Book Synopsis:
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 open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love—and its threatened loss—the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.
My Review:
4.5/5 stars. Every Jane Austen novel I've read so far could be described as a Regency soap opera, but this book especially so. There was so much drama and miscommunication, but I loved it. It was also hilarious and had me laughing out loud a lot. I loved the relationship between the two sisters. My only complaints are that there were some unnecessary scenes and conversations that dragged the book out, and I was a little disappointed by the ending.
Out of the three Austen books I've read, the fact that her books were meant to be satirical was the most obvious in this one. Either that, or I was only now reading it with that in mind. Either way, it was clear that certain characters were satirized and making fun of English high society at the time. Fanny, for example, was super annoying and rude right away. She wasn't the only one. Throughout the book, there were a few other characters written as a criticism of the classism and selfishness of rich people at the time.
I don't know if Sense and Sensibility is considered a comedy, like Emma is, but I thought it was super funny. Jane Austen has a subtle wit to her writing that never fails to amuse me. From the way she describes characters, certain dialogue, and characters' reactions to events in the story, there were so many things that made me laugh.
I enjoyed the cottage setting at the beginning; it sounded very cute and cozy. Unfortunately, the majority of the book was spent away from that cottage. I thought it was going to be a bigger setting, but I still enjoyed the small time spent there nonetheless.
At one point early on, Austen actually addressed the big age differences between husbands and wives at the time. Marianne, after her mother suggests that Colonel Brandon would be a good match for her, reacts to the fact that he's "old enough to be [her] father." I appreciated that, as the age gaps are one thing that makes Austen's romances worse. That wasn't really talked about again after that, though, and she still ended up with him anyway.
This book was ultimately about the relationship between two sisters more than any romance, and I loved that. Marianne and Elinor both had such different personalities, but I loved them both and the relationship between them. It was nice to see how close they were. That closeness is partly what leads to their character growth - Marianne mellows out a little and gains some practicality, and Elinor lets herself experience emotions and becomes a little more spontaneous. They change each other for the better in the end.
One complaint I have with this book is the length. The length wasn't quite as big of an issue as it was for Pride and Prejudice, but it still could've been slightly shorter. There were a lot of scenes that didn't do anything to further the plot, full of entertaining but unnecessary dialogue. That's fine in moderation, but some conversations went on for way too long.
Finally, I wasn't a big fan of the ending. It was pretty anticlimactic. Marianne marries the man she didn't seem to have any feelings for throughout the whole book. Yes, the ending is realistic, and it fits with the themes of the book, but I was still a little disappointed. I don't know what kind of ending I would want, but I didn't like the one Austen went with.
Content:
Language: God's name taken in vain; b*tch used once, but as a term for a female dog, not a curse word
Sexual Content: Willoughby had an affair with a girl in his past and then abandoned her; other than that, absolutely nothing, it's very clean
Violence/Gore: None
Drugs/Alcohol: None
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