Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

HAHA to the person who gave this 1 star

the whole point of this is to have a good laugh. if you are going to read this to get the "romanticism" of real jane austen books youre in the wrong place. go read a jane austen book. if you want a fun mish mash and love sea monsters and tentacles like h.p. lovecraft and the rest of us, this is going to be awesome.

9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

intriguing

Firstly, for all those complaining that this book "ruins the romance" of a J.A. novel, it's important to remember that Austen did not intend for any of her works to be romances. Sure, there's romance in them, but they are NOT romances. If you want that, go read the Bronte sisters. Austen was more a commentator on society - she watched those around her, added in some satire and wrote her lovely novels. So, even though we have no idea what she would think of this and P&P&Z, I'd like to think she would view it as a product of the times, and not an insult to her work. What I hope these books do is turn readers on to her actual works. I was introduced to Austen via Emma Thompson's S&S movie. After I watched it, I wanted to read all of the Austen I could. Maybe it takes sea monsters and zombies to get readers interested in the original herself. And if that works, then I'm all for it.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Austen Attacked by Monster

It's a shame that there's no copyright to protect Jane Austen's work from this sort of degrading treatment. Adding insult to injury, the publishers have included the original text and this great--- and now, apparently, defenseless--- literary woman's name as a co-author forcing her, in effect, to play a posthumous role in vandalizing her own classic work. A far more acceptable tack would have been to write an Austen parody, but, alas, that would require comedic talent and literary skill, commodities apparently in short supply these days.

6 out of 20 people found this review helpful.

Can't you take a joke?

Come on, folks, it's supposed to be funny. Juxtaposing hideous monsters with quality literature is a good time (or would be, if some people didn't take it so terribly, terribly seriously)! It's OK to laugh at the things we love. Really. Laughing at the immortal Jane Austen doesn't hurt the quality of her books. They're still awesome. They're still comedies (or did you all forget that?). These books aren't meant to be a literary challenge. This isn't Wilkie Collins versus Charles Dickens. It's a joke, guys! It just has zombies and sea monsters as well as annoying socialites and shallow relations.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

What IS this?

I love Jane Austen, but to put monsters and zombies into her work is just wrong. I don't think these books portray the tales of romance Jane Austen wanted people to read about when she wrote her novels. Unbelievable.

2 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

No do not read this book or any more that come out!

Do not read this book for the love of all humanity! Who is there right mind decided to do this. Jane Austen is a woman that should be respected, not have her stories taken and made into zombies!!!! Next thing you know there's goning to be a vampire in Northanger Abbey. Secondly men have written these books. Austen was the one of if not the first woman to live by her pen, give her credit! So DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK... OR READ IT!!!! Thanks!

1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

Maybe

As a fan of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies I must say...this one doesn't sound as interesting. It doesn't seem like a strong enough idea and that the original story might not be as close. But anyone who liked Pride and Prejudice and Zombies should give it a try (I know I will) and never forget, it's GOOD to laugh.

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

ok now it's getting ridiculous

Ok this is going a little too far and getting a little too silly. This was not very well-written and seemed like they are just trying to take advantage of the mashup market. A much more well-written and entertaining book was Wuthering Heights and a Werewolf...and a Zombie Too by Ralph S. King.

Glad I gave this a try!

"... I definitely understand why lovers of classic literature would be hestiant to read these oddball re-writes, but I'm glad I picked this one up to try! It was silly and fun, and even though I did roll my eyes or raise an eyebrow at some parts, I laughed out loud at others and was intrigued by the mysterious plot-line involving Margaret and the other involving Elinor and the five-pointed star. If you really aren't sure about whether or not you want to try this, I'd really recommend at least borrowing it from a friend or from a library."

For full review, please visit me, Les Livres, on Blogger!

jaimeliredeslivres (dot) blogspot (dot) com

So-So Sense, So-So Sensibility

I find the 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' a much more entertaining read. But I'm biased. 'Pride and Prejudice' happens to be one of my fave Jane Austen classics, notsomuch 'Sense and Sensibility'. But aside from that fact, the addition of sea monsters gives this book an almost complete digression from the original; from locations to character backgrounds, hordes of new adventures and a number of mysteries. The basic plot & characters remains unchanged. Although the book proves to be more satirical and humor-laced than 'Zombies'. Oddly enough, this read has renewed my interest in rereading the original.*

A big Wannabee

Following Pride & Prejudice & Zombie's example, this next entry into adding horror/humor into Jane Austen fell nastily flat. While it might please those unfamiliar with the original or uncritical in their requirements for humor, I'd be hard put to imagine who would really enjoy it. Its dependence on "oo, some character we don't know and don't care about was just eaten" gags and insistence on emphasizing at every turn how stupid the author thought the main characters of the original really were, any sympathy readers might feel that would serve to help them slog through this mess is chopped up like chum and tossed away with about as much concern.

However, it's a decent recommendation for those who hate Jane Austen and want to see her writing in the worse possible light.

