Sense & Sensibility

Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen

So I was checking all the reviews and I was like "hell, I have yet to review a classic" so here it is. Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility. Austen wrote many novels but the ones that almost everyone know are this one and Pride & Prejudice. Personally, I like S&S much more, that's why I'm reviewing it before P&P.

Sense & Sensibility tells the story of the Dashwood family after the death of the father, who, according to the law of that time, has to leave all his goods to his son, rather than to his wife and her daughters. He asks his son to help them, but eventually he decides to give them a small amount of money that will not do much for them.

That's how the story begins, I won't go further because I would not be able to summarize Sense & Sensibility without going to much into detail and I really do not want to spoil any of the beauty of this book. The story follows Marianne and Elinor Dashwood and all they both face (in love) during a period of time.  I am not a fan of romantic novels, but I have to admit that I completely fell for this one. The love stories are so pure and well written that even if you are not into romance you won't be able to resist it!

The setting of the novel is amazing,  I bet almost everyone would like to live in Victorian England (only for a few days, perhaps)… those balls, those houses… it all goes along with the story and make it even better. As always, I like talking about the characters, and this is not going to be an exception. Every one of them is so peculiar in their own way that it's very hard not to feel anything for them (rather hate or love, of course). The main leading ladies of the story are a constant conflict between Sense and Sensibility. For that, and for many other things, the novel a true masterpiece.

If you have not read the book but have watched Ang Lee's adaptation, read it as well, the film is so well adapted that you will actually think they filmed the book, not a screenplay.  The book was adapted by no other than Emma Thompson and it is one of the greatest adaptations I have ever come across, brilliant writing.

 The direction is just amazing, the sets are spectacular and to me it is one of the best costume period drama of the last years. 

The performances are stellar (no big surprise, when you got a cast that includes Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman and Kate Winslet, you can only expect good things) - Maybe I'll review the film one day, although I think I just did.

MadHatterSays: Read it! and if you are more interested in the film, watch it right away!