This is a little different from Miss Austen's other works. Her other 5 finished novels have a...more

This is a little different from Miss Austen's other works. Her other 5 finished novels have a heroine who grows and changes through the story. In MP, Fanny Price remains who she is, and it's Edmund who changes and grows.   hide

Mansfield Park would have gotten 4 stars if I hadn't become so irritated with the main character by...more

Mansfield Park would have gotten 4 stars if I hadn't become so irritated with the main character by the time I was finished with it. Fanny Price is a morally upright, humble young woman set against a tapestry of bumbling and comically foolish characters. However, she grated on my nerves at the end by her passivity, meekness, and tendency to think badly of all the people around her except her cousin Edmund. Although in the end her impressions of everyone were actually pretty dead-on, I was so annoyed by that point by how easily "distressed" Fanny was that her shrewdness didn't really matter. The story itself was enjoyable, a showcase of Austen's incredible perception of human nature; nothing less than what we've naturally come to expect from her, but the conclusion was a little disappointing. I would have been happier if Edmund had actually fallen madly in love with Fanny. Instead it felt like they were both settling for sibling affection to base a marriage on. Actually, I would have been happier if the Crawfords had turned out to be the perfect matches for Fanny and Edmund, like I thought they would, instead of having the cousins marry each other. Overall Mansfield Park is a good read, and my only real complaint is the absence of the passion that Jane Austen weaves so masterfully into her other works.   hide

An underrated, quiet masterpiece. A hero who must overcome severe blindness, a heroine who remains...more

An underrated, quiet masterpiece. A hero who must overcome severe blindness, a heroine who remains servile until it really counts, and villains who show the true banality of selfishness.   hide

This book was MUCH like Pride and Prejudice. Ahhh the trials and tribulations of marriage, eh? I...more

This book was MUCH like Pride and Prejudice. Ahhh the trials and tribulations of marriage, eh? I did enjoy it however, although couldn't help but be a little frustrated by the similarities.   hide

I was going to give this book 4 stars, but I didn't want it getting a higher rating than...more

I was going to give this book 4 stars, but I didn't want it getting a higher rating than "Housekeeping"... so I give this a four stars as a Jane Austen book. Really, I'm giving Jane Austen 4 stars. All her books are pretty much the same, but this is the only one I've ever finished. Could be cause it's good, but it could also be cause I've got nothing better to do.    hide