Reviews- Rachel's Reading Club 2023/2024

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Originally this book was written in 1811; set in English Georgian society at the turn of the 19th century.

I became interested in Jane's writings, oddly enough after watching the 1995 version of Sense and Sensibility with Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet.

Truthfully, while I enjoyed the movie, I far more enjoyed the book. I saw where several scenes had been reduced or combined to get it an acceptable "movie length".

The primary characters are the Dashwood family. Mr. Dashwood had remarried, and had three daughters. Right before he died, he appealed to his oldest son, from his first marriage to take care of his sisters. The wife of said son was to me a greedy hoyden who basically "talked" him out of most of his obligations.

The Dashwood women were forced to go live in a "cottage" and were reduced in a great manner. They were befriended by the owners of the cottage, and were for the most part comfortable, although their accustomed living was not the same.

Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret are the names of the Dashwood girls. Not much is made of Margaret in the book, though she does seem a little older than what is portrayed in the movie.

The story goes on about how Elinor and Marianne come to find love, and then lose it, and then to find it again. The language in the book is at the turn of the century England, so it does seem quite a bit formal to me, but I guess that is part of the charm.

Society is all important during that time period, and scandal could make or break a person's reputation. Times have changed, greatly, but the story itself is timeless.

I would recommend reading Sense and Sensibility to anyone who likes historical romance.

I give it a