to read some of her other 'classics' I just couldnt get through them... But I loved Pride and Prejudice!!!

[Em]

I finished this recently, and felt guilty throughout the whole thing that I was struggling to enjoy it, because it's considered such a classic. Yet when I read that Mark Twain passionately despised it(and all of her literature), I felt much, much better.

Some of my complaints include the constant listing of names of towns, houses, cities,homesteads, etc. on every single page, the lack of passion, and most importantly, the lack of the development of characters. They had so much potential, especially Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, both hilarious when they were actually given the chance to make an appearance, which was rare. I didn't despise the book, but I will admit I suffered a tiny bit by making myself finish the freaking thing.

[Em]

Emilie wrote: "I finished this recently, and felt guilty throughout the whole thing that I was struggling to enjoy it, because it's considered such a classic. Yet when I read that Mark Twain passionately despised..."

whoops Mr. and Mrs. Bennet not mr and mrs darcy

[Robyn]

Brian wrote: "I never understood why people spoke so highly of Jane. The humor never really impressed me, and the writing was nothing particularly inspiring. I did like this book, and highly approve of its inf..."
What sacrilege, to speak of Jane this way! Only one of the best writers in the English language, clear, ironic and hilariouly acute about the society she lived in.
Pleae try Emma!

[Robyn]

Emilie wrote: "I finished this recently, and felt guilty throughout the whole thing that I was struggling to enjoy it, because it's considered such a classic. Yet when I read that Mark Twain passionately despised..."
Au contraire, there's no lack of passion, it's just expressed differently.
I respect Mark Twain's opinion, because he is undeniably one of the greatest American writers, but I suspect it was Austen's class he despised, as most Americans left England to get away from that class-ridden society.

[Robyn]

Lily wrote: "I sometimes say my American background made Jane Austen inaccessible to me for many, many years -- I dislike the class structures taken for granted and the "British" humor and irony and satire -- I..."
Don't you recognise class structures in America though?? What about Newport, Rhode Island??

[Robyn]

Clare wrote: "both of you need mental checkups...yes, i may only be 13, but i KNOW good books before i open them...as for Jane Austen, not a better write has ever been born!
Sorry if I offend!
Good on you Clare! I think I was reading Austen when I was thirteen too - I know I had to read David Copperfield by Dickens in my first year at high school - it nearly put me off him for life, with David being a sop and Dora one of Dickens' washed-out heroines.
Fortunately, though, I later discovered Our Mutual Friend and Bleak House, two of his best.
"

[Grace]

I agree that 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Emma' are probably her best novels (although 'Persuasion' was also quite good, but I did read this before 'Pride and Prejudice' and that was a few years ago). However, I think in each Austen novel there are some good bits. For example, 'Mansfield Park' was quite boring, but when Henry Crawford was after Miss Price it was quite good. There are usually some enjoyable bits within each. But you know, maybe men don't find that.

[Amanda]

One of the reasons that Jane Austen is so highly rated is that she changed the English novel. The popular writers of her time were people like Mrs Radcliffe, who wrote Gothic novels with heroines who cried and fainted a lot, and Sir Walter Scott, who wrote historical novels. But Jane Austen wrote books about the real life of her own time, with a lot of features we take for granted today: short chapters, lots of dialogue and realistic characters. She was an innovater.

[Robyn]

Good comments Amanda.

[Em]

Robyn wrote: "Emilie wrote: "I finished this recently, and felt guilty throughout the whole thing that I was struggling to enjoy it, because it's considered such a classic. Yet when I read that Mark Twain passio..."

You said passion is expressed differently in the book, so how is it expressed exactly? I'm not saying there was zero passion, but in my point of view there was definitely a deficiency of it.
And when you say it is expressed differently, differently from what?