Sense & Sensibility

By: Joanna Trollope

Narrated by: Kate Reading

Two sisters could hardly be more different . . .

Elinor Dashwood, an architecture student, values patience and reliability. Her impulsive sister, Marianne, takes after their mother, Belle, and is fiery and creative, filling the house with her dramas and guitar playing while dreaming of going to art school.

But when their father, Henry Dashwood, dies suddenly, his whole family finds itself forced out of Norland Park, their beloved home for twenty years. Without the comfort of status, they discover that their values are severely put to the test.

Can Elinor remain stoic and restrained knowing that the man she really likes has already been ensnared by another girl? Will Marianne's faith in a one-and-only lifetime love be shaken by meeting the hottest boy in the county, John Willoughby? And in a world where social media and its opinions are the controlling forces at play, can love ever triumph over conventions and disapproval?

With her wit and eye for social nuance, Joanna Trollope casts Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility in a fresh new light to retell a wonderful coming-of-age story about young love and heartbreak, and how, when it comes to money especially, some things never change. . . .

©2013 Joanna Trollope (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

Characters Distasteful

I haven't read the original Sense and Sensibility yet, but after listening to Eligible (loved it!) I had go give the other Austen Project books a try. Unfortunately I didn't find this story as fun or easy to attach to - the characters are all drippy or snobs. Hoping the other stories are more enjoyable.

My Favorite Modernization

I’ve read many contemporary “Austen-based” novels, and this was my favorite. Trollope used some brilliant innovations from the original (one of my favorite books) to translate the original characters and situations to today. For example, giving one character asthma, making another a philanthropist, and making a third gay. They all fit and almost felt like they improved (gasp) on the original. I really liked Brandon and Mrs Jennings and how she made even minor characters more human (Lady Mary, Mrs Ferrers)—partly because Trollope does more showing where Austen did more telling, I also thought this novel more clearly showed that Elinor had something to learn (not just “M”), while staying true to the spirit of the original. It was also very well read. Well done!

very good adaptation of the original novel

I thought the author did an great job of taking Austen's characters & plot and placing it in a contemporary setting.

Trollope is Fantastic

Trollope has brought the characters of the classic Jane Austen story into the present day and made it interesting even though we who have read Austen's S&S know the ending, it still was fun to see how it would all play out in modern day circumstances. The characters were enjoyable, though I find Marian as annoying in the modern day as I do in the 1800's! Her mother seemed more silly in the modern day than the mother of Austen's S&S. I did enjoy how she treated the kindly cousin and his mother-in-law. Even Trollope had a hard time making anyone believe an intelligent, mature man would fall in love (not lust) with Marian. I laughed when the cottage they were offered turned out to be a modern efficient characterless home instead of an old restored estate worker's cottage (since in modern day we would think it wonderful to live in a quaint holiday let on an estate).

Not the Original

Annoyed that this was not the original. Wish it would have stated that more clearly

SLOOOOW

I suppose everyone has an off day. Very disappointing. Apart from The Choir, Joanna Trollope is a really lovely author.

Was this Really Written by Joanna Trollope?

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I am a huge fan of all of her books, but this one is insipid and boring with few likable characters. Ugh, I cannot believe I am listening to the end. I keep hoping it will somehow redeem itself but it reads like a poorly written romance novel or Soap Opera. The narrators "baby talk" rendition of the mothers dealing with their young children is nauseating.

How could the performance have been better?

Cut out the "baby talk".

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Nausea

Any additional comments?

Unfortunate because I have really loved her other books.