Sense and Sensibility

Author: Jane Austen 

Pages: 409
Genre: Classic, Historical Fiction
First Published: October 1811
Book Description (Good Reads): Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love—and its threatened loss—the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.

Things to consider:

• Characters: 8.0



I don't think many people like spoilers but this story is old enough to merit it. Spoiler found in ***

• Marianne is very romantic and a huge drama queen, she disregards the social property. She is a good sister and daughter worries about her closest family except for her brother. He does definitely not deserve all that much consideration, she just appreciates him and treats him cordially. Personally he and his wife, I dislike very much.
• Elinor is sweet and very logical minded, she cares a lot about proper behavior and wants to protect her sister and mother. She is the sensible one, she needs to keep the check in reality for her small family after they lose their father.
• There are several love interests, Willoughby I have a huge dislike for him. He was definitely an awful choice. Also Edward, the lovely other main love interest is not someone they should accept or forgive just like that. 
• Edward did play one of the sisters, no matter how you look at it and then he disregarded her completely making her feel stupid for assuming something that wasn't there when he was encouraging it all the while. ***SpoileryHe is a fickle character and it is shown in the way he is willing to marry someone and then when he is free of that engagement immediately gets to propose to the girl he disregards completely. He was supposed willing to go through a marriage even after the mother opposes and throws him out in the street. How can you trust his feelings when you saw him do that and then throw it away at the first opportunity without even being affected by it. *** End spoiler
• Lucy, I dislike her because she exists really. XD Afterwards, almost at the very end at least we get a real reason to merit the dislike. She was just as fickle as Edward, they do deserve each other.
• The older man who wins over one of the sisters, Coronel Brandon, I actually like a lot. He deserves to be very happy.
• Logic: 8.5
• The way people behave, it is very time set accurate. IT was literally written over a hundred years ago so many of the social behavior things were annoying but very true. 
• Women could not be considered to inherit and had to live off the charity of the closest male relative.
• People were too into social status and the amount of money you and your family had. Women were considered because of the fortune and their family relations not as much for the person they might be.
• Women could be disgraced by the mere fact of exchanging letters and in order to do that with a male you were not related to, you needed to be engaged to marry otherwise it was improper. 
• The love interests the initial ones, did not make sense to me, the way Mariane especially, the way she describes her perfect husband was not very realistic. But well marriages were made with worst situations. Also, the things she bases the perfect match in John looks rushed ad she goes way over her head in depression for something she lost when there was nothing to begin with. Again I guess she made her life with him in her head and that makes sense to be heartbroken when she lost it all. She is overly romantic, I would love to say that it is not realistic but it is, plenty people fall into that mistake.
• The Dashwood mother is annoying, only caring for marriage for her daughters and matching them up... Not to my liking but very era-appropriate.
• Plot 8.0 
• The storyline is very "predictable" I mean you know almost from the beginning of the book that the first love interest is ending up bad and it gives big warning signs, or maybe you have already been exposed so much to the story in plenty media, movies, references in other books, loose retellings and plainly based on Jane Austen's other works you loosely know where it is going. With that being said it is still interesting discovering exactly as it goes developing. It is a drama, plain full-on love drama. We have very classic I love you instantly but then no, I love another, then the woman will never find someone else and then she does, she ends up with the love of her life. Cliche but ok acceptable.
• Writing style: 8.5
• Initially when beginning to read classics the way they talk and express the scenery and all it is hard to grasp but as you move along it becomes easier to understand and you no longer pay attention to it.
• The writing in itself is very descriptive in many places so you need to get used to the way things they refer things but after that, you fly through it.
• Intrigue: 8.0
• It is mainly drama, you know when somethings coming and when more drama is mixed in you get a bit ahh yeah that was coming but it is still enjoyable.
• Intention: 8.0
• Love conquers all, it over-romanticizes relationships even between people who are not too trustworthy but oh well. IT works wonders.
• Enjoyment 8.5

Total Score: 57.5

Average: 8.2

Star Rating: 4

Used to accomplish challenges:

• Mythothon Ancient Greece read a book set in the past.