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Summary: Kate Winslet lends her voice for this unforgettable classic!
Review: Kate Winslet who also starred in Sense and Sensiblity lent her beautiful voice for this great story. The story of two sisters who find love and heartbreak, but also find a stronger friendship within themselves. If you liked the movie you'll most likely enjoy this audio book. It is a MUST for Kate Winslet fans like myself!!
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Summary: Good... but not great...
Review: Personally, I think that Sense and Senibility was a good book, but lacks the wit that was constantly present in Pride and Predjudice.While there was conflict in Sense and Sensibility (both in the sister's jealousy and the the scorn from their lovers later), Austen didn't allow her characters to really address the conflict directly. (For example, why didn't Willoughby explain himself to Marianne, as opposed to using Elinor as a go-between?) While this may be the subtle temper which reflects Austen's style, it also makes it more difficult for the reader to discern any true sense of feeling. The plot is "okay" - boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy scorns girl. In Sense and Sensibility, it's done twice, in parallel. The only difference between one and the other is how each girl copes with it. But, from reading several of Austen's books, I've found that plot development wasn't the author's strong suit. Jane Austen's real strength lies in character development. Her major characters are well developed and dynamic. An interesting aspect of Sense and Sensibility is how Elinor, the logical and practical sister became more emotional, while the ever-feeling Marianne developed a more practical view of her situation by the end of the book. This isn't one I would recommend for folks that have never read Jane Austen before (read Pride and Predjudice first), but it is a book I would recommend it to anybody who likes Jane Austen's style.
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Summary: Opposite Extremes
Review: In what used to be Jane Austen's epistilary novel, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood struggle with their extreme, and conflicting, personalities in a male-dominated society where they must come to terms with the death of their father, their subsequent near-impoverished state, and disappointments of the heart. This is the second Austen novel I have read and I must confess to being charmed by the bond between the sisters despite their utter lack of understanding when it came to each other. Both Elinor and Marianne love each other and try to understand one another. Elinor tries to protect Marianne by attempting to counsel her to curb her sensibility while Marianne advocates her own romantic outlook to her older sister. What each of them fails to realize, until the novel's end, is that without the presence of the other in times of trouble, they would not have a leg to stand on. Both Elinor and Marianne take each other for granted and it is to the reader's gratification that Elinor and Marianne do find satisfactory, and happy, endings when they each adopt a little of the other's philosophical outlook.
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Summary: A hard slog.
Review: In recent weeks my wife in rapid succesion read this book and Pride and Prejudice and then ran out to the store on a Sunday evening to pick up Mansfield Park. What a disappointment. I hit the wall about p. 20 and could never find a way to get involved. The characters were uninteresting and the situations dull, and I had to force my way to the end. I haven't had this much trouble with a book in a long time. Since this is a minority view, I would only ask: Is this book the best introduction to Jane Austen? Should I have tried anoter title -- Pride and Prejudice, say?
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Summary: Everyone Should HAVE to Read This Book!
Review: There is no greater author than Jane Austin. Some may disagree, as is their right, but I will NEVER agree with them. I love her. LOVE, isn't a strong enough word. And, this book is on my TOP FIVE favs. of all time. The story of these sisters is timeless and the struggle for independance while still searching for love, could have been written today. Jane Austin was SO ahead of her time. Elinor and Maryann's relationship is so endearing and the heartbreak you feel for them is all consumming. You won't be able to put down this novel until you are satisfied that this wonderful and amazing women will be content in their respective lives. The language, whit and concern taken with these characers is a true testament to the talent of Jane Austin. She's amazing. No doubt about it.
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Summary: More than just a love story
Review: I have read all of Jane Austen's novels at least once, and"Sense and Sensibility" is, at the moment, my favorite,because it was the last one I read. Jane Austen is - and always willbe - my absolute favorite writer. I love the way she can take just an average person and reveal the hero or heroine inside. This is just what she does with Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. The central theme of this novel is not the love between a boy and a girl; it is about the love between two sisters and how they come to a better understanding of each other when they are forced to endure similar situations and handle them in completely different manners. When each sister, through dissimilar circumstances, discovers that the happiness she had believed she would find in marriage is not to be, it at first appears that Elinor is rather cold and heartless - more worried about propriety than feelings - and that Marianne is more in touch with her emotions and would rather express her grief than take into account how her display will affect those who love her... As for the relationship between the sisters, at the beginning, Marianne seems to pity Elinor for her lack of esteem for art and poetry, and she believes that Edward is not worthy of her. Elinor, while seeing the youthful faults of her sister, always keeps a sense of humour and does everything out of love for her and the rest of the family. In the middle, Marianne believes that no one has ever suffered as she, and continues to pity Elinor for her inadequacies... This is a wonderful and deeply moving novel that should be read more than once to be thoroughly understood and appreciated.
