The Sense and Sensibility: Screenplay & Diaries : Bringing Jane Austen's Novel to Film

Amazon.com

Emma Thompson spent five years translating Jane Austen's work to the screen. Fans of the film will treasure this beautiful volume that includes her screenplay, diaries of the writing and the filming, and many gorgeous color pictures from the film.

Book Description

This engaging and beautiful book includes the complete Academy Award-winning script and Thompson's own diaries detailing the production of the film, reviewed by Stanley Kauffmann in The New Republic as "vivid, funny, and gamy." 88 photos including 36 in color.

Customer Reviews:

Emma Thompson's dazzling adaptation of Jane Austen's novel.......2001-11-28

If you read Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" before or after seeing the 1996 film version then I think it is pretty easy to conclude that Emma Thompson's Oscar for Best Screenplay adaptation was richly deserved. After writing and performing a series of short skits for British television, Thompson was approached by producer Lindsay Doran to write the screenplay. Thompson began by dramatizing every scene in the novel, which resulted in 300 hand written pages to be followed by 14 drafts as the 1811 novel was crafted into the final script. The result was a script that manages to be not only romantic and funny, but also romantic and funny in the best Austen sense of both words.

Be aware that this is the Original Script, not to be confused with the Shooting Script. This should be clear as soon as you beginning reading, because originally Thompson had the scene shifting back and forth between Mrs. Dashwood and Elinor/John and Fanny Dashwood (credit for this revision must go, I believe, to Film Editor Tim Squyres, who recut the scene so that we get all of one side and then the other instead of alternating back and forth as in the original script). Overall the strengths of Thompson's script are in two main directions. First, she manages to convey the scope of the novel in a two-hour screenplay, no mean task. Second, the little details she adds to Austen's story are simply marvelous. For example, her use of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 ("Let me not the marriage of true minds"), which Marianne and Willoughby share to their great mutual delight and which Marianne repeats standing in the rain looking at Willoughby's new estate. In fact, Thompson revised the first scene to make it even better, having Willoughby misquote a key word in an elegant bit of foreshadowing. Thompson also makes one nice little change at the end. While Austen has Elinor bolt from the room to cry outside during the happy ending. Thompson creates a wonderful moment by having her stay in the room and having the rest of her family flee. There are not too many scenes where you are crying and laughing at the same time, but Thompson certainly created one (and has the added virtue of relying on herself as an actress to nail the performance as well). All of these are marvelous examples of playing to the strength of the cinema to bring Austen's novel to the screen.

But we get much more than just the screenplay in this volume, because Thompson includes excerpts from her diaries kept during both the writing of the screenplay and the actual production of the film. It would be nice if there was more insight into what she was thinking when writing the screenplay as I am always interested in how decisions were made and where inspiration comes from, but Thompson makes up for that with her little tales of working with director Ang Lee and the rest of the cast in making the film. Finally, in the Appendices, there is a very choice little treat, namely Imogen Stubbs' Prize-Winning Letter, written to Elinor from Lucy. Do not worry; by the time you read it you will understand why it is so hysterical. There is also a list of the fine homes and estates where "Sense and Sensibility" was filmed if you happen to be roaming around England and are interested in looking for such things.

A look inside the making of the film.......2000-11-21

Most for-sale screenplays are just that -- screenplays. Emma Thompson, who wrote the screenplay for the delightful Jane Austen film "Sense and Sensibility," chose to include journal entries throughout the filming of the movie as well, in addition to the winning entry of a contest to see who could write the best letter from Fanny to Elinor.

There is wit in the descriptions and the photos, all well-captured. The journal entries are entertaining and a good look into the making of a movie. Although be forewarned -- because they dress like the characters of S&S, they do not talk like them. There is definitely some verbal crudeness in the book, men and women alike, but if you can overlook that (or are used to it) then this book will be a delightful read for any Jane Austen fan.

A fascinating look at a remarkable film........2000-07-07

There are three separate parts to this fine volume; introduction, script and diaries. The producer of the film, Lindsay Doran, opens the door for us with her wonderful introduction. At age 13, she was determined that not only was "Jane Austen a very stupid writer," but also she would "never, never read one of her stupid books again."

