Reason and Romance (Austen Series, 2)

Rating:
Summary: Painful to Read
Review: "Reason and Romance," Debra White Smith's latest effort in the Austen Series, is simply not WORTH the effort. Positively painful to read, the novel (as someone else suggested in a different review) is full of grammatical and syntactical errors. Did Smith edit the book herself? While someone who enjoys fluff might find some mild entertainment in "Reason," no one with a taste for true literary quality will get anything more than a migraine. Her publisher must be either her husband or her father, because only one of the two would allow this sort of shallow junk to be labelled an actual book. I know high schoolers who could produce a better modern adaptation of Austen's classic work than Smith did. It's like she wrote it in such a hurry that she forgot to write an actual story. Apart from poor editing, it's just plain poorly-written. It's not interesting, it's not original, and it's not funny (subtle humor is one of Austen's best-known, and best-loved, traits as an authoress). It's not even romantic. I mean, what woman wants to be romanced by a soon-to-be-wed, ponytailed man? While that may be Elaina Woods' idea of a man, it is certainly not mine. I'll take the sensitive, endearing Edward Ferrars over Ted Farris ANYDAY of the week. Also, Elaina and Anna have no resemblance of any kind of sisterly relationship. The loving friendship of Elinor and Marianne is all but absent from this adaptation, as is any trace of reason OR romance.

I recommend: "Sense & Sensibility" instead of "Reason & Romance"

Rating:
Summary: Delightful to read!
Review: I have read both First Impressions and Reason and Romance, and really enjoyed them both! They are refreshingly set in our present world, and much easier to read than the classics. Debra White Smith has brought forth the personalities of the original characters and woven a wonderful story around them. As to the ponytailed leading man, what has the length of hair got to do with the qualities of character?

Rating:
Summary: Modern adaptation of Sense and Sensibility
Review: I read Reason and Romance and First Impressions, the first two books in the Austen series, and thoroughly enjoyed each one. They are modern adaptations and will appeal to the modern reader, I think. The plot and characters are loosely based on the original, and the reader might be intrigued enough to read the original Jane Austen books, if she had not read them before. The stories are delightful, entertaining and satisfying.

Rating:
Summary: Great Series
Review: I'm thrilled with the Austen Series by Debra White Smith. I was delighted with "First Impressions" and I've just finished "Reason and Romance." I thoroughly enjoyed all of this story, but was especially blessed when Anna has a life changing encounter with the Lord. I'm looking forward to the third book in this Series. Good writing Debra. God bless you, Vondia Caruso

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed very much! Brought a smile to my face!
Review: Reason and Romance is the second in a series of novels based on Jane Austen's classics. Just as anything that is based on another work, this story has it's own character and differs from the original Sense and Sensibility in many ways. Debra has done a wonderful job of spinning a tale that captures some elements of the original story line, while creating an entirely new and different story.

The reader will find that many of the characters in Reason and Romance will remind them of their favorite characters from Sense and Sensability. But, of course, Debra's characters have their own individual personalities and the reader will find that they are completely different people than their counterparts in the classic. Naturally, the time period and setting of the story will determine how the characters will behave in situations, just as the behavior of the characters in Sense and Sensability was influenced by the time period in which the characters, as well as the author, lived.

I look forward to more stories in this series...so much so that I purchased a copy of the complete works of Jane Austen in order to be familiar with the stories that Debra will continue to write. ;)

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: This book is another example of the author's wonderful creativity and writing skill! Debra White Smith does a fabulous job of updating a classical favorite. The characters are believable and captivating. I was only sorry that it ended!

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: This book is another example of the author's wonderful creativity and writing skill! Debra White Smith does a fabulous job of updating a classical favorite. The characters are believable and captivating. I was only sorry that it ended!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, fun reading!
Review: This is another great book from Debra White Smith. The characters are believable and well developed. It will have you turning pages until the very end! I can't wait for her next book in this series!

Rating:
Summary: Loved REASON AND ROMANCE by Debra White Smith
Review: Thoroughly enjoyed REASON AND ROMANCE by Debra White Smith. What a splendid idea to enhance the classics -- and that's precisely what this author has done -- ENHANCE! Her unique characterization and pacing prevails as usual. I highly recommend this series to individuals and libraries.

Rating:
Summary: Two Thumbs Down
Review: While I appreciate Debra's Christian ministry, she needs to further develop her writing before attempting to pick at a classic like Jane Austen's "Sense & Sensibility" (although I wouldn't fully trust any contemporary novelist with the job). The main characters stray so far from their originals you can hardly even tell it's an adaptation of Austen's classic. I have read the first two books in this series, incidentally the only available in the series at the time of this review's writing, and was extremely disappointed with both. "First Impressions" made the same mistakes that "Reason and Romance" did. While I credit the author for her clever titles (titles that are very much in keeping with the original), her story and subplots stray much too far. Apart from that, I dislike the constant reference of the originals in these books. You want to ask the characters, "Don't you see the similarities in your own life and in your favorite book?" Elaina Woods, Debra White Smith's version of the practical Elinor Dashwood, loves to turn the pages of "Sense and Sensibility" over and over, while indulging in a romance with an engaged man named Ted Farris (based off Edward Ferrars). Her own name resembles that of Elinor Dashwood's. Her younger sister's name is Anna (Marianne Dashwood), is engaging in a love affair with a man named Willis (Mr. Willoughby), who eventually (as Willoughby did with Marianne) leaves her for a woman with a substantial inheritance, after being cut off from his own family cash. This novel may be based off "Sense," but the characters have none of it!
Apart from that, the story is just poorly written. The book was full of typos and syntactical errors.
Another irksome part of Smith's novel is her dramatic rewrite of Marianne. Marianne had always been my favorite character in "Sense & Sensibility," for her passion and abandon. However, the Marianne of "Reason & Romance," Anna Woods, is just plain reckless. Her mother and sister suspect her of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy at one point in the book! Anna is also portrayed as flighty and jealous, constantly picking fights with her sister and refusing to talk to her for most of the book. Elinor and Marianne had a special relationship. Though Marianne may have disagreed with Elinor's ideas on love and life, she never fought with her. She may have gotten angry, or passionate, but she never fought or gave her such cruel, cold, silent treatment. Quite frankly, the Anna of Smith's "Reason & Romance," is a snobby twit.
Another misrepresented character is Col. Brandon (Smith's Dr. Bryan Brixby). Bryan Brixby is portrayed, in "Reason & Romance," as the ultimate heel. He admits that the first reason he was attracted to Anna was because of her resemblance to his first (and now dead) love. He concludes that it doesn't matter how the love began, as long as it is there. He loves Anna. Isn't that enough? His "love" for Anna, however, is almost obsessive. He goes so far as spying on Anna and Willis, watching them kiss from the shadows. Col. Brandon was above that sort of behavior. While Marianne's relationship with Willoughby disappointed him, he didn't blame her for pursuing the younger man and certainly never went so far as to spy on the two. Col. Brandon was a gentleman. Bryan Brixby is a spying, stalking weirdo, making it impossible to root on his relationship with Anna.
Don't waste your money on this poor replica of a classic story. Instead, pick up the original or, if you're not a reader, rent the Emma Thompson movie (which does a marvelous job of capturing the original). Just don't chuck $12.99 on this sad imitation.