Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Sense and sensibility

My first Jane Austen! I enjoyed reading about these characters that I'd only known about through media and cultural osmosis. Austen's ability to lovingly draw out her characters' faults and idiosyncrasies was quite fun. There were parts that felt too glossed over - like why some actions were forgiven or age differences allowed - but all in all, a solid introduction to her writing.

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chrisologo's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted sad slow-paced

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

5.0

ommon Austen W for being a witty writer. made me root for the Dashwood sisters. made me hate Willoughby. lowkey ick because Colonel Brandon is much older than Marriane.

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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I picked up the Barnes & Noble Classic edition of this novel in my quest to slowly collect and read more classics.
"Sense and Sensibility" follows Marianne Dashwood and her sister, Elinor. Marianne has fallen for John Willoughby, a man who truly does not deserve her time. Elinor warns Marianne to not be impulsive, but Marianne wants to follow her heart and give him a chance. Elinor, who has always played by the book, has her own romantic disappointment, but she tries to hide it from everyone. These sisters have to learn how to balance their sense and sensibility when falling in love in a world where money and status mean everything.
The thing I really enjoyed about this novel was the discussions of money and being a woman. During this time period, it was very uncommon for a woman to be self-sufficient nor to have a major voice over the family's finances. However, in this novel, Jane Austen writes strong women who know how to manipulate the conversation with their partners in order to control where the household money goes. I think this is so powerful and is great foreshadowing to highlight that women are going to play a bigger role in their households in years to come.
This was not my favorite Jane Austen novel, but it is not terrible either. Ultimately, I struggled to become invested in this story because the plot felt denser than it needed to be. I really loved the discourse surrounding money, and I think some of the ideas of proper and smart investments are very noteworthy and translatable for today's world. Something I kept reading was this idea of not spending more than the interest you earn on the wealth you have. We do not need to go into debt, and I really loved seeing this being discussed. Unfortunately, I was more interested in this plot line than any of the romance going on.
I will, of course, read more from Jane Austen in the future, and perhaps I will give this another read at a later date to see if I enjoy it more.

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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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