Mansfield Park

Jane Austen

Summary:
Taken from the poverty of her parents' home, Fanny Price is brought up with her rich cousins at Mansfield Park, acutely aware of her humble rank and with only her cousin Edmund as an ally. When Fanny's uncle is absent in Antigua, Mary Crawford and her brother Henry arrive in the neighbourhood, bringing with them London glamour and a reckless taste for flirtation. As her female cousins vie for Henry's attention, and even Edmund falls for Mary's dazzling charms, only Fanny remains doubtful about the Crawfords' influence and finds herself more isolated than ever.

Plot:

I enjoyed this story, it’s not my favorite classic, but it’s nice. The story is about a girl, Fanny Price, who is asked to go live with her aunt and uncle, because of poverty in her own home. It seems that much of this book is revolving around money, the effect of wealth and the way it makes different people behave. The story has a bit of romance and drama thrown in, and is quite likable.

Characters:

There are many unlikable characters in this book. I only really liked two, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The two characters I did like was Fanny, the main character, and Edmund, her cousin, although they were very good people they weren’t perfect. They could be seen as slightly dull, though. Fanny’s uncle is also a good character who develops well during the book. Most of the other characters are essentially flawed, and while this is a good thing, they were generally not very likable.

Who should read this?

10+, there’s hardly any mature content. It may be a bit of a boring read for some people, it’s quite long and written in old-style English, so if that bores you, skip this one. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen, or just classics in general, you should try this one.

My rating:

While I like this book, it’s not going to be added to my favorites any time soon. It didn’t draw me in or keep me interested enough for that. 3/5

Quote:
“Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings.”