Fortunately for the rest of the world, Ms. Doran changed her mind, and some twenty-five years after that first erroneous conclusion, has brought us this wonderfully witty, and extremely faithful film version of this first novel by Austen. As producer of the Kenneth Branagh/Emma Thompson film, DEAD AGAIN, she became acquainted with the woman who was not only a phenomenal actress, but also a gifted writer-one with a sense of humor and a strong romantic bent. These two qualities had proven to be the stumbling block over nearly ten years of searching for the right scriptwriter for Sense and Sensibility.

It took nearly seven years to come up with something close to a shooting script, sandwiched as it had to be between Thompson's many award-winning acting chores. Serendipity was obviously at work, however, and eventually, a budget was established, and casting accomplished.

Many of the actors Emma had envisioned in various roles had participated in a read-through the year prior to the filming; they were all in the film, in those same roles.

While the Dashwood ladies are all suitable beautiful, it is the men who are truly gorgeous. ("Repellently so," writes Ms. Thompson in the diary portion, referring to Hugh Grant. "He's much prettier than I am.") With his look-alike Richard Lumsden, they are the brothers Ferrar, Edward and Richard, with Greg Wise as the fickle Willoughby. Alan Rickman (be still my heart!) brings maturity and virility to the role of Colonel Brandon. The sets and costumes are sumptuous.

Interspersed with the actual shooting script and the diaries are some 50 photographs, 36 of them in luscious color. One script looks pretty much like another, but this one allows Ms. Thompson's wry wit to shine, especially in some of the non-spoken words. Of course, not every scene from the book could be included; the movie would have been more than six hours had they been. But the essentials are here, along with all the major characters. Providing testimony to just how perspicacious was the choice of writer is the number of awards garnered by Thompson for this, her first film script.

The diaries portion begin with a production meeting on January 15, 1995 and continue through July 9 of that year. A very small mention is made of Hugh Grant's visit to California, where he'd gone for his next film project after the completion of filming his scenes in England. A final two pages describes the 'location' houses chosen to represent those lived in by the families in the novel.

It may come as somewhat of a surprise to some readers to discover rather explicit language in the diaries. In addition to an apparent fascination with the alimentary process, our Emma has a bit of a potty-mouth, as do some of the gentleman involved, and their words are recorded, one presumes unhappily, all too accurately. They seem curiously jarring and out of place in a book otherwise devoted to the pristine words of Jane Austen.

Nevertheless, this is a lovely, hefty book; one which will bring the reader back to it time and again. There is always a new and enjoyable nugget to be mined from its various depths.

Great marriage of screenplay and journal writing.......2000-02-28

The screenplay itself is a must-read for anyone wanting an education in bringing a well-loved story to life. Emma Thompson does an ingenius job of crafting scenes that are faithful to Austen's original while inventing more that add character development and plot intrigue. I especially like her diary, though. For those who wonder what to include in a memoir of an experience, this journal is a rich model of self-disclosure and humor. I heartily recommend it!

Excellent Book!.......2000-01-04

I truly enjoyed this work by Emma Thompson. Not only is the screenplay included, with pictures, but also there are diary entries by Thompson that give insights into the making of the movie. If you loved this movie, you should read this book. I really enjoyed it.

Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics)

Average customer rating:

Janeites and discerning readers will enjoy Sense and Sensibility
Boring and Bore-ability
i'm on board with mark twain on ms austin's work.
Ah, I love my Victorian lit
Excellence & Erudition

Sense and Sensibility (Penguin Classics)
Jane Austen , and Ros Ballaster
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0141439661
Release Date: 2003-04-29

Book Description

New chronology and further reading; Tony Tanner's original introduction reinstated

Edited with an introduction by Ros Ballaster.

Customer Reviews:

Janeites and discerning readers will enjoy Sense and Sensibility.......2007-10-10

