kate_brauning's review against another edition
5.0
This book is so "sisters" it had me calling mine to tell them how annoying/wonderful they are. It's hilarious and genuine, perfect for fans of old movies, weird families, and creaky beautiful houses. Go get it, you can thank me later.
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This is a refreshing contemporary novel about two teenage sisters who are learning what the bond of sisterhood means as they grow older. Both girls are smart, both attend The Gregory School, a small coed private school, and Ginny, the elder daughter, is a senior and thus in the throes of the college admissions process. The story is told in first-person by the younger sister, Patience, known to all as Plum. The girls have a playful, smart-girl, sometimes competitive relationship that is charming and true to life at the same time. I thought this book was delightful. I read it in one day.
grifmk01's review against another edition
3.0
3.4 /5
This was a cute retelling of Sense and Sensibility. I am glad I listened to this as an audiobook, because I don't know how I would finished this while reading large vocabulary words, and the constant repetition of names and places. It's never just the narrator's house, the author lists the address. Overall a nice choice for middle and high school students.
This was a cute retelling of Sense and Sensibility. I am glad I listened to this as an audiobook, because I don't know how I would finished this while reading large vocabulary words, and the constant repetition of names and places. It's never just the narrator's house, the author lists the address. Overall a nice choice for middle and high school students.
pagesofpins's review against another edition
The Blatchley sisters' huge ramsackle house is strewn with pets, copies of Jane Eyre and Little Women, paintings by their mother, DVDs of Jeeves and Wooster/old classic movies/Jane Austen adaptations, and family inside jokes. It would definitely have appealed to teenage me, so I picked up this book despite my tendency to roll my eyes at Jane Austen adaptations.
Thornburgh doesn't try too hard at adapting every aspect of the Dashwood sisters' adventures the way fanfic authors so often do with P&P, but keeps the spirit of the thing. Ginny is the high strung, intelligent sister who is waxing dramatic at college admissions rather than romance, and Plum (Patience) is the practical, shy sister who always seems to get left with the dishes. Plum finds herself striking up an unlikely friendship with a Loud Sophomore Boy, and it makes sense that instead of a shy gentleman who can't seem to get his crap together, our heroine is spending time with a teenage boy who never seems to think things through and is keeping unfortunate company not with a gold digger, but with other teenage boys who sometimes are crude, sometimes are bullies, and often aren't the person he wants to be. Ginny has no official romance (an older man with an 18 year old...doesn't adapt well), and the part of the steady but lonely man who saves her life is played by family friend Almost-Doctor Andrews, an adjunct professor border who is part of the Blatchley clan and treated like family (he's ten years her senior, and after a dramatic event may start to think of her differently, but it's left open ended).
I liked that each sister develops an unexpected hobby that they got from their dad. He's a character in his own right, an absence in the house.
Many of the character-changing scenes, in which things might turn out all right if Ginny would mellow out and Plum would speak from the heart, are about their relationship as sisters rather than the men. I especially enjoyed the quote from Jane Austen about how her sister is surely the greatest writer of the age; these sisters are each sure that they can never measure up to each other. The author manages to tell a new story while retelling an old one, with subtlety in all the right places. Hi de hi de ho.
Thornburgh doesn't try too hard at adapting every aspect of the Dashwood sisters' adventures the way fanfic authors so often do with P&P, but keeps the spirit of the thing. Ginny is the high strung, intelligent sister who is waxing dramatic at college admissions rather than romance, and Plum (Patience) is the practical, shy sister who always seems to get left with the dishes. Plum finds herself striking up an unlikely friendship with a Loud Sophomore Boy, and it makes sense that instead of a shy gentleman who can't seem to get his crap together, our heroine is spending time with a teenage boy who never seems to think things through and is keeping unfortunate company not with a gold digger, but with other teenage boys who sometimes are crude, sometimes are bullies, and often aren't the person he wants to be. Ginny has no official romance (an older man with an 18 year old...doesn't adapt well), and the part of the steady but lonely man who saves her life is played by family friend Almost-Doctor Andrews, an adjunct professor border who is part of the Blatchley clan and treated like family (he's ten years her senior, and after a dramatic event may start to think of her differently, but it's left open ended).
I liked that each sister develops an unexpected hobby that they got from their dad. He's a character in his own right, an absence in the house.
