Book 3 for 2005

Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen; 272 p., Dover Thrift Edition (1995)

This is the third Austen novel I have read and admittedly, I enjoyed it more than Emma but less than Pride and Prejudice. It is the story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, who fall in love and are equally brokenhearted. There is a happy ending for both women as Elinor finds herself with her original Mr. Right (Edward Ferrars), and Marianne discovers the love and kindness of an older gentleman who was in love with her all along (Colonel Brandon). As Austen is known for her depictions of English society in the 19th century, her characters have the quality of coming alive off the page. Some endear themselves to the reader's sensibilities, while others annoy, disgust, and humor the reader with their ridiculousness. The characters in this novel that I found particularly loathsome were John Dashwood (Elinor and Marianne's older half-brother) and his snobby wife (the sister of Edward Ferrars). The ridiculous characters were Lucy and Nancy Steele---both simple country girls who were acquainted with Edward and Lucy revealed a secret engagement with him to Elinor (the first source of Elinor's heartbreak). I find it very interesting that in the latest movie adaptation of this novel (starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet) there was only Lucy Steele; Nancy was conveniently written out. To sum up, it took me a long time to read this novel (due mostly to my habit of starting a book before I've finished reading the last), but overall it was a good, fun read.