Jane Austen: The Complete Novels

By Jane Austen and Goodreads

- Sense and Sensibility (1811)

- Pride and Prejudice (1813)

- Mansfield Park (1814)

- Emma (1815)

- Northanger Abbey (1817)

- Persuasion (1818)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jane Austen
• Release date: Dec 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9780785834212

Jane Austen

Born in 1775, Jane Austen published four of her six novels anonymously. Her work was not widely read until the late nineteenth century, and her fame grew from then on. Known for her wit and sharp insight into social conventions, her novels about love, relationships, and society are more popular year after year. She has earned a place in history as one of the most cherished writers of English literature.

Reviews for Jane Austen

[k6gst · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sense and Sensibility (finished April 2019): Of Jane Austen I think I’d only read Pride and Prejudice, and that was over 20 years ago, so I figured I’d take a run at the whole of her, starting with this one. (I’m mostly allergic to the movie and TV adaptations.)She’s good. Very funny, and shrewd. (Kingsley Amis, Hitchens reminded us, believed that the word “good” and its modifiers—“no good,” “somewhat good,” “bloody good,” etc.—are the only words needed for serviceable literary criticism.)

[whatsmacksaid · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Do yourself a favor and go read "Pride and Prejudice." Seriously. It will sweep you away. People think the Stephanie Meyer books are good? Pfft. They obviously need to go read a real romance, not a YA romance masquerading as vampire lit.

After reading "Pride and Prejudice," though, do yourself another favor and don't bother with the rest of Jane Austen's novels. P&P is the pinnacle of her literary talent, and unfortunately most of her other novels have the same feel--girl meets boy, they go to Bath, girl loses boy, girl gets boy back, they get married and girl's life is miraculously perfect. Oh, and they live happily ever after, of course. With their annoying relatives.

Personally speaking, I rather liked "Persuasion," as well as parts of "Mansfield Park" and "Northanger Abbey," but nothing glows so brilliantly as "Pride and Prejudice."

[wisewoman_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jane Austen. That name conjures up so many different feelings. For some, the name immediately presents an image of long dresses and gloves and carriages, delicious British accents, and all the fun of social intrigue and careful manners. For others, it represents boredom, interminable miniseries (in which nothing blows up and everyone constantly has long and unintelligible conversations), and stuffy classics without any pictures. To this second group, I warn you... this is pretty much a love letter to her work. Read on at your own peril. I was first introduced to Jane Austen through an old thread on NarniaWeb.com that asked people to list their all-time favorite authors and titles. Somehow I had reached my early twenties without ever having read Austen, or even knowing who she was. (We may have watched the five-hour BBC movie when I was younger, but I don't remember anything clearly.) In this thread, this "Jane Austen" person was mentioned again and again. So several months later when I saw a hardback volume of her complete novels at a library booksale, I picked it up. Hardbacks were three for a dollar that day, and this has to be one of my best booksale purchases ever. I read that volume of six novels in two weeks, in a state of utter astonishment and delight. Jane Austen isn't known for expanding readers' horizons and ideas, being concerned primarily with her characters' inner lives and small social circles, but she certainly enlarged mine. Since that first baptism I have reread the novels many times, immersed myself in the many excellent miniseries and movies based on her works, and converted a great many people to the delights of her society (my husband included; to this day there is nothing we enjoy more than curling up on the couch and visiting Regency England for five hours together). I love Jane Austen because she is just so fun. She explodes all the silly notions we modern readers have about the stuffiness and stodginess of "classic literature," and shows us that we are the stuffy ones for indulging in such chronological snobbery. Just because you lived in a time before photography was invented doesn't mean you couldn't have a wicked sense of humor and an eye for the ridiculous. I love Jane Austen because she and I share many of the same moral and religious convictions, and her heroines learn, grow, and change over the course of their stories. They are the kind of characters I can both identify with and admire. And yet Austen is never preachy. I love Jane Austen because her prose style is so impeccable. She says so much with so little, and inferring her meaning helps the reader enter into the story more deeply. She is humorous, but she knows how to be serious. She is entertaining; she is also compassionate. She never crosses into the realm of bitter satire; her sarcasm is playful rather than pushy. Her sharp wit flavors a warm humor and sensitivity. And people think her books are boring!I love Jane Austen because I can read her stories in so many different moods. She can be a comfort read; she can be a challenging intellectual exercise. You can think about her stories and characters purely from a reader's point of view, reading breathlessly for that happy ending you know is coming, reveling in all the fun along the way—or you can go all scholarly and English-majorly on her and write papers about her views on society, her attitude toward the role of women, her thoughts on the domestic arrangements of the time, her criticism of various social hypocrisies, etc. Her novels are always in season.I love Jane Austen because I can talk about her to readers with whom I have nothing else in common. The things to love about her work are so strong that they overcome objections that contemporary readers may have to her worldview or prose style. So yes, I love Jane Austen. And I can think of no better way to celebrate my 500th review on LibraryThing than to express my enduring affection and respect for this body of work that has given me so many hours of pleasure. Thank you, Jane Austen.