Many of the character-changing scenes, in which things might turn out all right if Ginny would mellow out and Plum would speak from the heart, are about their relationship as sisters rather than the men. I especially enjoyed the quote from Jane Austen about how her sister is surely the greatest writer of the age; these sisters are each sure that they can never measure up to each other. The author manages to tell a new story while retelling an old one, with subtlety in all the right places. Hi de hi de ho.
laura_reads_forever's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
sc104906's review against another edition
5.0
Find my original review on my blog: https://wp.me/p8jcuj-211
Plum is a young woman obsessed with words, who keeps mostly to herself, except when it comes to her family. Her father died when she was younger and the family that was left, Plum, Plum's older sister (Ginny), and Plum's mother all grew closer to survive their grief. The family has been struggling with money for years, to the point that they have taken in an almost doctor of music. The family is desperate to keep their house, a character in its own right, with its special rooms and eclectic features. When things can go wrong around this family, they do. Plum is trying to do her part (even though her sister spends most of her time flailing around melodramatically wondering all her success at school was for because she will never be able to pay for college), Plum has taken to pseudo-tutoring/tutoring a cute neighbor dude. While he bullied her when she was younger and today he is pretty different from her, Plum is drawn to him. The various hijinks that happen throughout the book keep the reader laughing and moving along.
This is a modern-day take on Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. While I felt there was a loose connection between the two works, this novel solidly stands on its own. The craft of writing in this book was superior, especially in the area of vocabulary. I thought the way that main character Plum describes different aspects of writing and reading to be refreshing and interesting. The characters felt uniquely themselves and their voices were strong throughout the book. I think this novel has a strong chance and I have high hopes for it.
Plum is a young woman obsessed with words, who keeps mostly to herself, except when it comes to her family. Her father died when she was younger and the family that was left, Plum, Plum's older sister (Ginny), and Plum's mother all grew closer to survive their grief. The family has been struggling with money for years, to the point that they have taken in an almost doctor of music. The family is desperate to keep their house, a character in its own right, with its special rooms and eclectic features. When things can go wrong around this family, they do. Plum is trying to do her part (even though her sister spends most of her time flailing around melodramatically wondering all her success at school was for because she will never be able to pay for college), Plum has taken to pseudo-tutoring/tutoring a cute neighbor dude. While he bullied her when she was younger and today he is pretty different from her, Plum is drawn to him. The various hijinks that happen throughout the book keep the reader laughing and moving along.
This is a modern-day take on Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. While I felt there was a loose connection between the two works, this novel solidly stands on its own. The craft of writing in this book was superior, especially in the area of vocabulary. I thought the way that main character Plum describes different aspects of writing and reading to be refreshing and interesting. The characters felt uniquely themselves and their voices were strong throughout the book. I think this novel has a strong chance and I have high hopes for it.
resslesa's review against another edition
3.0
Ehhh. Pacing slow and I wanted to love it but overall narrator a bit breathy and the plot never really got interesting. It reminded me a bit of Where'd You Go Bernadette in terms of kooky characters and a house falling down around them.
taylorbroek's review against another edition
3.0
For fans of Jane Austens sense and sensibly set in the present and the dramatic fast-talking flare of Anne of green gables but in complaint form. This YA fiction felt more middle grade but with big words. About sisterhood and sister rivalry, family & first loves.
Ginny is the older sister and it a senior in high school and is absolutely having a melt down at every moment of everyday about how her life sucks and she’ll never get into college and she’ll end up living in a cardboard box even though she is very smart and goes to a very fine ($$$) prep school. Plum is the younger sister who just wants to be loved by her older sister. Also smart but a loner and very bookish she picks logic over melodrama and doesn’t really care about her pre-destiny to be a writer like her parents are/were.
They live in a very very old house that their grandma I think owned. It is full of charm and old pipes and memories of their late father. Their mother does fundraising and is constantly thinking of when needs to happen for the next fundraiser they’re hosting at their house while trying to keep the family financially afloat. They also have a tenet, almost Dr. Andrew’s who spends a lot of time with the family.
It’s a cute and easy read but ginny is frustrating at times. Very light on the romance and the way plum treats Tate the jock is also frustrating at times.
Rep: Tate is Jewish
Almost doctor Andrew’s is gay
Ginny is the older sister and it a senior in high school and is absolutely having a melt down at every moment of everyday about how her life sucks and she’ll never get into college and she’ll end up living in a cardboard box even though she is very smart and goes to a very fine ($$$) prep school. Plum is the younger sister who just wants to be loved by her older sister. Also smart but a loner and very bookish she picks logic over melodrama and doesn’t really care about her pre-destiny to be a writer like her parents are/were.
They live in a very very old house that their grandma I think owned. It is full of charm and old pipes and memories of their late father. Their mother does fundraising and is constantly thinking of when needs to happen for the next fundraiser they’re hosting at their house while trying to keep the family financially afloat. They also have a tenet, almost Dr. Andrew’s who spends a lot of time with the family.
It’s a cute and easy read but ginny is frustrating at times. Very light on the romance and the way plum treats Tate the jock is also frustrating at times.
Rep: Tate is Jewish
Almost doctor Andrew’s is gay
_myliteraryobsession's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0