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Summary: A Good Romance
Review: I read Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. I thought the book was very good. Austen portrays Elinor and Marianne very well. She shows the love and friendship and the jealously of two sisters. She shows how one sister can be in love and the other is trying to find the bad in that person. In the beginning, Elinor finds someone she really likes and Marianne trys to find the bad in him, like he doesn't like drawing and Elinor does. Marianne is just jealous that her sister has found someone and she hasn't found anyone yet. Marianne wants Edward, Elinor's boyfriend. Elinor and Edward don't last that long anyway because they move to Barton Park. The Miss Dashwood's cousin, Sir John Middleton, writes them a letter and invites them to move to Barton Park and live in a cottage. They gladly accept. They tell their brother and his wife and send their belongings in advance and leave. They agree to try the cottage out for a year. Sir John and his wife are very hospitable to the Miss Dashwood's. They always invite them to their house to meet the people of the neighborhood. The Miss Dashwood's rarely accepted. There was on certain time they accepted and met Colonel Brandon, who is a friend of Sir John. Colonel Brandon sets his sights on Marianne. Colonel Brandon likes Marianne's singing and piano playing. Elinor does not like that idea. She would rather him be interested in her instead. Elinor is now jealous of Marianne. She doesn't even care that Edward is supposed to be coming to see her. Their good-bye was like that of a brother and sister. They didn't even kiss good-bye. The Middleton's are always having someone stay the night at their house. The Dashwood's would rather keep to themselves. When Sir John's wife invites them to come to the house the Dashwood's are always busy. The Dashwood's are the type that would rather do for themselves. They are not really the social type. Mr. John Dashwood and his wife live in Norland. They moved there after his father died. Mr. Dashwood made his son promise to provide for his mother and sisters. Which meant that he was to give them money. His wife did not like that idea. She thought that they could find their own money and that the money was the only reason they were still living in Norland. Which in fact was not true. They were still living there because they had no where else to go. Miss John Dashwood thought that they didn't deserve any money from them whether they were family or not. She thought only of herself and her son not of her husband's family. John Dashwood wanted to give them three thousand pounds apiece. His wife wouldn't hear of it. She thought that they would never pay it back because they had no source of income. She managed to talk her husband down to about five hundred pounds. They managed to get out of paying the women any money because they decided to move Barton Park. In the end they both marry and are happy. They don't live too far away from one another, so they can still fight as they please. They can stay in touch with one another because family means so much to them. In reading this book, I had a little trouble understanding and following the context in some places, but I enjoyed the book. I would recommend it to young women who like to read romances. It is very much so a romance, yet it is also a book about the love that two sisters have for one another. Sense and Sensibility is rather difficult to follow in some spots. I highly recommend this to young women who enjoy reading romances.
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Summary: Only Jane Austen could do something like this
Review: Boy meets girl, they hate each other at first sight, then fall in love. Only Jane Austen could take such a cliche and turn it in a beautiful story, romantic but not corny, witty, and evocative. Okay, the dialogue is somewhat difficult to follow, especially for those of us whose first language is not English (the first time I tried to read this book I just couldn't get past the first couple of pages), but once you get used to it, you instantly fall in love with the story and the writer. I have read most of Jane Austen's books, but this one remains my favorite.
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Summary: A thrilling look into the life of two ordinary sisters...
Review: Jane Austen delves into the heart and mind of Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. These two sisters, once concious of and obeying the dictates of decor, the other given to the whims of her heart, balance one another perfectly. Austen addresses one of the chief concerns of the romantic period, the importance lent to rational thought (sense) and passion (sensibility). This is a wonderful book which every serious reader should have in his or her collection.