[johnei_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If you want to strengthen your vocabulary and just feel good about a lovely romantic story, this is the book for you.

[prettybutterfly_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book.

[dolphinchick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Can't get enough Jane Austen! This copy of mine is so worn out from reading from it so often! I do have other copies of them all so I trade off so that I don't totally ruin one! Just something about 'em!! ;)

[jesse1031 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Jane Austen. This was the perfect book for me all of Jane's work in one book. Jane is the queen of classic books that never fade with the times. She is a must read author.

[garykbookworm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

No one can beat Jane Austen when you are looking for a good book to read!

[summerbear_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I got a 99 on this test for Frucci! I liked this book because it made sense. It was a good old fashioned story that was a welcome break from all the Heart of Darkness crap we did. I loved Mr. Darcy: a completely misunderstood guy. I think I drank about 4 cups of tea while reading this book, and spent only one weekend reading the whole thing. On the whole, not as ominous a task as I first thought.

[rlbaxter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have read everthing by Jane Austen, and for a while was a bit obsessed. I loved Pride and Prejudice, as well as Emma, but I also enjoyed Northanger Abby, not one of her most popular.

[harleyqgrayson02 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love this book because it has all of Jane Austen's novels in one book. I have had this book a while and this is the first time I actually read through all her books. They are great!!!!

[hannahj26 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Jane Austen and this is a nice collection. It looks nice on the shelf and it's a good size.

[jacklondon617 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I think Jane Austen is one of the most brilliant writers ever. Here's why: I've learned quite a bit about how economics work in the world of Jane Austen. And one of the hallmarks of quality work is that it can speak to a multitude of audiences. I happen to be interested in economics. But there are serious issues of gender, class, religion, you name it, Austen's got it there. And of course, you could always read these books for pleasure as well. This is worth putting in your library

[abi78_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The complete Jane Austen. My best friend in the world of books.

[jusneuce · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gorgeous book; stories from a master; one little-known story fragment included

[dkvietzke_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This bargain book has held up well. The novels included are Pride & Prejudice, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Sense & Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, Lady Susan. As mentioned, somehow the publisher has managed to package all of these novels in an easy-to-read typeface and not too unweildy of a volume, including a few quaint illustrations.

[ostrom_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Austen is so popular because of the television- and movie-adaptations now that she's popular for the wrong reasons, to some degree. She was a superb novelist--and extremely smart about gender, economics, power, and social-class.

