New Year!

Hello Fellow Book Clubbers!

Here we are at the beginning of 2012 and we have completed our 2011 new year’s resolution! We did it, we read all of Jane Austen’s (completed) novels!! Yay!! I have loved every minute of it! I don’t know about all of you, but I am thoroughly enjoying this book club and think it is a joy to be a part of. I am very much looking forward to this coming year to see what books we will read.

2012 will be a bit different than last year. Throughout this next year we have decided to make it a year where each book club member will pick out a book for everyone to read. They will be responsible for coming up with discussion questions for the book they choose, and for keeping everyone on track. We will be posting a schedule soon of whom, and when, fellow members will be picking. If you have a specific time you would like, please let me know.

We will be kicking off 2012 with The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. We will be reading it from January 1^st to March 10^th. I am Soooooo Excited to read The Help! I have been looking forward to reading this novel ever since I noticed it back in 2010. I knew it would be a great book club book, so I’ve been anxiously patiently waiting to have us all read it.

So until March 10th, Happy Reading Everyone!!!!!!

Brenda's Response to Persuasion

 

1.  How does persuasion play a role throughout this novel?

Persuasion plays a big role in this novel.  I think the one glaring moment is when Anne is persuaded by Lady Russell to end her engagement with Captain Wentworth in the beginning because she feels he is not right for her.  Yet in the end we know he was the right man for her…but maybe just not at that time.  Another example is when Lady Russell and Anne and ??? someone else I can’t remember who, persuade Anne’s Father Sir Walter to leave his beloved home in Kellynch by appealing to his vanity.   Each of Jane Austen books seem to cleverly incorporate a running theme throughout the stories…..Like First Impressions in Pride and Prejudice and Imagination in Northanger Abbey and Second Attachments in Sense and Sensibility etc.. This book didn’t fail us in this way, Jane Austen demonstrated in this story a lot of instances where persuasion was used. 

2. Did you like the ending of this story? Why or why not?

Yes, I liked it very much.  I found it to be very romantic.  I really believe it was the second most romantic Jane Austen book we read.  I love a good love story, and this one ranked pretty high for me.  As in Pride and Prejudice the leading man (in this case Captain Wentworth) revealed his inner most passions and love towards the leading lady through a letter.  I found the letter Wentworth wrote to Anne to be a wonderful climatic moment in this novel.  I liked the way the romance built throughout this novel as it did in my favorite Pride and Prejudice.  I could feel a big moment building and building and building till BAM he gives her the letter he wrote and poured out his heart to her…..I found this so romantic, I have to admit I read the letter over and over several times.   I do however maintain as I have throughout all of her novels that the “Big Moment” does come and go quickly.  There was a lot of building up to this one then BAM it was done…BUT I did find this one much more romantic then all of the other ones except Pride and Prejudice.  I liked the love story in P&P a little more.    


3.  Would you recommend this novel to a friend?

Absolutely Yes!!!!

4. Of all the characters Jane Austen created, who was your favorite and why? 

I’d have to say Mr. Darcy was my ultimate favorite Character out of all the Jane Austen Novels.  I just felt like he was so well written, such a wonderfully strong, manly, protective, complicated, well developed character.  He is my ultimate novel crush.

There were several other Characters she created that I really liked. I really enjoyed and grew from reading the character of Elizabeth Bennet and her sister Jane was wonderful too.   I really liked Elinor from Sense and Sensibility by the end of that book.  I really liked the character of Colonel Brandon from Sense and Sensibility but I think I gained a much stronger liking for this character after I watched the movie and it was played by Alan Rickman ha ha ha (silly crushes).  I thoroughly enjoyed the imagination of the character Catherine from Northanger Abbey.  I found Emma to be so funny, laugh out loud fun while reading that one.  And I really enjoyed Captain Wentworth from Persuasion.   

I feel Jane Austen created a very wonderful world and a huge wonderful cast of characters that I really really enjoyed getting to know.  I had to concentrate so hard on her novels to understand what was going on, so I think in this intense reading of these books you really become emotionally involved with the characters.  I found myself being sad when I had to leave them at the end of a book in order to move on to a new book and new set of characters. 

