juliaem's review against another edition
4.0
The second volume is only 4 out of 5 stars because it doesn't have P&P in it. Also, Emma is Austen's protagonist who I most frequently want to smack sense/humility into while reading (Fanny Price of Mansfield Park would be my smacking target for sense/gumption). I'd never read either Northanger Abbey or Persuasion before, but loved both. Northanger Abbey is Austen at her sassy and socially astute best; I would have loved to take a college course on this novel alone to fully understand Austen's commentary on the state of the novel at that time she was writing. And then Persuasion...no character could have usurped Elizabeth Bennet's place as my very fave, but Anne Elliot is how I would hope Elizabeth would be 10 years and some emotional maturity down the road.
beccakatie's review against another edition
5.0
Emma: I really enjoyed Emma, and I found the characters provided a variety of personalities. Each of them were clearly flawed, which, personally made me feel a deeper connection to them, as they came across as relatable and real. Austen commented that Emma was a character only she would love, and I did find her attitudes and judgement of others grating. However, I do appreciate she did change through the course of the novel, becoming more understanding of others positions and feelings, even though she did retain many aspects of her snobbishness and self-importance. Personally, the lack of a specific plot worked for me, as I found the novel to be able to be more of a study of the characters and their society.
Northanger Abbey: I'm not a huge fan of the gothic genre, so I was really excited to read what is typically billed as a parody of it. I wasn't disappointed, I loved the characters and the dismantling of the traditional gothic tropes. It felt like a very accurate portrayal of friendship and understanding who is truly there for you, and I loved the romance and drama of the ending. Austen's narrative style and tongue in cheek humour when writing about the traditional heroines and novel reading. As I work my way through this collection, I appreciate more and more Austen's style of commentary on society, and even across the centuries, how relatable she makes her characters and the situations they find themselves in.
Pride and Prejudice: This is the Austen story I am most familiar with, and I’ve always loved it. I’ve actually read Pride and Prejudice before, a few years ago but couldn’t really remember it when it came to reading it this time. I loved the characters, they were a perfect balance between the complex histories and personalities of people such as Elizabeth and Darcy, as well as lighter entertainment in Mr Collins. The wittiness of the characters, and the humour in this book really shine through, and you cannot but help be transported into the rooms of Longbourn, Netherfield and Pemberly.
Northanger Abbey: I'm not a huge fan of the gothic genre, so I was really excited to read what is typically billed as a parody of it. I wasn't disappointed, I loved the characters and the dismantling of the traditional gothic tropes. It felt like a very accurate portrayal of friendship and understanding who is truly there for you, and I loved the romance and drama of the ending. Austen's narrative style and tongue in cheek humour when writing about the traditional heroines and novel reading. As I work my way through this collection, I appreciate more and more Austen's style of commentary on society, and even across the centuries, how relatable she makes her characters and the situations they find themselves in.
Pride and Prejudice: This is the Austen story I am most familiar with, and I’ve always loved it. I’ve actually read Pride and Prejudice before, a few years ago but couldn’t really remember it when it came to reading it this time. I loved the characters, they were a perfect balance between the complex histories and personalities of people such as Elizabeth and Darcy, as well as lighter entertainment in Mr Collins. The wittiness of the characters, and the humour in this book really shine through, and you cannot but help be transported into the rooms of Longbourn, Netherfield and Pemberly.
rjvrtiska's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful presentation appropriate to the novels held within. I bought this for my 30th birthday and read through all of the novels for the first time, having previously only seen plays and movies inspired by the books. The themes and language become a bit repetitive, but the writing and sentimentality remained engaging and noteworthy.
ellerosy's review against another edition
⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭑
Pride and Prejudice (Aug 2021)
“That would be the greatest misfortune of all! To find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! Do not wish me such an evil.”
Who even am I? I’ve read a classic and I absolutely adored it. I knew nothing about this novel before I started, obviously I’d heard of Mr Darcy but honestly that was it! I’ve walked passed the Jane Austen museum so many times when I visit Bath and it was beyond time I picked up a copy of her work, this edition being completely gorgeous may have helped a little bit!
