JulieM

Sense and SensibilitySense and Sensibility by Jane Austen Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen AND Ben WintersJane Austen books have become so popular in recent years that a whole new genre has hit the best seller lists - the Jane Austen spoof. With the new craze toward the paranormal, it seemed inevitable that someone would combine the supernatural with the beloved Austen classics. I have always wanted to read Sense and Sensibility and when Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters came out, I decided to listen to both of these books, switching back and forth every few chapters. Sense and Sensibility revolves around two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood who have very different approaches to romantic relationships. Elinor, always practical, hides her feelings behind logic. Marianne, who is much more passionate, unwisely broadcasts her love, even though social rules at the time are very strict. Although this is not my favorite Austen novel, the story line is good and I quickly found my emotions going up and down with the romantic successes and disasters of these two women. In the Sea Monster version, Ben Winters has taken the original Austen text and added an additional twist of a perilous setting filled with Sea Monsters, such as the man-eating lobsters that tear apart an early victim. What I really enjoyed with this spoof is how he highlights and exaggerates some of Austen's funnier lines. Reading some of the Austen novels in high school, I didn't pick up on the satire or humor of many of the scenes. With Sea Monsters the absurdity of many situations is exaggerated even further, making the humor obvious. For example when Marianne discovers that her true love Willoughby is engaged to another woman, one of her friends Mrs. Palmer sympathizes by cursing Willoughby. "I wish with all my soul his wife may plague his heart out." In Sea Monsters, this is expanded to "I wish with all my soul his wife may be like a tapeworm to him. May she dwell symbiotically in the digestive tract of his existence consuming all joy, causing him writing pain at all intervals until she is finally defecated out." It is hard not to laugh when you hear that!Very fun and definitely recommended for people who take Jane Austen too seriously!