Reviews

Sense & Sensibility by Joanna Trollope

finestgreen's review

No.

librarygurl's review

2.0

I think this book highlighted all the things I didn't like about the original Sense & Sensibility. I spent most of the read rolling my eyes and grumbling at all the characters. I just don't think that S&S translates well to a modern day setting. So much of what happens in the original is merely because of Regency era social structures. I think the only character that worked was Margaret. If Trollope had written this from her POV with that mix of teenage naivety and frustration, it may have come off better. Marianne's all-or-nothing attitude comes off merely as childish. Belle's unwillingness to take care of her family is immature. Elinor's stoic need to take care of everyone while taking care of nobody is frustrating. Ed and Wills are barely established as characters to care about. We never get to understand what happens between Marianne and Wills (other than getting caught having sex in his aunt's house) that makes her fall so madly in love with him. We never really understand the dynamic between Ed and the Dashwoods to explain why Elinor would be so quick to make assumptions about his motivations. The other surrounding characters come off as charictures of people in the upper class. They are all vapid and annoying. They are tolerated because they are generous, but none of it makes sense in 21st century society because it all is the same as the original.
There were only 2 things I liked about this book. First was Margaret, who was spot on. Second, it was a very easy read.
If the original S&S was not your favorite skip this.

sarahlreadseverything's review against another edition

3.0

3.5

kberry513's review

4.0

I really liked this; I thought it was a pretty faithful retelling of the original and it definitely kept my interest. I would have loved it if maybe it deviated a little more though; as it turns out, the middle class of today in England hasn't apparently changed much.

I identify so much with Elinor that sometimes I have a difficult time liking Marianne and Belle...they are just too dramatic for me. That being said, you can't help but root for them. Also, (and this is true of the original also) I don't love Edward. He's just so weak for most of the story. I think Brandon is my favorite. I did also love the brotherly relationship that Elinor has with Brandon and Tom Palmer.

sallyavena's review

3.0

While a small part of me is glad that it stayed true to the original, most of me was bored out of my mind because it was so predictable. I love Austen's but this was just the original story set in modern time. The only thing that kept me turning the pages was to see what modern take the author was going to take on what Austen wrote.

charly27's review

Maybe I should have re read Austin first but I just wasn’t invested in the characters! 

freckleduck's review

4.0

This book made me realize how much I miss Chick Lit books. Not my most favorite but an interesting update. I liked it's readability. Not sure it is entirely successful at updating it. That seems to be a challenge in Austin novels, where the plot and time period are so intertwined.

quillbot's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

krobart's review

3.0

See my review here:

http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/sense-&-sensibility/

lauriestein's review

4.0

I read this last year, forgot to review it and definitely do not remember my specific thoughts. But my overall impression was that this was a very well-executed update, much better than the Austen Project's Northanger Abbey which was terrible. Not quite at the level of Eligible, but close.