A modern version of Sense and Sensibility for the YA set. I read it in one sitting. It’s pretty banal, but that is about the only way to update that story for today.

There were some story changes. The father didn’t die until page 90 or so. Edward and Robert were Blake and Piers and they weren’t brothers. That sort of thing.

I did like that Elinor’s cat was named Manderley. You know, the house from Rebecca. I thought that was cute. The mother was horrific.

I do think it stuck pretty closely to the point of the original, though. Wait, no. That’s not quite right. I think the tone was as close as possible. Sense and Sensibility was about the virtues of circumspection in the love arena. Marianne is punished for being impetuous and Romantic and passionate. She is only rewarded when she begins to value Elinor’s composure and refusal to admit too much. This book didn’t make that point. Elinor is made out as a gunshy, close-mouthed hag, who thinks so highly of her own intelligence, she can’t let anybody finish a sentence. She thinks she knows what the guy is thinking, so she doesn’t let him say it. If I was the guy, I’d seriously reconsider the advantages of entangling myself with this harpy.

That’s it. That’s why I don’t really care about this one. None of the characters are likeable. I don’t really like drama queens, so Marianne (Abby) and her mother are both irritating, and Elinor overestimates herself. The little sister is OK, but she’s a minor character, so she’s not really fleshed out.

Now, aren’t you glad I’ve worked that out?

Okey doke. I did finish this book. I’m quite embarrassed that it took me 4 days to read a 177 page book.

I think I would have understood more of it if I had a basic sci-fi language vocabulary. Some parts of it were really cute. I love the sapient pearwood luggage and the Circumfence. Some of it I just couldn’t picture. Needless to say sci-fi is not my usual reading choice. I read this one because most of the series has been on my husband’s shelf for years and he’s been telling me I need to read them.

It was cute, but I’m not in love with it. I might read another one, some day.

Finally finished another book, and let me tell you, this was a doozy. 570 pages. The first 300 pages are discussion about the novel. Its history, its composition, who writes them, etc. Then, she discussed how to write a novel. Then, she talks about one of her own novels as an example.

The next nearly 300 pages are about the 100 novels she read as research (?) for the first 300 pages. She gave the plot summary of each book, including the ending. She gave away all the surprises. Then she sort of discusses why each one failed or succeeded as a novel, and what, if anything, each one added to the development of The Novel.

Her list of 100 novels could easily become one of those lists we keep comparing ourselves to. I was sorely tempted to list them all as I’ve done before, and mark the ones I’ve read, but I decided it was too much work. Besides, I’d only read 26 of them.

Thanks to Faustisbookquest for the list. Again, I’ve starred the ones I’ve read. I would be embarrassed by my paltry 27%, but I don’t necessarily agree with their choices, soo….
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