Fun but not P and P and Zombies

This book follows in the tradition of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which was written by a different author, and offers a version of Sense and Sensibility that includes a curse of monsters from the ocean. While this is a fun retelling of Sense and Sensibility and certainly would be an introduction to Jane Austen for someone who thinks they would find Austen boring or that they would never read the book. However, this version lacks some of the spirt of the original as the sea monster plot co-opts the original story. For Austen fans it's well worth a read but you might want to get it from the library.

Very Entertaining!

This book made me laugh out loud with its seamless integration of the sea (and its monsters) into Austen's classic. A thoroughly enjoyable and funny book!

Not as good as P&P&Z

I bought this for my daughter who loved Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (which I also enjoyed thoroughly.)
Jane Austin's story, is, of course, wonderful. However, I think the zombie aspect lost its novelty and just seemed gratuitious in this novel. Cute if you haven't read P&P&Z, but otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Such A Fun Read!

Quirk Classics has done it again! I absolutely adored "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters"! I wondered if the blend of classic with humor would not be as good this time around, but it was even better than "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies". I found that the storyline flowed much more smoothly, with no sudden appearances of monsters that felt like they were just stuck in the story as fillers. The characters were fun and I found myself cheering some on while wanting to see others be eaten by sea creatures. There, of course, was a bit of blood and gore and the humor was dark and really quite funny. Sadly, the book ended much too soon, as I really enjoyed reading "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters". I hope Quirk has plans for more of these in the near future.

If you haven't read this book yet, please add it to your must reads. It is a nice fun read that will certainly perk up those winter doldrums!

Ran out of gas halfway through

What was amusing in the first half of the book became tedious in the second. However, I loved the illustrations.

Amusing, romantic, and gory

I bought this book a few days ago and began reading last night. I finished it this morning. I was thankful that the introduction of sea monsters quickened the pace of the original text. I felt that it followed the original storyline very well, though it did end with a "Beauty and the Beast." The only negative comment I have is that the copy I purchased is missing 23 pages. It goes from page 216 to 97. 97-128 reappear and then the story picks up again at 249.

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

What happens when you combine a Regency romance with a science fiction book? The outcome surely must be similar to Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. I had a fantastic time reading this book. It has all the romance you would expect in a Regency story but is coupled with giant lobsters, pirates and hideous monsters.

This is the story of the Dashwood sisters who are sent to live in a mysterious island. The island is plagued by all variety of sea monsters and strange creatures. During the course of the story, both sisters fall in love in true Regency style and are menaced by all sorts of sea monsters and of course that leads to being rescued by handsome men.

This book is truly hilarious and is a fantastic combination of a classic novel and a comedy. Not only did I enjoy it, as soon as my sixteen year old daughter saw it she pronounced that several of her friends had read it and enjoyed it and the book was hers when I was done with it!

An excellent fusion.

I loved the story of Sense and Sensibility. Some reviewers are probably mad because the creators of this book "violated" Austen's work. Don't take them seriously. If you take Austen way too seriously, steer clear of this book. If you want to laugh and have a good time reading what is, otherwise, a fairly dry book, then pick this up. The book seamlessly blends Austen's classic story with a sea monster sub-plot without sacrificing the characters' integrity. This book was better written than Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. All in all, I greatly enjoyed this book and look forward to future books from Quirk Classics.

Not as good as the first attempt

I'm a huge fan of Jane Austen, and an appreciative fan of the recent Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (unlike many, I don't think it's a bastardization but an intelligent, amusing, and irreverent adaptation), but I'm very disappointed in this follow-up. I suspect it was rushed in order to capitalize on the success of P&P&Z, and it suffers for that. The zombie apocalypse/spread of the zombie virus is well-ingrained in popular consciousness and therefore requires an easy suspense of disbelief. What follows (the martial arts training of the Bennet girls, for example) seems reasonable given the initial premise. In a nutshell, it's entertaining.

On the other hand, in S&S&SM, we are required to believe that An Alteration happened that turned all sea creatures into vicious, man-eating monsters. This goes right down to innocuous creatures like tuna. I went into it expecting an explosion of Loch Ness's Nessies, which would have been easier to swallow. I realize it seems silly to quibble about the premise, since it's supposed to be ridiculous, but it just doesn't work.

Furthermore, P&P&Z is, roughly, 70% Austen's original text and 30% new. An avid fan like myself could easily detect sentences where only one word was changed, to great comedic effect. S&S&SM is, I believe, more like 60-40 or even 50-50, and it doesn't work as well. Part of this is an effect of the premise, which requires more alteration than just inserting zombies at every turn--and thus more completely new sentences as opposed to the delicately altered ones--but part of it is just over-zealousness on the part of the author/publisher.

Finally, my biggest qualm with the book is the "unfortunate condition" which Colonel Brandon suffers under. I won't spoil it for those who are interested, but to me it seems totally unnecessary; it makes it almost impossible to like Brandon, or even to pity him as the reader is supposed to do, and to see Marianne with him at the end is laughable.

So in sum, while I would recommend P&P&Z highly for a good laugh and actually some interesting discussion, I'd pass on this one.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.