Read this when
Sense and Sensibility
Are you a Marianne (cries in public) or an Elinor (cries never, then all at once)? 🥲
Who it's for
The two sisters show two opposite ways of coping with loss: Marianne expresses everything and lets grief consume her, while Elinor keeps it all in to protect others.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Jane Austen's first novel, published anonymously in 1811, follows the Dashwood sisters Elinor and Marianne, who move with their mother to modest Barton Cottage in Devon after their father's death costs them the family estate. Elinor grows close to Edward Ferrars, then learns he is secretly engaged to Lucy Steele. Marianne falls for the charming John Willoughby, who abandons her for a wealthy heiress.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US; free on Project Gutenberg and Standard Ebooks, with free LibriVox audiobooks. Also widely in print (Penguin Classics, Oxford World's Classics and others), in libraries (Libby/.
Before you start
Heads up: Grave illness after heartbreak.
Age: Ages 12+
Love! when you come with the burning lamp of pain in your hand, I can see your face and know you as bliss.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 162
