Jane Austen’s debut novel is a brilliant tragicomedy of flirtation and folly in which two sisters who represent “sense” and “sensibility,” or restraint and emotionalism, experience love and
heartbreak in their own separate ways. The impetuous Marianne falls passionately in love with the dashing John Willoughby and makes no secret of her affections. Meanwhile, Elinor and the
mild-mannered Edward Ferras feel a mutual attraction, yet neither has the directness to acknowledge it. When it is revealed that Willoughby is in fact an unscrupulous fortune hunter and that Edward
is bound by a previous commitment to another woman, each sister’s romantic hopes are dashed. As they bear their grief in their different ways, Marianne learns from Elinor’s quiet restraint, while
Elinor learns the value of Marianne’s candid expression. In the end, both sisters are happily settled, having each developed a more balanced approach to life and love.
Editorial Reviews
Editorial Reviews
“As nearly flawless as any fiction could be.” —Eudora Welty
“Miss Austen gives us all the agony of passion the human heart can feel; she was the first; and none has written the scene that we all desire to write as truthfully as she has…It is here that we find the burning human heart in English prose narrative for the first, and, alas, for the last time.” —George Moore
“[Narrator Wanda McCaddon gives] a spirited reading, using skillful phrasing to interpret the text. She gives the characters distinct voices and captures their personalities perfectly.”
—AudioFile
“Three elements make Jane Austen’s work so appealing: the love stories, the character portraits, and the wonderful prose with which she presents them.” —AudioFile
Jane Austen (1775–1817) is considered by many scholars to be the first great woman novelist. Born in Steventon, England, she later moved to Bath and began to write for her own
and her family’s amusement. Her novels, set in her own English countryside, depict the daily lives of provincial middle-class families with wry observation, a delicate irony, and a good-humored
wit.
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