leynes's Reviews > The Complete Novels

Jane Austen has completed seven novels during her lifetime. I read her six big novels from November 2016 to June 2017, so it's been a hot minute (and I'm not opposed to rereading them), but I thought it'd be fun to rank them all, now that I've read Lady Susan as well:

1. Lady Susan (5 stars)
Well, what can I say? I'm more surprised than you are but this novella is now my favorite piece of writing that Jane ever put to paper. This epistolary novel is straight to the point, hilarious, petty, and jaw-dropping. Lady Susan is unlike any of Austen's other heroines – she's actually more of a villain/ anti-heroine, and I was absolutely here for her shenanigans. Who knew Austen writing about a homewracker who gave zero shits would be so much fun?

2. Mansfield Park (4.5 stars, initally 5 stars)
An unlikely fave, since most people would put this book at the bottom of their lists, but it has always been a favorite of mine. Fanny Price will always have a special place in my heart. In my opinion, she is one of the few introverted (not shy!) characters that have ever been authentically written. I could see a lot of myself in her and her need to not be around people. I also loved that it is more of a bildungsroman as opposed to a proper love story.

3. Northanger Abbey (4 stars)
Can you tell that I prefer Austen's sillier novels to her romances? Good. Because I sure do. Northanger Abbey was SO MUCH FUN! It was the first Austen I ever read and it got me immediately hooked to read her other books. Unpopular opinion incoming but Henry Tilney might be my favorite love interest that Jane has ever written. He was so damn charming, and hilarious. Also loved how fast-paced this story was!

4. Emma (4 stars)
This is the Austen that I love to hate. Like, for real, this book is an utter trashfest and probably the worst exhibit of Austen's writing (literally 80% of this book is dialogue and/or Austen using dashes and hyphens ... it was INSUFFERABLE) but for some fucking reason I ate this book up. I'm not particularly fond of Emma Woodhouse – may she be handsome, clever, and rich – nor of Mr Knightley, but I really enjoyed this book??? I'm still confused about it.

5. Pride and Prejudice (3 stars)
Let's face it, folks, the Lizzie Bennett Diaries are better than its source material. There, I said it. So much has been written and said about this book, I have nothing to add to the conversation. For me, it was just okay. I didn't fan over Mr. Darcy, nor did I find Elizabeth to be particularly engaging. I feel like Austen was almost too fond of her as a character, and therefore sacrificed much of her other characters and possible plot points in favor of Lizzie. Also, Lydia deserved a redemption arc!

6. Persuasion (2.5 stars)
This is the one Austen novel I am most curious to reread. I feel like I should've liked it a lot more the first time around, but I somehow didn't. The love letter was great ("I am half agony, half hope...") – I can still quote it from memory, so that's something. I may have been too young when I first read it, or simply running out of juice, since at that point I'd been reading ±an Austen a month, and Persuasion was last in line. We'll see how my opinion changes upon a reread.

7. Sense and Sensibility (2 stars)
By far, my last favorite Austen. And I don't think that this will ever change. This novel was the most dull and uninspired of the bunch. Both couples (Edward & Elinor and Marianne & Colonel Brandon) did nothing for me. I don't remember any of the plot, just that I was bored to death.

Overall, I am really happy that I dove so deep into Austen's oeuvre. I usually don't read much romance, and hers aren't even raunchy (lmao), but I somehow grew fond of her writing and stories. She's definitely a classic writer for all ages. Can't wait to revisit her work in the future, now that I am done with her complete works. :)