The transforming power of loving "Sisterhood" | Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics)

One of the most beautiful books I own | Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics) | Jane Austen

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	• Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics) Jane Austen Penguin Classics Hardcover, 2009 - 448 pages average customer review:based on 7 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Penguin clothbound classics

The Penguin clothbound classics are all beautiful, but I like the Sense and Sensibility cover the very best. They make beautiful gifts and look great on the bookshelf. I looked everywhere and the price I paid on Amazon ($13.60) is by far the cheapest. They're a bargain at that price.

The transforming power of loving "Sisterhood"

I've read four Jane Austen novels in rapid succession, having been rapidly ensnared by Emma (Modern Library Classics), and avidly seeking more of this fabulous writer whose greatness I was amazed to have only just discovered. (The others were Pride And Prejudice, and Persuasion
As with all the great classics found on Amazon, many readers have already offered excellent reviews. In these cases, I have felt little need to add my own, unless I feel I have something new to offer. In the case of Sense and Sensibility, I do indeed believe the need to offer my view, to do this book what I believe is better justice! Here's why:
Many reviewers (which you may read if you browse other editions here) profess what is apparently the party line on Austen's works-- that while they "love this book and give it 5 stars", they (feel obliged to) then damn it with faint praise by adding "EVEN if it is one of her a. earliest, b. "not as poslished", c. "not as complex", or d. "not as funny, well-written,... etc. etc."
I must take issue!
1. Even if any or all of the above are so, (which I could waste many lines on disputing, to no useful purpose), why would any of these attributes of supposed inferiority be relevant to enjoying this book for itself? They themselves belie such relevance by noting their own great pleasure in reading THIS Jane Austen book. If indeed JA is a brilliant master novelist (no contest here), any and all her books is worth reading for its own sake, as each of them, and as no doubt JA herself would hope. The only reason to compare the finer distinctions among them would be to recommend which of her books one should read IF one could only read one or two. Indeed, not a one reviewer would I dare say recommend any such thing! Sense and Sensibility, as does each of the other 3 JAs I've read, has its own unique treasures to yield to the reader, and it is for these that each must be appreciated and each and all read.
2. Sense and Sensibility is a great analysis and example of the power of FILIAL love to transform a person for the better, and thereby to enable her to gain happiness. In my view, the interest in placing the two "opposing" virtues of Sense and Sensibility in each of the two sisters, Elinor and Marianne, is not simply to showcase the benefits and pitfalls the key virtue confers to the holder, but, much more illuminatingly, the value of the love between the two to cause the other to grow into a woman who can have BOTH in proper degree. Indeed, the book's ending will prove this!
3. In Sense and Sensibility, there are many themes developed extensively which are not a focus of the three others I read, aside from #2. One is demonstrated in the character and actions of Lucy, initially presented as an almost deceptively minor character. (I wont say more, but this alone is a real gem worth reading the book for.) Another is the evolution of the sisters' regard for a number of important characters in the book. Each of these is developed and explained beautifully--the regard for Willoughby, for Mrs. Jennings, for Captain Brandon, Edward. These changes are effected not only by and within each sister, but by and within several other characters...with most edifying effects for the education not only the protagonists, but for me!
4. Finally, Sense and Sensibility features key themes also showcased in the other three books, e.g., the power of real love to change one's character--one's pride and or prejudices for example (in that named book!), or the well-known to all (but beautifully illustrated examples of) wisdom, that how one reacts to love and the obstacles it creates or are created in its way, depends on character, and luck...but the love itself rarely is under one's control! And yet, of course, since each book's treatment of this theme is unique and reveals a host of unique vicissitudes it can involve, S and S and each of the others is well-worth the reward of the unique discoveries it offers the reader.
I need say no more, and direct the reader to "click" all four of the above into his/her cart!

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One of the most beautiful books I own

Sense & Sensibility has been reviewed ad infinitum, but I wanted to say that this is one of the most beautiful books I own.

I was looking for a series of classics that I could purchase in hardcover to spruce up my personal library. I stumbled upon these special editions from Penguin Classics, with covers designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith. I love books, but these books still make me giddy with delight when I pick them up. The covers have so much character and they're sturdy. The fonts are classic and easy to read, and the paper is substantial. The ribbon bookmarks, that match the cover, are a really nice touch. The only bad thing I can say, and it's so minor, is that the binding is a little stiff when the book is new. It loosens as you read.

There are more titles available, though some are still exclusive to the UK. I truly hope Amazon and Penguin make all editions available in the US and keep them coming!

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bbok

Beautiful book. I love the fabric cover. There is also a ribbon book marker in each of these books in a coordinating color!

LOVE LOVE LOVE

I can't get enough of the Coralie Bickford-Smith designs for these penguin classics. They look beautiful on bookshelves and are classic literature. I ended up purchasing all 8 available on Amazon. I just wish I could get the rest here too.

reviews: page 1, 2

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