I’m pretty basic so Pride and Prejudice seemed the best place to start. It took me a while to get into it but I loved Lizzy and Mr Darcy. I was practically squealing with happiness at the OG enemies to lovers.
Pride and Prejudice (Aug 2021)
“That would be the greatest misfortune of all! To find a man agreeable whom one is determined to hate! Do not wish me such an evil.”
Who even am I? I’ve read a classic and I absolutely adored it. I knew nothing about this novel before I started, obviously I’d heard of Mr Darcy but honestly that was it! I’ve walked passed the Jane Austen museum so many times when I visit Bath and it was beyond time I picked up a copy of her work, this edition being completely gorgeous may have helped a little bit!
I’m pretty basic so Pride and Prejudice seemed the best place to start. It took me a while to get into it but I loved Lizzy and Mr Darcy. I was practically squealing with happiness at the OG enemies to lovers.
ryometal's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
5.0
firerosearien's review against another edition
4.0
Copy/pasting my post from Reddit because I am lazy:
7.Emma - the protagonist is so vapid, and the novel so empty, I just can't appreciate it. I know that's the point, that it's about the emptiness of lives of upper middle class women, and I do really like Mr. Knightley, but I just can't make myself like Emma. And I've seen Clueless a bunch of times, too, and the movie, I think, is an upgrade.
6: Sense and Sensibility - Not bad, just not particularly great, either. It's a good way to start reading Austen as the plot is easy to follow and the characters are relatively few, but having read it once I have no real desire to read it again. Also I think Colonel Brandon would have been a better partner for Elinor, but that's just me.
5: Mansfield Park - here is your Jane Eyre/Cinderella story (which I'm a total sucker for), and though Fanny isn't strong in an extroverted sense, like Elizabeth Bennet, she is still able to keep to her morals, which says something amid many of the other horrid characters, refusing a marriage that almost any other female character in that novel would have taken without a second thought.
4: Persuasion - being honest, this was the last of the novels I read, and at this point it was super easy to predict the plot, so it didn't hold my attention very long. I'll need to reread it at some point to give it its due.
3: Northanger Abbey: A very strong start—actually laughed out loud, and the time that actually takes place AT the Abbey is fantastic, but the rest has some awkward pacing issues (they spend more time at Bath) and the ending feels forced. I kind of wish the Admiral had done a Rochester with his wife, but then I guess Jane Eyre wouldn't have been as successful...Earliest known reference to baseball, however, which is cool as a baseball fan/writer.
2: Lady Susan - As a diehard Game of Thrones/aSoIaF fan, you might imagine I loooove the complexity that a multiple P.O.V narration brings to a story, and I love the way the story unfolds unexpectedly. The only question here is whether LS actually counts as a novel, or if it's a novella.
1: Pride and Prejudice - The pacing is fantastic, the plot has twists that DON'T feel forced, as though the author needed something to happen to move events along, and while Elizabeth Bennet is an awesome heroine if ever there was one and Darcy epitomizes the brooding hero, some of the other supporting characters - Mr. Bennet, Jane Bennet, Mr. Bingley - are extremely likable as well. I finished P&P wishing I could go visit Regency England.
7.Emma - the protagonist is so vapid, and the novel so empty, I just can't appreciate it. I know that's the point, that it's about the emptiness of lives of upper middle class women, and I do really like Mr. Knightley, but I just can't make myself like Emma. And I've seen Clueless a bunch of times, too, and the movie, I think, is an upgrade.
6: Sense and Sensibility - Not bad, just not particularly great, either. It's a good way to start reading Austen as the plot is easy to follow and the characters are relatively few, but having read it once I have no real desire to read it again. Also I think Colonel Brandon would have been a better partner for Elinor, but that's just me.
5: Mansfield Park - here is your Jane Eyre/Cinderella story (which I'm a total sucker for), and though Fanny isn't strong in an extroverted sense, like Elizabeth Bennet, she is still able to keep to her morals, which says something amid many of the other horrid characters, refusing a marriage that almost any other female character in that novel would have taken without a second thought.
4: Persuasion - being honest, this was the last of the novels I read, and at this point it was super easy to predict the plot, so it didn't hold my attention very long. I'll need to reread it at some point to give it its due.