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Summary: Faux and Filigree: Pre-Victorain Complications
Review: This review is my personal commentary on "Sense and Sensibilty" and, as such, explains and analyzes the novel. Eleanor Dashwood, the main character, is an example of a young woman's position in eighteenth century England. Her dependent situation in a typical Pre-Victorian setting introduces the reader to a common stereotype of the times. Miss Dashwood, a prospective bride at the tender age of nineteen, possesses adequate beauty and genteel manners making her attractive to select suitors. Chestnut hair, rosy cheeks, and plump figure serve her well, in accordance with the latest standard of femininity. However, she is a victim of circumstances. Her father's recent death has left the meager dowry of one thousand pounds, which presents the illusion of an unfavorable marriage As there exists minimal monetary gain, any match would be for the companionship of Eleanor alone. The equilibrium of both attractiveness and virtue offers an amiable personality. Although she is reserved almost to the point of appearing indifferent, the case is quite contrary. She sacrifices personal feeling to uphold and protect the reputations of any worthy acquaintance amid slanderous social gossip. These qualities of self-control, prudence, and nobility are exemplified in daily life. Perhaps they are best noted in her treatment of Lucy Steele, an undermining ninny who neither desired nor expected Eleanor's kindness. Eleanor's selflessness is her most outstanding characteristic, as seen in constant care and consideration for those around her. When her own heart is aching under the strain of Edward Ferrars' impending marital rejection, she suppresses it to help her younger sister Marianne heal from Willoughby's own recent announcement to wed another. Even against the incogitant avarice of the former fiancés she bears no lasting grudge. The unprejudiced man who seeks Eleanor Dashwood would have to be satisfied on these terms, as they are more precious than fortune, though rarely esteemed in a material world. The conflict of this book that will intrigue most readers is recognized in the title. Sense, comprised of the model attributes of Eleanor, opposes sensibility, a glamorous self-indulgence. It is sensibility that governs the outrageous conduct of Eleanor's and Marianne's former fiancés. Lucy Steele, ignorant of Eleanor's affiance to Edward, confides in her of their own secret engagement four years previously. Lucy is beneath the Ferrars family in class and fortune, therefore making their future marriage a disgrace. Willoughby's guise is still worse. He has fathered an illegitimate child with a scoury maid, unconcernedly teasing the affections of many an earnest young woman. Unbeknownst to Marianne, he is currently betrothed to Miss Gray, daughter of a gentleman and recipient of a forty thousand pound dowry. These hindrances, intended for personal amusement, have now blinded them both to true love. The ceaseless appetite of sensibility has devoured their past and is eyeing the present. Will it be allowed to overtake weakened wills? The climax, predictably tragic, is inevitable for such foolish young men. A third party reveals the secret arrangement between Edward and Lucy, thus Mrs. Ferrars' anger resolves her to transfer the inheritance of eldest son to the other brother, Robert. Eleanor is resigned to believe he will wed the luxurious Miss Morton as arranged by his mother. Marianne receives a formal letter from Willougby informing her that any such engagement must be entirely a figment of her clever imagination, a sort of wishful thinking for a girl of her social position. This throws her into a desperate melancholy, which leads to potentially fatal illness. Everyone is at this point unhappy or unfulfilled in his or her expectation of the future. A complicated code of social formality coupled with personal confusion checks the true desires of each.The resolution to all these issues, however, swiftly materializes. Upon learning that Edward would no longer be the endowed heir Lucy desired to marry, her affections quickly change to Robert. Edward then realizes that he never really loved the fickle Lucy, and relies on sense to direct him back to forgiving Eleanor. Willoughby is not so lucky in his domestic outcome. He forgoes personal happiness to marry Miss Gray, as his own fortune has diminished. Ironically, a breach from sensibility occurs after he has taken a pint of liquor, and he confesses his true feelings about Marianne. He acknowledges all that has been lost for the gain of cold, inanimate money. Marianne recovers from her lovesick illness, and marries a family friend who deserves her. All is well in the marrying off of the Dashwood sisters; their fiancés attain whatever it is that they desired and deserved in the first place. Despite mishaps and malignancies along the way, sense triumphs over sensibility. I would higly recommend this book to anyone interested in the gentry of the times, or is a fan of Jane Austen. It is truly one of her finest works, set in flowing language and adequate print. The paperback edition is fine for study, but I would select another for one's family library.
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