Carolyn Recently Finished {Sense & Sensibility}:

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen

{New York, NY: Barnes & Noble Books, 2003}

Originally published in 1811

Success!!

I finally finished this book. It's been at least 2.5 months & I can't say it was always enjoyable. I haven't read much Austen, I LOVED Pride & Prejudice & all the movie versions of her books, so my expectations were relatively high. This book was rough.

I was lost in the characters. Somewhere, a quarter of the way through I find out there is a third sister: Margaret - where was she the whole time? The whole crying over boyfriends/lovers/husbands nonsense was just too much for me. Elinor was at least a little more sensible, but Marianne - come on! - pull it together girl! Every scene, even when the drama involved Elinor & not Marianne, this girl just lost it. She couldn't eat, couldn't speak, couldn't move -so heartbroken over Willoughby that she almost died of grief. Drama queen much?

Also, how terrible were Marianne & Elinor at being sisters?! They didn't see eye to eye on anything or even support each other until the very end - until they both realized that the others heart had also been broken. They seemed to be highly suspicious & annoyed with the others behavior.

Another problem: the long periods of time where nothing happened & then in the last 50 pages everything was explained {almost too conveniently I might add}. I wanted the drama to come more evenly & when it eventually transpired - with the boys at least - it was too predictable.

I'm probably being a little too intense with my review. I know this is a favorite of many, many people, but I think this following Tess of the D'Urbervilles was just too much silly girl drama for me to handle - must leave 19th century England for a little while I think. Wow, never thought I would say that!!

What do you think? If this isn't your favorite Austen, what is?

Some favorite quotes:

"...we shall go on so quietly and happily together with our books and our music!" {page 127}

"A man who has nothing to do with his own time has no conscience in his intrusion on that of others." {page 166}

Movies: there are four movie versions/TV series/specials available on Netflix, I have yet to watch any of them, but they are all in my queue. I'll keep you posted. Has anyone seen any of these...any recommendations?

1. Sense and Sensibility {1971}

directed by: David Giles

starring: Ciaran Madden, Joanna David, Robin Ellis

2. Sense and Sensibility {1981}

directed by: Rodney Bennett

starring: Irene Richards, Tracey Childs, Annie Leon

3. Sense and Sensibility {1995}

directed by: Ang Lee

starring: Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson

4. Sense and Sensibility {2008}

directed by: John Alexander

starring: Hattie Morahan, Charity Wakefield, Dominic Cooper