I have to say though Pride and Prejudice was the hardest to leave.  Maybe because it was the first one we read, maybe because I loved Elizabeth’s strength and character, and I fell for Mr. Darcy.  And Persuasion was hard to leave to, I think because I knew it was our last and I really did enjoy the love story in that one.  But Jane Austen did a Fantastic job of creating wonderful characters that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. 


5. Was there anything you disliked about Jane Austen novels?

I think the only thing I can say I disliked was the lack of the Big Romantic Moments in the love stories.   I am a romantic at heart, and I felt that in all her novels she built us up and then when the big moment came it fizzled it lacked pop, pizazz, it failed to satisfy my romantic heart.  That was really the only consistant thing throughout all her novels that I disliked.  I just wanted the Big Moment to be bigger, more detailed, more romantic I think in every one of the novels I felt this way.  Even my favorite Pride and Prejudice.


6.  Now that we have read all of Austen’s novels (well at least all her complete novels), which one did you relate to the most? Which was your favorite? And why.        

Pride and Prejudice was definitely my favorite.  Just overall it was so wonderful.  I loved the female characters, and I loved the leading man Mr. Darcy and I loved their love story. Over all best one of the six for me.  

Sense and Sensibility was such a sweet story.  I didn’t think I was going to like this one when we started it but I ended up really liking this one a lot. 

Emma was soooooo long.  I enjoyed Emma, I found it funny and fun to read, but I think it could have been edited down a bit.  But I did enjoy it very much. 

Mansfield Park Ehh…my least favorite overall, but yet a sense of accomplishment after reading it.  

Northanger Abbey, this one was hard to read, I really enjoyed it once I caught on but going in and out of her imagination and her reading of another book was really difficult for me, but I did enjoy this novel very much.

Persuasion I actually enjoyed the love story in this one, I loved the letter Captain Wentworth gave to Anne I found it really romantic, but although I liked the love letter in this one, I did find Anne to be a little boring.  But I did enjoy this one very much. 

There were bits and pieces of each novel that I could relate to.  There were characters from each novel I could relate to and bonded with.  But overall I just enjoyed Pride and Prejudice the most, it just felt like the most complete of them all to me.  I find myself wanting to read that one again. 

Closing Comments :

I LOVE THIS BOOK CLUB!!!!!!!!    I feel such a HUGE sense of accomplishment that we set a goal for ourselves last year and we did it, we have read all of Jane Austen’s complete novels, and I just think that deserves a huge round of applause ladies!!!!   Those were hard to read but we did it.   I really feel like I am leaving behind some new and dear Character friends as we move away from Jane Austen and into the new year, but I am looking so forward to our plans for this year as we each pick out a novel for the club to read.  I can’t wait to dig into our first book “The Help”.  Thank You again Rachel for keeping us on track and keeping up our blog for us.  I have enjoyed every moment we have shared together reading and discussing Jane Austen’s novel’s and I am looking very forward to all that is to come in 2012.  Until we meet here again, I wish you all Happy Reading!!!!!  

Rachel's Response to Persuasion

1.  How does persuasion play a role throughout this novel?

Persuasion plays a big role in this novel. Austen again cleverly names her novel with one or two descriptive words that describes what her novel is about. Persuasion plays a huge role with the two main characters, Anne Elliot and Captain Frederick Wentworth. As we all know Anne was persuaded to end her engagement to the Captain. As a result of that act, these two lives were altered. Persuasion is everywhere in our lives. We are persuaded to buy a certain product by convincing commercials or sales people, we are persuaded to take certain paths in life by social constructs. I think the lesson in this story is to not let yourself be persuaded into things when you know it’s not right for you.    

2. Did you like the ending of this story? Why or why not?
I did enjoy the ending. One of the things I love about Jane Austen’s novels is how, for the most part, she adds the element of surprise with the leading men. Most of the times these moments come in the forms of letters, Darcy to Elizabeth and now Captain Wentworth to Anne. I find those moments incredibly romantic, these strong men baring their true feelings and souls on paper to the lady they care for. Needless to say, I thought the Captains letter to Anne was very romantic and how after all those years, love can still last. But, also in typical Austen fashion, she saves the wrap up and the part we as the reader are all waiting for in the story, until the last few chapters. It’s this long drawn out story and then BAM it’s done and over.    

