Laura’s Rating: 1.5/5 Stars
Happy Valentine’s Day! A story about sisters coming of age and seeking romantic attachments seemed to fit with the romance theme of this holiday. This book has never been out of print since its original publication and has been adapted for stage and film many times.
The Analysis:
Before this, I had never read any of the classic Jane Austen or Brontë sisters novels, which I kind of lump together as their own little sub-genre. How can I call myself a book blogger without having read such a famous and beloved area of literature? The main reason I hadn’t dipped into that category of books was because they simply didn’t interest me much. I have a pretty good idea of what books I might like, but in the interest of expanding my horizons, I thought I had to try.
It turns out, I know myself pretty well, and I was not a huge fan of my first experience with 1800s romance literature. The writing in Sense and Sensibility is superfluous and drags out every description and piece of dialogue. I understand that this book is old and that is how people spoke and wrote, but in 2021 it’s hard to digest. The plot itself I found just plain boring. Marriage matches based on social rank and income are less than enthralling, and even with some of the drama involved, it wasn’t exciting enough for me. I do think the plot may have interested me more if not written in the flowery style of Jane Austen.
I’m sure many people might disagree with my take, as Jane Austen continues to be popular even today. I admire her as a pioneer for women writers, but I can’t say that I enjoyed my first encounter with her work.
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