[martinal_42 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good collection - have not read them all yet

[tullius22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

And here is another reason why this is the best sort of book: it *is* long, and *patient*, and *content*-- but it has also very short chapters, and very close to reality, so as not to make one.... confused, or, should I say, stressed and, "nervous". I dare not say more. (10/10)

[atimco-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jane Austen. That name conjures up so many different feelings. For some, the name immediately presents an image of long dresses and gloves and carriages, delicious British accents, and all the fun of social intrigue and careful manners. For others, it represents boredom, interminable miniseries (in which nothing blows up and everyone constantly has long and unintelligible conversations), and stuffy classics without any pictures. To this second group, I warn you... this is pretty much a love letter to her work. Read on at your own peril. I was first introduced to Jane Austen through an old thread on NarniaWeb.com that asked people to list their all-time favorite authors and titles. Somehow I had reached my early twenties without ever having read Austen, or even knowing who she was. (We may have watched the five-hour BBC movie when I was younger, but I don't remember anything clearly.) In this thread, this "Jane Austen" person was mentioned again and again. So several months later when I saw a hardback volume of her complete novels at a library booksale, I picked it up. Hardbacks were three for a dollar that day, and this has to be one of my best booksale purchases ever. I read that volume of six novels in two weeks, in a state of utter astonishment and delight. Jane Austen isn't known for expanding readers' horizons and ideas, being concerned primarily with her characters' inner lives and small social circles, but she certainly enlarged mine. Since that first baptism I have reread the novels many times, immersed myself in the many excellent miniseries and movies based on her works, and converted a great many people to the delights of her society (my husband included; to this day there is nothing we enjoy more than curling up on the couch and visiting Regency England for five hours together). I love Jane Austen because she is just so fun. She explodes all the silly notions we modern readers have about the stuffiness and stodginess of "classic literature," and shows us that we are the stuffy ones for indulging in such chronological snobbery. Just because you lived in a time before photography was invented doesn't mean you couldn't have a wicked sense of humor and an eye for the ridiculous. I love Jane Austen because she and I share many of the same moral and religious convictions, and her heroines learn, grow, and change over the course of their stories. They are the kind of characters I can both identify with and admire. And yet Austen is never preachy. I love Jane Austen because her prose style is so impeccable. She says so much with so little, and inferring her meaning helps the reader enter into the story more deeply. She is humorous, but she knows how to be serious. She is entertaining; she is also compassionate. She never crosses into the realm of bitter satire; her sarcasm is playful rather than pushy. Her sharp wit flavors a warm humor and sensitivity. And people think her books are boring!I love Jane Austen because I can read her stories in so many different moods. She can be a comfort read; she can be a challenging intellectual exercise. You can think about her stories and characters purely from a reader's point of view, reading breathlessly for that happy ending you know is coming, reveling in all the fun along the way—or you can go all scholarly and English-majorly on her and write papers about her views on society, her attitude toward the role of women, her thoughts on the domestic arrangements of the time, her criticism of various social hypocrisies, etc. Her novels are always in season.I love Jane Austen because I can talk about her to readers with whom I have nothing else in common. The things to love about her work are so strong that they overcome objections that contemporary readers may have to her worldview or prose style. So yes, I love Jane Austen. And I can think of no better way to celebrate my 500th review on LibraryThing than to express my enduring affection and respect for this body of work that has given me so many hours of pleasure. Thank you, Jane Austen.

[bookmarque · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

For Pursuasion:Much like a modern situation comedy, this story relies on mistaken identity, mischance and misfits to make it work. Much like Pride & Prejudice, we have the story of two people destined to be together if only the details could be worked out. There is folly galore as well as an abundance of social propriety to be got through.Austen’s wit and sarcasm are very much in force in this novel, although slightly less so than in P&P. Once again we’re faced with a bevy of daughters and an entailed estate. Once again the cousin upon whom the estate is entailed does not get one of the principal daughters. He’s a jerk and she finds out just in time. I liked this much more than Emma, but not quite as much as P&P.

[tallreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love all Jane Austin because she's comfortable, she's clever, she's timeless, she's accessible, she's romantic... she's also trendy right now... The best book: Pride and Prejudice, of course. The next best: Persuasion. The one I like the least: Northanger Abbey. And, I should mention that this large book is not the best for: bedtime reading, a purse book, reading in line... etc. :)