Reviews

Love and Freindship by Jane Austen

hoboken's review against another edition

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3.0

Jane Austen's juvenilia. The first of them written at age 14. The sharp eye for what's really happening, the ear for dialog, the unfailing BS meter, the wit that goes to the bone, the rapier-edged turns of phrase, the snobs, the buccaneers, the fortune-hunting jilters, even the names that will reappear attached to some of the most memorable characters in Eng lit--Dashwood, Annesley, Crawford, Willoughby. You can glimpse the incipient Lady Catherine, Lydia Bennett, Mrs. John Dashwood, lots of fun.

A short book. All epistolary--some just single letters--as Faye Weldon says in the intro, they're short stories all by themselves. Fascinating to think about how Austen decided she could get closer to what she wanted when she changed the first epistolary draft of P&P into an omniscient author narrative. And put in a few characters of principle and sense around whom the chaos could swirl. Don't you wish we had a diary that explained some of that.

If you know Austen and want to see how she got started, this is a great find.

annecrisp's review against another edition

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2.0

This is one of her weaker juvenile works.

charamelia80's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

ne5on5's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

1.75

midgereads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Read this for my Jane Austen class and it was hilarious. The characters’ family tree is kinda complicated but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy to read. 

pandamanom's review against another edition

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4.0

Jane the woman you are ????

d4rcyl0ve's review against another edition

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5.0

this was so funny wtf

jennie_cole's review against another edition

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1.0

super short book but was a DNF.

aaiinnaa's review against another edition

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4.0

Vaig trobar aquest llibre de casualitat a la biblioteca, i sent de la Jane Austen i en català obviament me l'havia d'endur.
No decepciona amb la seva ironía i sarcasme habitual, m'ha fet riure en més d'una ocasió. Llàstima que la segona història no estigui acabada.

annari's review against another edition

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3.0

It is clear that this story was written by Austen when she was 14 and that it was only a tale written to amuse her family, but still, it is filled with comedy and irony, which make it a very delightful read.

At first, I didn't know that the characters are a parody of the romantic notions and the cult of sensibility of the time, which made me think the story was ridiculous; but upon discovering it, made me enjoy the story much more.

It is a quick and fun read for everyone (but a pain in the ass to translate).

Spoiler My favourite parts were when they called Sir Macdonald a Miscreant and then proceeded to address him as thou ; and the river passage, it made me laugh out loud several times xD