Mansfield Park (Português) Capa Comum – 17 jul 2012

I thought the book was packaged perfect. The only thing is the print is small and I am old so it is hard for me to read.

“Persuasion” is my fourth Jane Austen novel, and my favorite to date. One thing unique to this story is the title played a bigger role in the story than just denoting a primary character (e.g., “Emma”) or a primary place (e.g., “Northanger Abbey” or “Mansfield Park”). The title is interesting because Austen touches on the influence family and family-friends play in the matrimony prospects for a young lady. It seems the times have changed in that women today will marry whom they please despite their family and/or friends wishes, but in the early 1800’s that was not the case. This premise of persuasion is the backdrop for the story that revolves around Anne Elliot. Another interesting aspect of this story is that Anne is 27 years old as compared to the heroines in other Austen novels that are much younger, and more naïve.

As noted in the blurb for the book, 19-year-old Anne has an early engagement to Frederick Wentworth, but he didn’t measure up the family’s standards nor to a trusted family friend’s standards – primarily he had no family estate nor fortune worthy of marrying someone of the Elliot class. Eight years later, both Anne and Frederick are still single, but Frederick’s fortunes changed immensely through his naval exploits. Frederick is back in the area and looking for a bride anywhere between the ages of 15 and 30! As Austen likes to do, she introduces multiple single ladies and gentlemen into the cast, and the fun is figuring out how the marriages will fall into place. Throughout this process are the familiar social scenes and insights of the main character, which add a bit of spice to the story as we watch the scenes unfold.

So I just wanted to let others know that this collection is one giant book of all Austen novels combined. You can't tell from the picture, but I was actually expecting (and hoping for) individual books packed in one box like other book collections I have. So I was definitely a bit disappointed when I received this book. And while I am used to reading large books like David McCullough biographies, this compilation is by far the heaviest I have in my possession. I'm not sure I will be able to read this in bed or even hold it up in my arms for any long period of time. So beware. I would have chosen differently if had this information when I was contemplating purchase.

Fanny Price is the quintessential “poor cousin.” Her family consists of many siblings, and when her mother and father find themselves unable to care for all of them, they send Fanny to live with her aunt and uncle, Sir Thomas and Mrs. Norris at Mansfield Park. Living in the grand home is an adjustment for Fanny and her cousins and aunt are not very fond of her, though she adapts to life at Mansfield Park. Over the years, Fanny and Edmund become very close, yet her aunt has other plans for both of them.

Mansfield Park is among my favorite Austen novels. I just found myself enjoying the book. I liked Fanny; she was one of Jane Austen’s more realistic characters and I felt pretty sorry for her most of the time. Edmund was all right; I feel like I didn’t really get to know him, like he wasn’t as big a part of the story as some of Jane Austen’s other heroes. But he seemed pretty nice and I like that he stood up for Fanny. There were of course a ton of villains trying to thwart love’s plans. Mrs. Norris was a very annoying character and fit her role of the evil relation perfectly. But alas, there was the happy ending and all was well at Mansfield Park (for the most part, anyway).

I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The heroine of Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park", Fanny Price, is often overlooked in comparison to her more attractive or more interesting sisters such as the spirited and headstrong Elizabeth Bennet of "Pride and Prejudice." Still, Fanny Price is worth getting to know, and "Mansfield Park" is worth a read as perhaps Jane Austen's most subtle and complex novel.

One of a growing brood of children in a lower middle class family in Portsmouth, Fanny is placed for raising with her much wealthier Aunt and Uncle Bertram at Mansfield Park in the English countryside. The ten year-old Fanny is painfully shy, physically sickly, and less educated than her Bertram cousins, who mostly ignore or make fun of her. Her Aunt Norris, responsible for the day-to-day raising of her cousins, thrives on tormenting Fanny. Only her cousin Edmund takes an interest in her.

Fanny's Uncle, Sir Thomas Bertram, leaves to tend to his estates in Antigua, just as the wealthy and charming siblings Mary and Henry Crawford arrive from London. Mary and Henry will tempt the Mansfield youth into inappropriate behavior, which only Fanny resists. Sir Thomas will restore order when he returns, but at what cost to the household? Fanny herself will be pressured into marriage, facing exile from Mansfield if she refuses. What choices can Fanny make, and how will she find her way to the one man she cares about?

In Mansfield Park, the reader will find an Austen heroine whose attraction is based on her perseverence in the face of very attractive temptations and seemingly reasonable pressures. It is Austen's genius to insert complex characters into the subtle relationships between four families in the story. The story provides a fascinating venue for social commentary and compelling domestic drama. The witty and enthusiastic but morally flawed Crawfords, for example, seem more attractive than the shy, vulnerable, and withdrawn Fanny or the understated Edmund. "Mansfield Park" is recommended to Jane Austen's fans.