3: Northanger Abbey: A very strong start—actually laughed out loud, and the time that actually takes place AT the Abbey is fantastic, but the rest has some awkward pacing issues (they spend more time at Bath) and the ending feels forced. I kind of wish the Admiral had done a Rochester with his wife, but then I guess Jane Eyre wouldn't have been as successful...Earliest known reference to baseball, however, which is cool as a baseball fan/writer.
2: Lady Susan - As a diehard Game of Thrones/aSoIaF fan, you might imagine I loooove the complexity that a multiple P.O.V narration brings to a story, and I love the way the story unfolds unexpectedly. The only question here is whether LS actually counts as a novel, or if it's a novella.
1: Pride and Prejudice - The pacing is fantastic, the plot has twists that DON'T feel forced, as though the author needed something to happen to move events along, and while Elizabeth Bennet is an awesome heroine if ever there was one and Darcy epitomizes the brooding hero, some of the other supporting characters - Mr. Bennet, Jane Bennet, Mr. Bingley - are extremely likable as well. I finished P&P wishing I could go visit Regency England.
valerigail's review against another edition
5.0
Its Jane Austen, what more can I say? She was brilliant!
deanagrummons's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed Sense and Sensibility the most. Having watched the movie for Pride and Prejudice, I thought that one would be my favorite. Imagine my surprise. I did enjoy Pride and Prejudice and even Persuasion. However, Emma was not at all to my liking. She rather annoyed me. Actually, I think Jane Austen must have known a lot of super annoying people. Because there is at least one (if not more) in each story. Probably would have been best to just remove those people from her life. Most likely wouldn't have been a great story though.
gracer113's review against another edition
5.0
I finally finished all of Jane Austen's novels!
These are my favorites:
1. Northanger Abbey
2. Mansfield Park
3. Emma
4. Pride and Prejudice
5. Persuasion and Lady Susan
6. Sense and Sensibility
I honestly didn't like Sense and Sensibility that much, strangely, I found Marianne to be silly and selfish because she didn't care for Elinor's character at all. And poor Elinor had to exert herself to make Marianne happy even when she was depressed herself!
I throughly enjoyed Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park because I loved the heroines, the love interests, and the plot itself more than I thought I would, which is why Pride and Prejudice is a little bit lower on the list. I really like Pride and Prejudice, but I was pleasantly surprised by the others.
I just finished Emma, and I really enjoyed it! I liked how her character changed from beginning to end and I liked how her flaws rounded out her character and made her more alive in the book. It's nice to see how Mr. Knightley and Emma compliment each other as well.
Although I liked Persuasion and Anne's character, I did find it a little more boring than the other novels. Although I found Lady Susan to be hysterical, and I loved how it was done in letters! It was refreshing to see a main character be a villain, and see how other character perceived her in their "private" letters.
I'm most definitely going to read "Sandition and Other Stories" and I want read the Pride-and-Prejudice-based novel "Longbourn". I'm very glad I read these!
These are my favorites:
1. Northanger Abbey
2. Mansfield Park
3. Emma
4. Pride and Prejudice
5. Persuasion and Lady Susan
6. Sense and Sensibility
I honestly didn't like Sense and Sensibility that much, strangely, I found Marianne to be silly and selfish because she didn't care for Elinor's character at all. And poor Elinor had to exert herself to make Marianne happy even when she was depressed herself!
I throughly enjoyed Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park because I loved the heroines, the love interests, and the plot itself more than I thought I would, which is why Pride and Prejudice is a little bit lower on the list. I really like Pride and Prejudice, but I was pleasantly surprised by the others.
I just finished Emma, and I really enjoyed it! I liked how her character changed from beginning to end and I liked how her flaws rounded out her character and made her more alive in the book. It's nice to see how Mr. Knightley and Emma compliment each other as well.
Although I liked Persuasion and Anne's character, I did find it a little more boring than the other novels. Although I found Lady Susan to be hysterical, and I loved how it was done in letters! It was refreshing to see a main character be a villain, and see how other character perceived her in their "private" letters.
I'm most definitely going to read "Sandition and Other Stories" and I want read the Pride-and-Prejudice-based novel "Longbourn". I'm very glad I read these!
thizlibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
If you don't like Austen, we can't be book buddies