Reviews with content warning for Classism - Sense and sensibility

Reviews tagging 'Classism'

Sense and sensibility by Jane Austen

21 reviews

withlivjones's review against another edition

funny lighthearted 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? Yes

3.25

Ah, these Regency men and their… secret girlfriends?

This book is rather difficult to follow, and I think that the main reason for this is that most of the plot points are related through second-hand accounts. Our protagonist, Elinor, is quite passive and spends most of the novel being told things by other characters, either through long speeches or letters. This means that the plot gets complicated quite easily and there is very little action that occurs first-hand. Also not helping matters is the fact that Elinor appears to be highly gullible, instantly believing every story she is told until it is disproven later in the novel. I also think that the loose ends were tied up a little too conveniently at the end.

There are definitely some aspects of the novel I enjoyed, however. I did like the fact that in the main misunderstanding between Willoughby and Colonel Brandon there isn’t a clear-cut right and wrong side quite as much as there is in, for example, Darcy vs Wickham in Pride and Prejudice. I also really enjoyed the farcical humour in the brief miscommunication between Elinor and Mrs Jennings about her nonexistent engagement to Colonel Brandon. Finally, Austen is as always an expert in constructing the more comical characters who come across as caricatures of Regency upper-class society. My favourite characterisations include Mrs John Dashwood, Mr Robert Ferrars, and Mrs Jennings.

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readbycarina's review against another edition

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adventurous funny reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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greatexpectations77's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I think I need to read the physical versions of Ms. Austen's books to get the full impact, but I love her moments when you gasp from the very depths of your soul. I also liked picturing Elinor as a meme where she is just trying to astral project to somewhere else while everyone won't shut the heck up around her. A treat, as usual.

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thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Sense and Sensibility is the third Jane Austen novel I have read. I have previously enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Emma, so I was looking forward to reading Sense and Sensibility.

If you have read Jane Austen before, you will recognize the clever social satire, well-written characters, humor, emotion, and heart that characterize her works. I quickly became invested in the lives of the two main characters, sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, and thoroughly enjoyed reading about their family, friends, and acquaintances. One thing that I did not expect is the level of mystery that persists throughout the book. There is not any murder or crime, but characters tend to act in unexpected ways that kept me guessing. Some of the twists and turns left me genuinely shocked!

Although the book has plenty of positive elements, certain things detracted from my enjoyment. The plot became too convoluted at times, and the ending felt far too rushed and unearned. I also would have liked to see Elinor have more character development throughout the book.

I would recommend this book to people who have already read and enjoyed one or more of Jane Austen’s novels, but suggest that people new to her works start with Emma or Pride and Prejudice.

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issyd23's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Maryanne deserved a hotter husband 4⭐️

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grets_reads's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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tigeryear's review against another edition

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lighthearted sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Everyone was opp in this book. Rough read -- not that it was hard to comprehend, but in that it was boring drudgery. It didn't work for me as a satire, after my first read I'm not convinced the characters even had development, and if you have to say "we're not really blood related [insert whine]" -- you failed!

Mash that up with some early 1800s pedophilia and you've pretty much got the plot of this.

Disappointing!

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