I know it’s been a while since I’ve discussed my reading for the Jane Austen book club, but never fear, I have not abandoned it! In this post I will be discussing Lady Susan and Sense and Sensibility.

Lady Susan

Well, first thing to say, is that this book was quite odd. Not necessarily in a bad way. It’s a compilation of letters between Lady Susan and the rest of the characters. So the reader would have to build some of the situations in their own mind’s eye, than relying fully on what Jane Austen had written. Some parts were quite tedious and boring, others were bursts of gossip, jealousy and selfishness. I personally thought it took a while to get started, but the manipulations of each character towards the situation were quite interesting.

To be honest, if I gave you a summary of what the story was about, I might as well have read you the whole book. It’s such a short book, I was able to read it in 2.5 hrs on the train from London to Leeds. I would love to tell you what my favourite part of the story is, but I can barely remember a scene that really gripped me. A very light read, unfortunately also a quite forgettable one.

Sense and Sensibility

One of my absolutely favourite Jane Austen books! I loved the movie, but I can definitely say I do prefer the book. Many a times I wanted to reach out and hug Elinor to comfort her, throttle Lucy Steele for her malice and manipulations, slap Marianne to her senses, give Edward Ferrars a pinch for being a bit of a coward and take tea with the chatty Mrs Jennings.

Although, I loved the ending (aye, Colonel Brandon is such a hottie!) I find it a pity that Willoughby will live long and regret his decision at the end, choosing wealth and lifestyle over a love that he had. My favourite parts of the book indeed were when Willoughby found Marianne with her sprained ankle and helped her home and the other when he apologised to Elinor for his horrible actions towards Marianne, as the latter was trying to recover from illness. Poor tortured soul.

I am definitely more of an Elinor now than a Marianne, who I think was more my teenage self.