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neredhead's review against another edition
4.0
engaging read. I was a little disappointed in the ending. specifically in how quickly it was wrapped up, and from a more detached view point.
annaforthebooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
raenoel's review against another edition
2.0
2 ⭐️
Pity the only two likable characters also happened to be the “villains” of the story. I, too, would have pawned Fanny off to literally anyone else to avoid raising such a wet carpet of a child.
If you’re looking to read about the most boring courtship in history, look no further. I’m talkin’ there was more chemistry between Charlotte and Mr. Collins at dinner with Lady Catherine than in this whole book combined.
Pity the only two likable characters also happened to be the “villains” of the story. I, too, would have pawned Fanny off to literally anyone else to avoid raising such a wet carpet of a child.
If you’re looking to read about the most boring courtship in history, look no further. I’m talkin’ there was more chemistry between Charlotte and Mr. Collins at dinner with Lady Catherine than in this whole book combined.
marissa_atherton's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the Literary Life Podcast episodes alongside my reading of the book. Highly recommend! They offered extra insight and particulars into the time period and world of Jane Austen that I wasn’t familiar with, as well as pointing out symbols and connections to other literary works. And I think I agree with what Cindy Rollins said: the best Jane Austen novel is the one you are currently reading!
greenchasm's review against another edition
1.0
Why! Why would you write the only romance that could be rooted for in the last three pages of the book, leaving it up to the reader to decide when it started and other details. Edmund was literally obsessed with Mary for 90% of the book, talked about it all the time, wrote that she would be in his heart forever, etc. I just really wish this romance could have developed more within the meat of the book. I do feel like Maria and Mrs. Norris got some justice, literally being exiled to another country (?), but Henry should have been equally punished, if not more so! I feel so bad for Fanny, she was adopted by her horrible aunt who called her poor and ugly her whole life in a house full of annoying relatives, but she somehow turned out to love Mansfield and be entirely devoted to Edmund, wild.
lindsaygail's review against another edition
4.0
Not my favorite Austen, and yet I find I like it more after a third read. This time around I felt a little more patience with all the dithering over the play. I felt less like Henry Crawford wasn’t so bad...he’s actually quite the cad, and HAD he won Fanny I now believe after the novelty and triumph had faded he’d have gone right back to being one. I felt much more interest in the characters of Maria Bertram and Mary Crawford, and because I was more interested picked up on more details about them. The characters really are so well rounded in Austen, it’s one of her biggest appeals for me.
Also, it wasn’t until this time around I realized that Mrs. Norris of Mansfield Park is the inspiration for Filch’s nosey cat in Harry Potter!
Reread 2022: Henry Crawford becomes a bigger cad every time I read this. Listen to this BS he says to Fanny during the very long sequence when he’s trying to talk her into liking him as she continues to do everything in her (extremely limited) power to show him she doesn’t:
“It is not by equality of merit that you can be won. That is out of the question. It is he who sees and worships your merit the strongest, who loves you most devotedly, that has the best right to a return.”
Naturally he means himself. The fact that he loves her so much is the best proof that he deserves to have her. I say Fanny should go ahead and hold out for equality of merit.
Also, it wasn’t until this time around I realized that Mrs. Norris of Mansfield Park is the inspiration for Filch’s nosey cat in Harry Potter!
Reread 2022: Henry Crawford becomes a bigger cad every time I read this. Listen to this BS he says to Fanny during the very long sequence when he’s trying to talk her into liking him as she continues to do everything in her (extremely limited) power to show him she doesn’t:
“It is not by equality of merit that you can be won. That is out of the question. It is he who sees and worships your merit the strongest, who loves you most devotedly, that has the best right to a return.”
Naturally he means himself. The fact that he loves her so much is the best proof that he deserves to have her. I say Fanny should go ahead and hold out for equality of merit.
jbrown2140's review against another edition
4.0
As pessimistic as I remembered it - it's amusing to me so many Austen fans don't like this because they think Fanny is "weak." I've never understood people who don't like books because they don't "like" the characters in them, as if an author's chief obligation is to tell you a story about someone you "like."
I don't think it's anachronistic to say this is a novel about colonialism and consumerism, and their dual relationship with art. Perhaps Fanny seems "weak" to so many because she opts out of all of those things.
I don't think it's anachronistic to say this is a novel about colonialism and consumerism, and their dual relationship with art. Perhaps Fanny seems "weak" to so many because she opts out of all of those things.
pasc96's review against another edition
3.0
The back jacket copy of my edition states that Fanny Price, Mansfield Park's protagonist, was "Austen's own favorite among her heroines." I do not share this affection, nor did I find the cast of characters as endearing as those of Austen's earlier novels. Of course, Austen being Austen, she held my attention and curiosity in wanting to know Fanny's fate. But I found Mansfield Park ultimately unsatisfying overall, and Austen's multilayered plot points addressing issues of class, mobility, and propriety wrapped up with some questionable conclusions.
silviemay's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5