Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Popular Classics) (Paperback)

While Pride and Prejudice is primarily about miscommunication, Sense and Sensibility is about the maturation of two sisters as they find themselves confronted by adversity. The former topic allows Ms. Austen more room to roam, but within the later topic she has plenty of opportunities to display her story telling and comic talents. While maturation is an important sub theme in Pride and Prejudice, you see maturation better developed in Sense and Sensibility.

When their father dies, Elinor, Marianne and Margaret find themselves in exile from their family home with their mother. The family estate had been left to their half brother whom their father exhorted to take care of them. But that promise is soon diluted into doing almost nothing through the selfishness of his wife and his vacillation. A relative kindly offers them a country cottage near his home and takes obvious pleasure in their company.

In this new home, Elinor finds herself entertaining the welcome attentions of Edward Ferrars. Her sister, Marianne, is all aflutter over John Willoughby who seems to be committed to her. In fact, everyone assumes that there will soon be wedding bells for Marianne and Willoughby.

All of these pleasant connections are, however, soon disrupted. Willoughby leaves and ignores Marianne. Elinor finds out an unexpected secret about Ferrars that puts her on her caution in pursuing their relationship. As these complications develop, Marianne soon finds herself distraught. Elinor steps into the breach to try to help her sister regain her equilibrium. Both learn what a broken heart can feel like and adjust in their own separate ways.

In vintage Jane Austen style, all bets are off near the end of the book as characters take unexpected steps that open up new possibilities. There's no one quite like Jane Austen for pulling great twists in her romantic comedies. These twists will cause your jaw to drop.

Try not to compare this book to Pride and Prejudice. It's clearly a lesser work, but one that can certainly be enjoyed in its own right.

Don't misunderstand, this is by no extremes a bad novel it just pales in comparison to her other words. The prose reminds me a lot of Lawrence for some reason, perhaps this was precipitated by the likeness of Elinor and Marianne to Ursula and Gudrun. The narrative, at times, appeared somewhat confusing and it was difficult to keep track of who was supposedly in love with who and why it wouldn't work out.

Marianne by far is one of the most insipid characters created in literature. Her constant need to cry gets tedious and irritating. Elinor, although supposedly stoical and diffident, is far too reserved to be realistic.

The presentation of Colonel Brandon is fantastic however. He comes across as the best character in the book - so lifelike and amiable.

All in all, this book is not bad but pales in comparison to Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion (and even Northanger Abbey). It deserves to be read by any Austen fan, but if one expects the greatness of the novels mentioned before then prepare yourself for deflation.