Impossibly sweet and delicious Jane Austen retelling.
I absolutely adored this Sense and Sensibility retelling! I loved everything from the modern spin to the characters and the other Austen Easter Eggs 🧡
"Every woman swoons over a man walking out of a
lake in a white shirt. It's a universal truth." - Lila
🧡 What I Loved 🧡
Retelling: I always love a good retelling, especially one that stays true to the original (in this case Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility) but still puts its own teist on it. Lodge did just that masterfully with this book - I always felt the rightness of the original but was still surprised by some of the turns in the road.
POV: Where the original story is told from the POV of the eldest sister, Eleanor, I really enjoyed that we here got the 'Marianne' story, told by the middle sister, Jane. I have always wondered what went on in Marianne's head when she went for Willoughby and now, through Jane, I have my answer.
Easter Eggs: This book is basically on big homage to the works of Jane Austen. All throughout the book, Austen Easter Eggs are hidden in names, places or references. For any Austen fan, this scavenger hunt is both fun and satisfying!
Callum: Callum was the perfect Colonel Brandon! He was sweet, considerate, careful, respectful. gentlemanly and reserved. Callum is a war hero who lost a leg saving the lives of his comrades. But he doesn't see himself as a hero, which makes him even more endearing to me. He was just the perfect Austen hero.
"His voice sounded like full-leaf Assam tea tasted." - Jane about Callum
Jane: Jane was wonderful! A true Marianne but still her own character! She was a sweet, determined woman who cared deeply for her family. I also loved her devotion to tea (that was a nice British spin on this American story) as well as her belief in true love.
Recipes: All throughout this book you can find great recipes for all the foods cooked or eaten in the story and I am definitely going to try multiple of them!
Read it if you like: Modern retellings of Jane Austen, sweet and wholesome romance, women that pave their own way