Working on my Jane Austen Easton Press collection, I recently finished volume 2, "Sense and Sensibility." I had never read it before and thoroughly loved it. I had seen film adaptations of it several times, including once around the time I started this read through.
This volume is gorgeous and sports two dozen illustrations throughout. It tells the tale of three sisters, though the youngest has a minor role in the book. Elinor, the eldest, and her next oldest sister, Marianne, are more primary main characters. Elinor falls in love with Edward Ferrars and Marianne with Willoughby. Willoughby ends of breaking off their relationship principally for financial reasons related to his lifestyle and previous indiscretions. It takes Marianne a lot of time and anguish to come to terms with that and to move on. That is totally understandable. I've struggled with rejection more than once in my life as well.
There is a neat miscommunication later in the novel where Mr. Ferrars reportedly gets married to his long-time fiancé, Lucy, but it ends up being Edward's brother who marries Lucy rather than Edward himself. Elinor is initially devastated - again, understandably so. Once she learns the truth, she is emotionally overwhelmed and eagerly accepts his offer of marriage. Ultimately, Marianne accepts Colonel Brandon as her husband whose love for her has been quietly held close to his heart throughout the book.
It's interesting to me that Edward's initial engagement to Lucy is explained away as his being too young to know better - I think he was eighteen? I get that. It makes sense. What is interesting about it, though, is Marianne is just nineteen when she marries Colonel Brandon and he around thirty-seven. I know they're fictional characters but I found myself hoping both Elinor's and Marianne's marriages would both go well and provide them with the happiness they are seeking. By all accounts, it appears that they will at the close of the book.
One thing that disappointed me rather significantly about the book is that neither proposal noted above is actually presented in dialogue. It's couched in prose summarizing what had happened. I so would have loved to read their conversation, but Austen chose to present it differently. It's still a powerful story and moving as well. So I'm not being derisory for having sought something a little different, but I do like reading proposals.
I read this too closely to having read volume 1, "Pride and Prejudice," I think. I am going to take a few books' breather from Jane Austen before pursuing volume 3. I love her voice and her storytelling, but just need to maintain variety in my reading choices.