Men of large fortune

This week -- my absolute least favorite Austen novel:  Mansfield Park.  Have you read it?  Do you like it?

Starting off with this little gem:

"But there certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them."

Mansfield Park, volume 1, chapter 1

Billie Piper as Fanny Price.  Thanks to the Guardian for the image.

Comments

[Singe]

Have you read it? Do you like it?

Yes and NO! I couldn't stand it. Fanny was a wilting violet (unusual for an Austen heroine) and I can't understand why she'd cleave to the family that treated her like substandard shit for almost all of her life. Worse, Austen ended the book with the author's POV rather than sticking with Fanny's which seemed lazy. I feel like I was robbed of an actual ending.

[Caryn]

The first time through, the book bored me to tears. I think I skimmed parts. Then I saw the movie with Jonny Lee Miller as Edmond. It was SO great that it compelled me to revisit the book. I liked it better the second pass, but it is still my least fave of her books--by far. This is one of the few instances where the movie surpasses the book. I hope the new Masterpiece Theater version is as good.

[Christy]

I actually like Mansfield Park and I enjoyed Billie Piper in Doctor Who, so I'm looking forward to this. It has to be better than Persuasion was, right?

[Lois]

Well, when it comes to all the novels, for me they are divided into two piles -- those I really loved, and those I really liked (because I simply didn't dislike or hate any). . . MP is in the really loved pile (along with P&P and NA). I remember really liking the scenes between Fanny and Edmund. Sure it was a bit long, but I never thought, boy I sure wish this would end or anything like that.

Now the movie, I saw via youtube last year after reading the book, and I rather liked it. Yep, there are changes here and there from the book, and yep, her hair's down, but I thought all things considering, it was generally pretty good and pretty good to the book. Yep, I did see the other MP and vastly hated that one. LOL :)

Lois

[lizziemma knightley]

It's my least fav of her novels too, but it's still a good read. If it had been written by anyone else I would have enjoyed it more, but coming from Austen I know she could have done much better.

[Luciana]

OMG! This is my third fave of Austen's novels. I didn't know how manypeople disliked it! Really! But everyone can have your own oppinion of everything. I love this book so much, and I think that it shows so well human nature. Sir Thomas Bertram is so changed by his passage in the west indies that he is completely a new person. And is more real than lots of other books. People sometimes just marry for friendship. really, for me it didn't seem that Edmund loved Fanny in any other way than as a friend. He cannot love her as if she was Mary, but he loves her for her being and for loving him. One cannot say anything about that. And of course (OK now you can kill me) I simply love henry Crowford. Come on the guy really loved Fanny, but his nature is completely terrible. I love MP, really much.

[Luciana]

OMG! This is my third fave of Austen's novels. I didn't know how manypeople disliked it! Really! But everyone can have your own oppinion of everything. I love this book so much, and I think that it shows so well human nature. Sir Thomas Bertram is so changed by his passage in the west indies that he is completely a new person. And is more real than lots of other books. People sometimes just marry for friendship. really, for me it didn't seem that Edmund loved Fanny in any other way than as a friend. He cannot love her as if she was Mary, but he loves her for her being and for loving him. One cannot say anything about that. And of course (OK now you can kill me) I simply love henry Crowford. Come on the guy really loved Fanny, but his nature is completely terrible. I love MP, really much.