Rating: 
Summary: Austen's First Novel, and It Shows
Review: SENSE AND SENSIBILITY is probably Jane Austen's worst novel. I didn't like the lack of wit in MANSFIELD PARK, but it was still quite complex and even. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY is neither. The story of the three Dashwood sisters, Elinor, Marianne and Margaret, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY is a rather shallow book. The characters do not stay "in character," the pacing is bad, the writing is uneven and themes "barely there" or not developed. Jane Austen is my all time favorite author, but she didn't get to be that with SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. It has all the mistakes that more polished novels from good debut novelists or seasoned authors do not have. Although it pains me to say it, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY is a flawed and immature effort. One thing I really loved about it, however, is that its dialogue definitely has subtext. Even in this early effort, you can see Austen's trademark wit beginning to blossom. If you're a rabid Austen fan, you'll probably feel little more than mild annoyance with this book. If you've read better Austen novels like PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, EMMA or PERSUASION, then SENSE AND SENSIBILITY is likely to let you down. If you love Jane Austen, by all means read the book, but know that, even though this was not the first book Austen published, it was the first she wrote and be prepared to be let down, at least a little. If you're new to Austen, I would definitely recommend beginning with PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, EMMA or PERSUASION, or if you like something more introspective, complex and darker, then MANSFIELD PARK. SENSE AND SENSIBILITY is not a bad book, but it is definitely Austen's worst.
Rating: 
Summary: Arguably my favourite Jane Austen.
Review: The book tells about the remarkable family of Dashwood whose family home was located in Sussex. The book is about two sisters who are as diametrically opposite as two can be. Marianne is the younger sister, and she is eager, imprudent and excitable. Elinor is much more sensible than her young sister, and her voice is always the voice of reason. But it's the world that Ms. Austen always brings to her pages that is so captivating. She more than many others can create a little piece of the world that the reader has the privilege of discovering and then learns to love, just like Ms. Austen's characters do. This is what puts Ms Austen's books so much above the norm in this particular genre.
| 
