Sense and Sensibility (Modern Library)
by Jane Austen
Elinor and Marianne are two sisters with very different personalities. Elinor is practical and reserved. Marianne is emotional and vivacious. They struggle to understand each other, but ultimately they learn from one another. Although the sisters find romance in unexpected places, it is their sisterly relationship that defines them.
Continue readingI received the Penguin Clothbound Classics Jane Austen boxed set for free from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. I’m so grateful to Penguin for sending me these beautiful editions!
Not only are the covers absolutely gorgeous, the box itself is beautiful too! I love that each book has a ribbon bookmark attached. Each book has a scholarly introduction, a timeline of Jane Austen’s life, and lengthy notes at the end explaining aspects of Regency history like money, class, marriage, titles, and everyday life.
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Emma Woodhouse amuses herself with matchmaking all her friends, but she does it very badly for Harriet Smith. Poor Harriet is influenced to think of Mr. Elton as a possible suitor, with disastrous results. Emma must discover the secrets of her own heart before she can accurately understand the hearts of others.
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Jane and His Lordship’s Legacy (Jane Austen Mysteries, #8)
by Stephanie Barron
Jane inherits Lord Harold’s old letters and journals after his death, but they contain secrets about almost every prominent family in England. There are those who would do anything to keep the papers from becoming public, including commit murder.
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4 out of 5 stars
Lady Susan is charming and vivacious. Lady Susan lies to everyone. Lady Susan flirts with anything in pants! Lady Susan tries to persuade her daughter, Frederica, to marry. Frederica doesn’t like the gentlemen, so Lady Susan manipulates and schemes. Lady Susan is greedy and immoral, but… she is not boring.
The epistolary style is my favorite thing about this little book. It was so fun to see from all the different perspectives of the characters. They all have a strong opinion of Lady Susan, and they aren’t afraid to express it in their letters! Lady Susan’s letters to her friend, Alicia, are so full of malice and deceit. Ooh, it’s thrilling!
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Pride and Prejudice with Related Readings
by Jane Austen
Elizabeth Bennett and her sisters are eager to make the acquaintance of their new neighbors, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy. They meet and dance together at various country balls and events. However, Elizabeth is frequently embarrassed by her mother’s vulgar manners and her little sisters flirtations with army officers. Elizabeth must navigate the social criticism of her sisters’ romances, while fending off a few proposals of her own.
I just love the witty dialogue between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. There is so much sparkling dialogue in the whole book, and it is a delight to read. The entire writing style is so polished and easy to read! The plot flows along so naturally and with so much energy that you barely notice all the little genius sub-plots that are happening.
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Sense and Sensibility
by Stacy King (Goodreads Author) (Adaptor), Po Tse (Illustrator), Jane Austen (Original Author)
I loved this manga adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic story! The manga follows the original story pretty closely, and the artwork is beautiful.
There’s a lot of crying in this book! I mean, I suppose there’s a lot of crying in the original story too, but seeing almost all the characters constantly collapsing into violent tears, hysterics, and/or fits of depression was over-the-top dramatic. Then again, Marianne Dashwood is the epitome of drama! haha!
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Persuasion
by Jane Austen
5 out of 5 stars
Anne Elliot meets Captain Wentworth again after breaking off their engagement eight years before. She is filled with doubt and anxiety, and wonders how she should behave and whether or not his feelings have changed. Captain Wentworth tries to ignore her without actually being rude, and flirts with other young ladies of their acquaintance. It is impossible to tell if he is trying to hide a broken heart or if he has truly left behind his old feelings for Anne, but a few little words and looks might tell the true story.
A perfect masterpiece! Every time I reread this book I love it more and more, and see more depth in the characters, and more humor in the sarcastic writing style.
There are so many sweet little moments between Anne and Captain Wentworth! A glance, a small gesture, a chance word; all these things create such a suspense and make the story exciting. It’s the little undercurrents of emotion behind everyday scenes that make this book so special. On the surface, the plot doesn’t have much going on; but we get such an intimate look into Anne’s heart, and so much depth from each of the supporting characters, that it shows that there is quite a lot happening under the surface.
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