3.  Would you recommend this novel to a friend?

Even though I did enjoy this book, it wouldn’t be the first book I would recommend to a friend. It was kinda slow paced and the main character Anne didn’t seem to have that spark that I love to read about. I would tell my friend it’s an ok novel, but here is a copy of Pride and Prejudice! Then I would run out the door with my rhinestoned team Mr. Darcy t-shirt on.   

4. Of all the characters Jane Austen created, who was your favorite and why? 
Jane Austen has created some unique characters. She has created ones that made me laugh out loud, snooze at the sight of their name, cringe but in a good way, and strong enduring characters. However, After reading all of her completed novels, hands down the character that most inspired me, made me laugh, made me what to be her is Elizabeth Bennet. While reading Pride and Prejudice I fell in love with Elizabeth Bennet’s strength, sass, and loyalty; I found myself wanting to be exactly like her. I tend to find myself in situations where I tell myself, channel your inner Elizabeth Bennet and everything will be ok. After reading Pride and Prejudice a little part of me changed for the better. So for this reason, Elizabeth Bennet is my favorite Jane Austen character. Plus my home girl has the hook ups to my literary boyfriend Mr. Darcy. Haha. This makes me want to re-read Pride and Prejudice. Ahhhhh…. I just love that novel.

5. Was there anything you disliked about Jane Austen novels?
There was nothing per-say I didn’t like. She likes to write about the same subject matter, class, social standing, marrying up, etc.. so after reading them all back to back it kinda got tiring after awhile. I guess we should have spread out her novels so we wouldn’t burn ourselves out on them. She also struggles to fully develop characters, which made for frustrating reads sometimes *cough… Marianne and Col. Brandon…cough*. She also likes to build you up, and sometimes drag you along, throughout the novel then she wraps the entire story up in 1 or 2 chapters at the end, if you blink you will miss it. Sometimes it’s pretty abrupt endings which leaves the reader confused, or at least left me confused.  But overall as a whole these dislikes still don’t deter me away from Austen, I do think she is a brilliant and gifted writer. To be able to write something well over 200 years ago and still have people of the 21^st century relate to her stories is pretty incredible.

6.  Now that we have read all of Austen’s novels (well at least all her complete novels), which one did you relate to the most? Which was your favorite? And why.

It’s hard to narrow down which novel I related to the most because each one (except Mansfield Park, which I hardly remember and probably couldn’t tell you the characters names.) I was able to relate too in some way. They were all incredible and fascinating in their own way. Pride and Prejudice moved me in my core. I can’t even describe in words how much I love that novel. In Sense and Sensibility I was able to relate to Elinor and her personality/character. She was more reserved with the world and tended to hold things in and process them before expressing her feelings to the world, which I feel like I do too. I found Emma a complete joy to read. I think out of all Austen’s novels, I laughed out loud the most with Emma and just the ridiculous things she got herself into. Haha. The novel that surprised me most was Northanger Abbey. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Catherine’s sense of imagination, wonder and adventure definitely brought me back to childhood and those similar feelings of wild imagination that she has throughout this novel. Finally Persuasion reminded me to never give up hope and to believe in yourself/feelings. Im not sure if this answered the question, but this is what I took away from each novel and how I related to them.         

Not that this will come as a surprise to any of you, but hands down my favorite Jane Austen novel is Pride and Prejudice. I won’t even go into how amazing and great this novel is because I’m sure you are all sick of hearing me constantly talk about it in every book club post. Haha… what a girl can’t help it! Ahhhhh Mr. Darcy!!!!!!!  

Closing Thoughts     

I can’t believe we made it through all of Jane Austen’s completed works! I am so proud of us as a book club!! I am going to miss reading Austen dearly. We “met” quite a few characters along the way and even some that will stick with us long after we close the chapter on Austen in this little book club of ours. Even though I am sad to say goodbye to Jane Austen, I am very excited for this year’s book club adventure. I love that we all get to pick out novels for the group to read. I think it will really bring a variety of subject matter and new levels of discussion that I am very much looking forward too. I cannot wait to start our first novel of 2012, The Help! I have been looking forward to this novel for so long and cannot wait to read it! So until next time my book club friends.

Happy Reading!!!!