Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen · Book review

⚠️ This review contains spoilers!

This book didn't feel very romantic!

Elinor, the older sister, was in love with Edward, who turned out to be engaged to someone else the entire time.

Marianne, the younger, falls in love with Willoughby, who decides to get engaged and married to someone else who has a lot more money instead.

Also there's Colonel Brandon - he's madly in love with Marianne, but she's not interested because she's still in love with Willoughby and he's nearly double her age.

Elinor and the Colonel are quite friendly to each other though.

Then at the last minute, it's revealed that Edward can marry Elinor, and they do.

The Colonel and Marianne also get married, although their developing romance all happens in the last 20 pages of the book as all the loose ends are wrapped up.

To me it was disappointing because there didn't really seem to be any build-up of romance, like there was in Pride and Prejudice. If anything, the fact that Elinor and the Colonel got on so well made me think that those two should have gotten together.

I don't know if I want to go as far as giving this book 3 stars, though! Some of the characters are quite funny to read (like the gossipy Mrs Jennings, and the sisters' stingy brother John who gives in to whatever his wife suggests).