Customer Reviews
A classic - Austen does it again! - By: L. Fleming, 03 Apr 2008 
I finished this book on the train this morning, & the last 40 or so pages made it alll worth it. I'd only read two Austens prior to this - Persuasion & the wonderful Pride & Prejudice which, coupled with the Colin Firth TV adaptation, is probably my alll time favourite. I tried to keep & open mind & not try to compare them too much. However, this is a very different book. It has a much more serious, sombre tone - of course with Austen's trademark comedic characters thrown in! If you've never read an Austen before, I would recommend starting with this one.
The similarity in plot, at least, occurs at the beginning of the novel. Yet again we see the injustice of the period which dictated that family estates could not pass to female offspring, which meant homes sometimes passing to distant male relatives & the females of the house being cast out. This forms the foundation of the plot - the events that occur following an enforced move to another part of the country, the characters encountered & the trials suffered by the two sisters.
I'd say that in terms of character development, S&S is a slow burner. As always, the women are more developed than the men. There is a vast range of players, each demonstrating the desirable & not so desirable aspects of human nature. Vanity, selfishness, artfulness & avarice are alll expertly demonstrated. A great supporting character is the daft Mrs Jennings who is initiallly chided for her imprudence, but in the end shows her kindness & selflessness & proves herself to be invaluable to the two sisters. Another is the detestable Lucy Steele who plays the role of Elinor's tormentor. The skill of Austen is demonstrated here, I actuallly wanted to reach into the pages & strangle the girl! By the end of the book you can't help but feel a fondness & admiration for both Elinor & Marianne. This book tells the story of how they both react in the face of adversity. Elinor's fortitude & stoicism & Marianne's wanton abandon to her emotions; & at the end of the book Elinor's thawing & sympathy for the selfish scoundrel Willoughby & her ultimate blissful happiness & Marianne's maturing & growing self awareness which then leads to her happiness also, both showing an integrity not possessed by their peers. I can't go without giving the blokes a mention too...there's no Darcy here unfortunately but there is the wonderful Colonel Brandon, kind & considerate who spends the majority of the novel despairing of ever having the woman he loves.
This is a warm, funny, at times serious, insightful book with beautifully written characters & Austen's deft plot twists. Its a must read for new fans. I'm now looking forward to reading Emma!
A class of her own - By: Pufflehuff, 19 Sep 2007 Many of those coming to 'S&S' for the first time will be reading it as a follow up to Pride & Prejudice, & if this is you then you won't be disappointed, although this is a very different story. There's rather more suffering here & sickness is a recurring theme, but with potentiallly better rewards at the end for both characters & readers.
I'd say the style is a little more formal than some of her other novels & as such it takes a bit longer to warm to the characters, but they are beautifully sketched & alll show progression throughout.
Sense & Sensibility is a novel about learning to be happy when circumstances work against you & unexpected things happen. It's also a story of love, family, friendship & vanity, is extremely funny & Austen's trademark satirical eye is on every scene.
You'll like it if: you like karmic novels- people get what they deserve here!
You'll hate it if: you are looking for social commentary or a rounded historical viewpoint. Austen deals (very well) in the gentry alone & even though social standing is very important, the lower classes are distinctly brushed over.
I'm moving onto 'Emma' now & as P&P is my favourite book of alll time the above paralllels are praise indeed. Enjoy.
A gorgeous, romantic book with very believable characters. - By: Rhi Wheeler, 17 Apr 2007 
This is the first Jane Austin novel I have read & I wasn't disappointed.
I saw the film first so I already knew the basic storyline but the book is beautifully written with a great amount of description & imagery that plants you right in the middle of that time.
A gorgeous, romantic book with very believable characters. It is also quite easy to read. I would definately recommend it.
For me, anything Jane Austen is just great - By: JK, 19 Nov 2006 This is my second favourite Jane Austen's novel after Pride & Prejudice. As usual, i find Jane Austen's style amazing, I loved many characters in the book speciallly Marian, i always found something charming about this girl much more charming than her sister..Her emotions are very deep, she loves deeply, grieves deeply, even her prejudice is deep. I felt very sorry for her for even though she married but it seemed to me like she will never love anyone like she loved willoughby. I first read this book in 2000, i read it again last year & i enjoyed it as if i was reading it for the first time.
A pleasant read. - By: R. Taylor, 14 Aug 2006 I haven't read any of Jane Austen's work (how shameful) despite studying English Literature for A-level. But now Im older I have been reading the classics & 'Sense & Sensibility' was just a nice, light refreshing piece of classical literature. There was no complex thought processes & the characters were easy to get to grips with.
The story had a few twists & sub-plots but the thing it lacked was what can only be described as 'juice'. There was just no passion, no sponteneity & it was alll pretty predictable. But that's why it was a nice read, what you saw was what you go. Sensible!