Sense and Sensibility is about the Dashwood girls Elinor and Marianne.
The time is the Napoleonic years of the nineteenth century though nothing so sordid as the little Corporal's baleful visage will appear in this novel of domestic romance. The girls are forced to leave their home following the death of their father. The estate they live at is invaded by their dullard half brother John and his insufferable wife. The two girls, their mother and younger sister Margaret are off to the West of England to live at Barton Cottage being supported by John the brother.
In this novel Miss Jane Austen tells two convoluted love stories. Elinor who is the oldest and most sensible of the girls is in love with Edward Farrars. Farrars is an Oxford man who eventually goes into the ministry. He has been involved in a longterm engagement to the odious but ambitious Lucy Steele. Elinor is heartbroken at this lost love but keeps her stiff upper lip in order to minister to the needs of her younger and more emotional sister Marianne.
Marianne is in love with the rake Willoughby who has had a torrid affair with Eliza Williams. He jilts Marianne but lives to rue his rejection of her.
As in all Austen novels all is resolved with a wedding. Elinor will eventually wed Edward Farrars and live in a parsonage. Her sister Marianne will become Mrs. Brandon as she weds an older and wiser man
Colonel Brandon.
Along the way we meet the lovable Mrs. Jennings, the fautous Steele sisters and Robert Ferrars the stupid brother of Edward Ferrars. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer are also satirically viewed as a dull married couple living in luxury.
It amazes me that no one in a Jane Austen novel really works! As Emma Thompson who directed the film "Sense and Sensibility" quipped one wonders why these women don't go out and get a job! In an Austen novel there are the inevitable long walks and conversations, mixed romantic signals with mixups aplenty and the occasional dance across the ballroom floor.
Austen can be tedious and it can be a challenge to keep up with the characters and conversations. She is a great artist with a very narrow focus; a few middle class families living in the country with a love story to be told. Within this baliwick she is peerless, witty and wise. She brings a few hours of quiet where the only sound heard is a bird singing or a carriage rumbling up to the house.
Sense and Sensibility published in 1811 is a classic of English literature. Jane Austen is unsurpassed in the realm of Regency romance!

Boring and Bore-ability.......2007-09-11

I have seen many movies and PBS mini series that have been made out of Jane Austin novels and have loved them all. Being an avid reader, I thought I'd LOVE to read the books too since books are so much better than anything put to the screen. Boy was I wrong. I just couldn't get through it. It's written in such a form that it's hard to follow and understand what she is talking about. I've truly had to read and re-read sentences and paragraphs to get what in the world she is talking about. Here's an example: "She was faithful to her word; and when Willoughby called at the cottage, the same day, Elinor heard her express her disappointment to him in a low voice, on being obliged to forego the acceptance of his present. The reasons for this alteration were at the same time related, and they were such as to make further entreaty on his side impossible." OR: "The situation of Barton, in a county so far distant from Sussex as Devonshire, which, but a few hours before, would have been a sufficient objection to outweigh every possible advantage belonging to the place, was now its first recommendation." HUH??? See what I mean? I had to work too hard at understanding much of the book and it was no longer relaxing or fun to read so I gave up. I guess when it comes to these period pieces, I was better off watching the movies. I wanted to return the book

i'm on board with mark twain on ms austin's work........2007-08-18

i know that i am going to mangle this quote, but mark twain once said something to the effect that "a library without any books in it would still be a pretty good library, seeing as it lacked any works by jane austin." well, right on mr twain. i read "sense and sensiblity" a few years back and am still trying to recover from the near coma of boredom that it put me in. really awful and dreary stuff. i mean it. now, to be of further help, let me give you directions to the unhelpful voting button. it can be found directly below this review, over to far right hand side. it's the button with the word "no" on it.

Ah, I love my Victorian lit.......2007-07-27

I went into this without expecting much but was soon surprised by how engrossed I became in this classic! This is essentially the story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne, who are different in temperamentbut experience similar disappointments in romance. It's interesting to see the contrast in their personalities in deealing with their heartbreaks. Prudent Elinor puts up a strong front, confiding in no one and worrying no one while Marianne becomes the very picture of wretchedness.

It started off slowly but once you get into the main plot it's hard to put this one down! You hope for each of the sisters to achieve happiness in love, you smile at Austen's wit in observing the upper social strata, you condemn those who are against the sisters and their family and you eagerly read on for each new development. And, of course, there's the lovable supporting cast of characters who at first are viewed as obnoxious but become dear friends in light of true folly from others. And let me just leave off by saying that I loved Mrs. Jennings from the start ;).

Excellence & Erudition.......2007-06-05

I picked up this book largely due to fond memories of Pride and Prejudice (Enriched Classics), but I found Sense & Sensibility is an excellent novel in its own right. I'm not sure why, but I was worried that it might be a bit dry. I needn't have been concerned, as the wit and story both sparkle from the first few pages and it only gets better as it goes along.

