kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
The voice and expressions are the same as Volume One; snarky and irreverent in a way I'm sure Jane Austen herself might have enjoyed. These two volumes are an entertaining accompaniment to the six beloved novels.
kittykornerlibrarian's review
4.0
Tremendously enjoyed this... it's a book I can't wait to get back to. The breezy-blogger writing style is engaging, and the writer's passion for the work of Jane Austen shines through. I strongly disagree with the writer about the merits of Mansfield Park; however, disagreeing is part of the pleasure of reading Austen's work.
ricefun's review against another edition
4.0
This was so much fun. Rodi interacts with the Austen texts from a contemporary perspective that is both funny and insightful. His first and foremost reminder to his readers is that Austen is a master at satire, but not so much a master of anything we would recognize as romance. Her main characters end up in socially advantageous relationships, and some may like one another along the way. But bodice rippers, or even passionate glances, aren't to be found in the main characters of her novels.
My one major criticism is the he doesn't know the order of Austen's writings. He keeps referring to Northanger Abbey as a later novel, when in fact it was the first written. It was just one of the last published because it was kept in a drawer by the publishing company that initially purchased the rites to it.
Even with this, Rodi's reminder that Austen's fascination was with the "grotesques" of the British social world was a great lens through which to re-examine the novels. I've only read the first edition, so I'm looking forward to finding the second edition to read his thoughts on the other three novels.
My one major criticism is the he doesn't know the order of Austen's writings. He keeps referring to Northanger Abbey as a later novel, when in fact it was the first written. It was just one of the last published because it was kept in a drawer by the publishing company that initially purchased the rites to it.
Even with this, Rodi's reminder that Austen's fascination was with the "grotesques" of the British social world was a great lens through which to re-examine the novels. I've only read the first edition, so I'm looking forward to finding the second edition to read his thoughts on the other three novels.
fiddleysticks's review
4.0
I really liked this book. It was lovely to see such an irreverent but often bang-on take on Jane Austen. Like others I was surprised how much of the book was devoted to Mansfield Park, and feel that could have been more concise. But I enjoyed it very much and look forward to his take on the rest of Jane Austen's works.
beccali's review
I'm sorry but Jane Austen does not need you to come to her rescue.
sawyerbell's review
3.0
2.5 stars. I enjoyed the Sense & Sensibility section a lot but it all began to seem quite repetitive after that. DNF.
artismyhammer's review
1.0
Occasionally amusing, but not a fan
Ultimately this book is not worth it. You can practically hear the author’s sneer at anyone who dares to read Austen for anything other than what he himself reads it for. His only saving grace is how much he clearly loves Jane Austen and her writing, but even that can’t save it from his tediousness or his apparent inability to tell the difference between his own opinions and those of Austen’s. In addition to making wildly inaccurate claims about the author that can be easily proven wrong (claiming she didn’t care about music when she was an accomplished musician who practiced every day, saying she was irreligious when she wrote her own devotions and prayers), he seems incapable of conceiving how anything could ever be in the text if he didn’t pay attention to it.
He gets this most egregiously wrong with Mansfield Park, which he clearly hates so much that he is incapable of actually reading and understanding the words on the page, and instead makes all sorts of bizarre claims about the characters motivations and personalities which have absolutely no basis in their words or actions in the text.
If you also hate Mansfield Park, this might be a book for you, but don’t expect anything deep or even especially accurate.
Ultimately this book is not worth it. You can practically hear the author’s sneer at anyone who dares to read Austen for anything other than what he himself reads it for. His only saving grace is how much he clearly loves Jane Austen and her writing, but even that can’t save it from his tediousness or his apparent inability to tell the difference between his own opinions and those of Austen’s. In addition to making wildly inaccurate claims about the author that can be easily proven wrong (claiming she didn’t care about music when she was an accomplished musician who practiced every day, saying she was irreligious when she wrote her own devotions and prayers), he seems incapable of conceiving how anything could ever be in the text if he didn’t pay attention to it.
He gets this most egregiously wrong with Mansfield Park, which he clearly hates so much that he is incapable of actually reading and understanding the words on the page, and instead makes all sorts of bizarre claims about the characters motivations and personalities which have absolutely no basis in their words or actions in the text.
If you also hate Mansfield Park, this might be a book for you, but don’t expect anything deep or even especially accurate.
linnaemanne's review
DNF em 79% me deu muita raiva, mas não tanto para me forçar a terminar, claro. Fanny já sofre tanto no livro e ainda vem esse fazer pouco de td q ela passa e enfrenta, é foda viu