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And in a Jane Austen novel, you can guess that there are going to be romantic problems aplenty for both of them -- along with the usual entailment issues, love triangles, sexy bad boys and societal scandals. Austen's formal style takes on a somewhat more melancholy flavor in this book, with lots of powerful emotions and vivid splashes of prose ("The wind roared round the house, and the rain beat against the windows"); and she introduces a darker tone near the end. Her impoverished family soon relocates to Devonshire, where a tiny cottage is being rented to them by one of Mrs. Dashwood dies, his entire estate is entailed to his weak son John and snotty daughter-in-law Fanny. And after disaster strikes the Dashwood family, both the sisters will discover what real love is about.
but being the down-to-earth one, she knows she hasn't got a chance. "Sense and Sensibility" is a quietly clever, romantic little novel that builds up to a dramatic peak on Marianne's romantic troubles, while also quietly exploring Elinor's struggles. His widow and her three daughters are left with little money and no home. And Marianne and Elinor make excellent dual heroines for this book -- that still love and cherish each other, even though their polar opposite personalities frequently clash. The other is wildly romantic and sensitive.
Still, there's a slight humorous tinge to her writing, especially when she's gently mocking Marianne and Mrs. At its heart, "Sense and Sensibility" is about two girls with completely opposite personalities, and the struggle to find love when you're either too romantic or too reserved for your own good. And during a trip to London, both Elinor and Marianne discover devastating facts about the men they are in love with -- both of them are engaged to other women. Over the next few weeks, the eldest daughter Elinor begins to fall for Fanny's studious, quiet brother Edward.
Dashwood's relatives -- and Marianne soon attracts the attention of two men. There's also a small but solid supporting cast -- the hunting-obsessed Sir John, the charming Willoughby (who has some nasty stuff in his past), the emotional Mrs. One of the Dashwood daughters is smart, down-to-earth and sensible. As well as, you know, the often-explored themes in Austen's novels -- impoverished women's search for love and marriage, entailment, mild scandal, and the perils of falling for a sexy bad boy who cares more for money than for true love. assuming he even knows what true love is. Dashwood's melodrama ("They gave themselves up wholly to their sorrow, seeking increase of wretchedness in every reflection that could afford it"). But things begin to spiral out of control when Willoughby seems about to propose to Marianne. Dashwood, and the gentle, quiet Colonel Brandon, who shows his love for Marianne in a thousand small ways.
When Mr. "Sense and Sensibility" is an emotionally powerful, beautifully written tale about two very different sisters, and the rocky road to finding a lasting love. One is the quiet, much older Colonel Brandon, and the other is the dashing and romantic Willoughby. only to abruptly break off his relationship with her. What's more, they each have to become more like the other before they can find happiness. Not as striking as "Pride and Prejudice," but still a deserving classic.
This fantabulous classic was part of my read for the Everything Austen Challenge. The book doesn't skip a beat with essential meanings and turn of events within every paragraph- With this one, you won't want to blink:)One can never get enough of elegantly written suspense-filled love twists and pangs. Austen brilliantly shifts us from one perception to the other while embracing both depending on the situation.
This story of the very different Dashwood sisters and their clashing tastes in their choices of men to love, was endearing as well as very frustrating at times. Love can then be found and accepted under a new light.Sense and Sensibility is a light read embedded with deeper meaning that brings comfort, peaks interest and offers a colourful variety of figures (the comical busy-body Miss Jennings is indeed very special). My love for anything and everything Victorian has helped me embrace this novel set in the Regency Period, and so, naturally I fell in love with this timeless piece.
Ultimately the girls' reconciliation and love for eachother blends the disparities of state helping them come to terms with their own serenity. Just when I thought the obvious about Colonel Brandon, Edward or Willoughby- the story took a different turn just to add to the intrigue of it all; classic Austen at its best.The story revolves around love-sickness, love-triangles, a marriage of convenience, age and love, differences of choices and opinions, wealth and social status, influence, family conflict, secret-filled pasts and ultimately.and appropriately so: sense and sensibility. I'm still not sure which of the sisters I concurred with the most; Elinor or Marianne.
On the whole, this read meshed excitement, passion, drama as well as `sagesse' in the lives of two otherwise very ordinary ladies of the times. At least I can't- Loved it.
Being a Patrick O'Brian fan and knowing he was an admirer of Jane Austen, I gave her a try a few years ago with Pride and Prejudice and found it stunningly good and unforgettable. Sense and Sensibility is a great story that, at times, had me rushing through many chapters to see the end result. As Sense and Sensibility neared its end, I hoped for and expected the sort of satisfying, happy, and witty ending I enjoyed in Pride and Prejudice, but found an unsatisfying, matter of fact (but perhaps realistic) anti-climax instead. I would not have had the patience to get very far with Jane Austen earlier in my life. It is well worth the time, but if one is to pick their first Jane Austen book, based on my limited experience, let it be Pride and Prejudice. Austen can be stilted, wordy (to say the least), obtuse and just plain difficult to read and understand. Sense and Sensibility is my second Austen novel and I hoped for an equally good performance. For example, Marianne's encounter with Willoughby in London would make my top ten of dramatic literary scenes (if I were to ever compile such a list).
She also leaves a lot to the imagination which although frustrating, actually adds depth and emotion. There is also a keen, many-layered understanding of people at their best, worst, and various shades of in- between, along with the associated foibles. I feel like I am defacing something sacred, but I have to give Sense and Sensibility only 4 stars. Next on my list is Emma.
This is the first full-length novel that Austen wrote, and - although it's easy to find proof for something you know is true - it shows. This book just wasn't as well-designed as Pride and Prejudice, where it feels like every character and scene has its purpose. But the characters and charming and the story is light and fun, and it's definitely worth the read.
Sense and Sensibility is about a family of women: Mrs. There was nothing there to grasp my interest, only long, insipid descriptions of the surrounding countryside, and a long build-up to the main plot. The characters weren't perfect, with both flaws and redeeming qualities, such as Elinor, who is very intellectual and polite, but may be missing out on life because she's very reserved, and Marianne, who likes to live life to the fullest emotionally, but is completely devastated when bad things happen to her. Their home is given to their gullible half-brother who means well and their manipulative sister-in-law who does not mean well at all. In regard to the storyline, it was very interesting in the latter part of the book, when its it is full of romantic betrayal and unseen engagements, and people turning up unexpectedly. Settling in a cottage given to them by a generous distant relative in Devonshire, the girls experience romance and heartbreak. Dashwood, the mother, and Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret, the three daughters, who are made to relocate as a result of their father's death. About halfway through, when Marianne begins her romance with Willoughby, I actually found myself wanting to read the book and thinking with excitement and a feeling of suspense about what would happen next.
I've heard of Jane Austen's work before, and I read this as a prelude before I read Pride and Prejudice. I have to say, even though it was engaging towards the end, in the beginning I had trouble plowing through the introduction. I liked that it gave me a feel of what life was like for people in the moderate and upper end class in the early 1800's, as I'm used to stories such as Oliver Twist, where the main subject is life in the low slums, so it was nice to see the other end for a change. This was a good introduction to Jane Austen's books, but based upon to the admiration she has received, I don't believe this is her best, and I'm ready to see what she can do in Pride and Prejudice.
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