The basic plot involves two sisters who have been more or less cheated out of an inheritance and are struggling to find husbands and happiness. Elinor is the oldest and is very intelligent and wise (Sense) and her sister Marianne is all raw emotion and passion (Sensibility). How these two interact with the world, each other, as well as family and friends makes up the bulk of the book. They struggle to understand each other even as they slowly grow more alike... meeting not quite in the middle but closer than they were. The supporting characters are very engaging and I found myself rooting for most of them, even a couple who are not entirely good. There are a few characters (e.g. Mrs. Jenkins) who are caricatures meant to parody some of the social norms of the day but even she has some depth to her and is likeable.

I won't give the ending or any major plot points away but the story does move along well and has a fairly satisfying ending. I did think that a bit more attention could have been paid to Marianne at the end but in many respects Elinor is more the central character so it is perhaps fitting that the climax focuses more on her.

In sum, this is an excellent novel and well worth reading.

Sex and Sensibility: The Thinking Parent's Guide to Talking Sense About Sex

Average customer rating:

Excellent Resource
Good ideas and stories but too wandering and disorganized
Read it and share it with your offspring before they go off to college!
Every parent should read this book
Important if you're a parent

Sex and Sensibility: The Thinking Parent's Guide to Talking Sense About Sex
Deborah M. Roffman
Manufacturer: Perseus Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0738205206
Release Date: 2001-12-18

Amazon.com

Is there any topic more controversial than the sexual education of our children? Parents worry about telling too much or not enough, schools are restricted in what they're allowed to discuss, and kids are filled with a combination of surprising misinformation and depressing detail on disease without ever having been taught about the possible benefits and enjoyment of feeling comfortable with their bodies. Deborah Roffman, a longtime teacher of sexual education for both children and adults, has assembled a thorough book that attempts to address moral and physical issues for every age. The Thinking Parent's Guide to Talking Sense About Sex is decidedly not for those whose sex speech begins and ends with "just say no." Roffman's take on sexual education is that it is a lifelong exploration that should encompass changing cultural values and an individual's personally evolving ethics as well as the practical facts of proper health care. Put plainly in one section's title, "sexuality is about people, not body parts." Including a discussion of gender roles and history, and appropriate levels of information for everyone from toddlers to teens, Roffman attempts to cover all the bases with a mix of theory, historical perspective, personal stories from her own classrooms and kids, and practice questions and situations that parents can eventually expect from their children. Breaking down this complicated subject, she identifies five core needs that all questions fall under: affirmation, information giving, values clarification, limit setting, and anticipatory guidance. This last category relates to parents' ultimate goal of making themselves "dispensable," secure in the knowledge that their children have been raised with all the information needed to make the right decisions for themselves--decisions that will result in a sexual health that blends their emotions, minds, and bodies with ultimate success. --Jill Lightner

Book Description

A new paradigm for talking honestly about sex and sexuality with our children.

With a rare directness and clarity about sex and reproduction, sexual values, and cultural influences on sexuality, Deborah Roffman challenges and teaches readers how to develop a blueprint for opening the lines of communication with children of all ages. Sex and Sensibility introduces the five core parenting skills that parents need to confidently interpret and comfortably respond to virtually any question a child might pose or any situation that arises. Powerfully instructive and thought provoking, it should be required reading for parents; it will inspire honest talk about sex and sexuality, helping all of us be better parents for the effort.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Resource.......2007-06-12

This is an excellent resource for parents with young children or anyone considering having children. This book will help you communicate more effectively with them concerning sex, sexuality and gender issues.
It is informative, funny and easy to understand. She gives a lot of examples of what she is writing about so that you have something to go on in discussing the topic with your own child or children.

Good ideas and stories but too wandering and disorganized.......2007-02-12

I have to admit I was a little disappointed with this book. The idea is revolutionary and necessary in modern society: a generation of parents who genuinely talk to their children about sex and maintain an open and reasonable dialogue throughout their child's life.

Roffman does a good job of arguing for why we need this. What she does not do well, in my opinion, is get to the point: just how are we to instill these dialogues into our relationships with our children? After pages of being told how important it is, I was frustrated not to find how she recommends going about it. So I skipped around. However, due to the poor organization of her book, I had no idea where to skip to. I left it back at the library I got it from with only a vague idea of how she recommended I speak to my child.

