Sense and Sensibility // Book Review

How-de-do peeps! I hope you are all doing great on this lovely Saturday! (I mean, it's Saturday, how could you not be doing great? ;))

I'm kicking off my blog return with a few bookish thoughts! But first, I must preface these bookish thoughts with a confession.

I'm afraid that I have been sorely lacking in the reading department for awhile now. I just went through a weird slump where nothing really kept my attention and I was struggling with even finding good suggestions of what to read and I just... didn't really read for way longer than I like to admit. 

But I think that that long period of no reading had a reverse affect on me. Maybe I got a little bit book starved.

Because I then suddenly switched from not being in a reading mood, to all of a sudden wanting to read every book I could possibly get my hands on. All of a sudden every time I walked past my bookshelf or into the library it just got me excited!!

And my goodness, you have no idea how much I've missed books! For the most part, I was reading whatever friends recommended, or whatever random book came my way. But these past few weeks, with rain and snow and cozy evenings and such, have really had me in the mood to read all the old books. Like the classics that I had always neglected. I'm very sorry indeed to admit that the only Jane Austen book I'd read was Pride and Prejudice. And I thoroughly enjoyed it, but at the time, none of her other books really intrigued me enough to get me to read them all the way through. 

But the other day, I was scouring the bookshelf for something that I hadn't already read (or reread. many. many. times.), when Sense and Sensibility caught my eye. "Why not?" I thunk to myself. So read it I did. And Oh. My. Goodness.

It is the absolute loveliest book!! The characters, the humor, the story line, just *happy/excited fuzzies*

I've always been a huge fan of the 1995 Sense and Sensibility movie (aka the Emma Thompson one). It is a perfectly lovely movie, but I've heard that it alters the story line a bit (but what movie adaptation doesn't?), so I was looking forward to the different twists of the book! 

So! Now that I have rambled for a good while, let us proceed! 

To begin, the characters were magnificent. The amount of detail that Jane Austen puts into sculpting each character and making them their own person is really fascinating.

I hope to one day have half as much sense as Elinor has. The way she conducts and carries herself, her kind spirit, and her loyalty to her family is something to be admired. And though Marianne often assumes it, Elinor is certainly not out of touch with her emotions, but rather prefers to keep them hidden (which to Marianne is quite the conundrum. Why on earth would you not want the sympathy of every neighbor and his third cousin?)

"I was quiet, but I was not blind...and sometimes I have kept my feelings to myself, because I could find no language to describe them in." ~ Elinor, Sense and Sensibility 

Elinor has a quiet (though not at all timid) spirit, and she has a strength of character that helps her to guide and counsel her mother and sisters, who all seem to be much more emotion based. 

As for Miss Marianne, despite her flare for the dramatic and her oh-so-expressive temperament, I can't help but love her. Her deep emotional connection to people and the world around her is very endearing.  

"It is not everyone Marianne," said Elinor, "who has your passion for dead leaves." ~ Sense and Sensibility

She is also relatable in so many ways. Marianne tends to be led by her emotions, and can get very caught up in herself at times. But she has such a sweetness of spirit and happy outlook of the world that really speaks for the good intentions she has at heart.

Edward is just stinkin' adorable. He's quiet and socially awkward (hmm, kinda sounds like someone I know XD) and fiercely loyal, and I just love him to pieces!!


"I wish as everybody else to perfectly happy, but like everybody esle, it must be in my own way." ~ Edward, Sense and Sensibility

Can we also talk about how adorable Mrs. Jennings is!! When Marianne got sick and Mrs. Jennings refused to leave them, I wanted to hug her. 

"Mrs. Jennings however, with a kindness of heart which made Elinor really love her, declared her resolution of not stirring from Cleveland as long as Marianne remained ill, and if endeavoring, by her own attentive care, to supply to her the place of the mother she had taken from her; and Elinor found her on every occasion a most willing and active helpmate, desirous to share in all her fatigues, and often by her better experience in nursing, of material use." ~ Sense and Sensibility

Of course, she is a bit silly at times, and is quite the gossip, but I found myself loving Mrs. Jennings more and more as the book went on. 

And I must say, Lucy is perfectly horrid. Ugggghhhh what a little schemer... That is all I have to say on her score. 

And of course, one can hardly get through a post about Sense and Sensibility without mentioning that one person. 

Mr. Willoughby. Reading the book just makes me dislike him even more. Ew. Just ew. Ugh. So many ugh. Good day Sir. 

Colonel Brandon was a dear. That poor guy. He's gone through a lot, and Marianne wasn't much help on that score, for a little while anyways. But he deserves the world and I am glad he got the happy ending he deserved.

On that note, I have to say that I was kind of disappointed that we got so little coverage of Colonel Brandon and Marianne's relationship once Marianne actually fell in love with him! Only a paragraph or two was devoted to them actually falling in love and getting married, and I wanted details!!! 

And another slight complaint while I'm at it. WE DIDN'T GET TO HEAR EDWARD'S PROPOSAL!!! Noooooo!! I wanted details on that too!! 

However, we did get a look into Edward and Elinor's life after marriage and it just made me love them as a couple that much more. They have a quiet, happy existince, and this little excerpt made me smile...

"Mrs. Jennings's prophecies, though rather jumbled together, were chiefly fulfilled; for she was able to visit Edward and his wife at their Parsonage by Michaelmas, and she found in Elinor and her husband, as she really believed, one of the happiest couples in the world. They had in fact nothing to wish for, but for the marriage of Colonel Brandon and Marianne, and rather better pasturage for their cows." ~ Sense and Sensibility

Another scene that deserves a mention would be when Willoughby showed up at Clevealand after he heard that Marianne might be dying. Yes. You read that correctly.

But I gotta say, I absolutely loved that scene. It gave us some explanation for Willoughby's actions, as well as maybe made me feel just a teensy bit bad for him. But just a teensy bit. I still despise him (scowls at Willoughby). 

Also, may I say that the way Elinor handled Willoughby, herself, and the entire situation in this scene was A+++++!! You tell him girl. 

As for the book itself, it was practically perfect in every way. I was really happy to find out that there was actually a lot of really funny parts. I don't know why, but I've always had this idea that old books are always serious and have no humor in them, but it's a lie my frens.  Jane Austen has a lovely sense of humor!

And I believe, since I have clearly rambled long enough, that I will stop here. But to finish, I will say that if you haven't already read S&S, please go do it now!! Also, one more side note, (bare with me, my thoughts are a little jumbled XD), I have never seen the 2008 S&S miniseries, but now I plan to watch it and do a little compare and contrast between the book, and the two movie adaptations! So I may make a post out of that in the future if anyone is interested! Hope you are all doing well!

So! Have you read Sense and Sensibility? What did you think of it? Let's chat!

Yours Truly, Miss Woodhouse