Sense and Sensibility

Jane Austen books are undeniably entertaining. I will say, the characters in this book were more annoying than in most. Marianne was prejudiced, reckless, and cocksure, and I wasn’t sorry to see her humbled, but I didn’t find her eventual marriage believable or even satisfactory after how she belittled Colonel Brandon. I don’t think she deserved him. By contrast, I hate how the girls absolutely absolved Edward of any wrongdoing—treated him as a martyr, even—for maintaining his prior engagement to Lucy after falling in love with Elinor and leading her on. It goes to show the dangers of secret engagements, not that anyone does those anymore. How can Elinor trust the constancy of Edward’s affections, when he has proven himself to be so careless? Exasperating characters makes for entertaining reading, though they perhaps undermine the happy endings.