A review by liv_jones
Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism
Period-typical attitudes