Mansfield Park   by Jane Austen

November 2006     Borrowed from Pamela's Bookshelf.

It seems that this has been the first Jane Austen book I've read. Now, what do I have to say about it? Nothing springs immediately to mind.

I must admit, that I was surprised towards the end. It was 500 pages long, and I thought that there's only about 70 pages left, for the rich suitor of her to lose interest, and the man she loves to have a falling out with his fiancée, and then fall in love with her. Otherwise, there seems no possibility for a happy ending. I was rather curious at that point what Would happen.

I didn't believe that so much could come to pass in only seventy pages, because up to that point, twenty pages were devoted to each little thought, and every new development of a degree of relationship. For example, when Her true love's fiancée is going to leave for a month, the event is stretched over at least 30 pages: starting with the possibility being talked about. Then decided on. Then its percussions discussed between different people. Then she actually goes. -And we see how that affects this person, that person, and the others. At length she returns, and then we hear about people meeting again, and what the meeting again means to this person, and that person, and the others.

It was because of this, that I simply couldn't imagine four entire characters having their feelings completely altered in the space of seventy pages. But they did. If I had been writing this book, then I think at that point, I would have got just too tired of the way it was progressing, and the detailed descriptions that I'd been putting into every thing. At that point, she basicly says "He buggered off with some other woman. This broke up the engagement of those two." -with a little aside there, showing how truly broken off the engagement was, and why. "-and in a short time, these two fell in love, as was only right."

Ummm, am I being clear? She goes from detailing every longing look, to the other extreme, with saying, "He left, and that was that."

I was glad to have a happy ending though, if rather abruptly.

The writing its self was... alright. It wasn't bad, and I found it quite readable. There were nights that I stayed up later than was good for me, because I was interested in what happened. And the writing didn't get in the way of the story. But all in all, the book didn't impress me. It passed the time, -which was all I wanted it for. And when I read Pride and Prejudice, (which I'm going to at some point,) I will also start in at it with only the hope of passing my time, and having something alright to read.