Don't get me wrong: her stories are good and there a few I feel glad knowing. But she simply does not get to the point soon enough. The path of her narrative is wandering and her direction at times unclear. I simply could not sit through it long enough to give her a chance to get. to. the. point.

After some disappointment and some searching, I found a book that *does* get to the point:

-Everything you NEVER wanted your kids to know about SEX (but were afraid they'd ask)-
by Justin Richardson and Mark Schuster

While Roffman has the advantage of many first-hand discussions with parents children, Richardson and Schuster have the advantage of not only that but also enlightening statistical, psychological, and sociological research. Not to mention a much more straight-forward writing style.

I applaud Roffman's efforts on a difficult topic. But this simply is not the book to read. I wish she would organize her personal stories so I could find the ones on topics I'm interested in and assimilate them. But unfortunately, I do not have time to dig through all of them to find the ones I feel are relevant.

Read it and share it with your offspring before they go off to college!.......2006-12-28

I don't know what are the rates for teen pregnancy in the US, but I KNOW that unwanted pregnancy is a reality for young adults. Every year one or two of my college students becomes pregnant. I can only recall three times in over ten years when the student was either married or in a committed relationship. If your offspring is planning to go off and live on his/her own, read this book so you can talk about sexuality before they leave your house. The book is somewhat verbose and some sections could be shortened, but I gave it 5 stars because what Roffman has to say, and how she says it, it's very important.

Every parent should read this book.......2006-11-02

Just what parents need to know - the big picture, not just biology and warnings. Very thoughtful.

Important if you're a parent.......2002-02-28

I saw Deborah Roffman speak before I read this book. When she told us that her students (she teaches at a local private school) call her "the sex lady," I wasn't surprised. When she explained some of today's kids' (we're talking kids, not even teens) attitudes about sex, sexuality, and sexual activity, I was very surprised.

I've always considered myself enlightened and pretty progressive, but when it comes to what our kids are thinking and doing, I felt like a Puritan. According to Ms. Roffman, the roles that we as a society thrust on our kids put them under an incredible amount of pressure about themselves, their sexuality, and their values.

Book Description

'"Pray, pray be composed," cried Elinor, "and do not betray what you feel to every body present. Perhaps he has not observed you yet."' For Elinor Dashwood, sensible and sensitive, and her romantic, impetuous younger sister Marianne, the prospect of marrying the men they love appears remote. In a world ruled by money and self-interest, the Dashwood sisters have neither fortune nor connections. Concerned for others and for social proprieties, Elinor is ill-equipped to compete with self-centred fortune-hunters like Lucy Steele, whilst Marianne's unswerving belief in the truth of her own feelings makes her more dangerously susceptible to the designs of unscrupulous men. Through her heroines' parallel experiences of love, loss, and hope, Jane Austen offers a powerful analysis of the ways in which women's lives were shaped by the claustrophobic society in which they had to survive.

Customer Reviews:

One of Austen's Best.......2007-08-11

Slow start, unpredictable finish.......2007-08-02

At first I was disgusted with this book; the characters seemed to be mere shadows of characters of P & P and Emma. However, as I continued reading I was pleasantly intrigued by the plot and the characters were more fully developed (although the still are quite similar to P & P and Emma characters). Although I really like P &P and Emma, I would say that their plots and endings were quite predictable. S & S leaves you in suspense and doubt until the last few chapters. A really great read--if you stick with it.

Austen late-comer........2006-11-17

I tried very hard all through high school and college to be a Jane Austen fan. I could never get fully engrossed in one of her books and thus assumed that the writing style just didn't appeal to me. But once I tackled Sense and Sensibility, I found that Austen could engage me after all. I love Austen's structuring of this book--the contrast of the Dashwood women and the subtle caricatures presented in their surrounding families. And I thought the plot was plenty dramatic enough to carry me through to the final page. I finished it in three days.

Sense and Sensibility.......2006-05-12

Jane Austen wrote 'Sense and Sensibility' under the name 'Elinor and Marianne' in a series of letters, between 1795 and 1796.
The story follows the Dashwood family of the deasced Mr. henry Dashwood, his two daughter in particular, Elinor and Marianne, who in the end make suitable matches.
Read this book plenty of times. Love it.

Great Read.......2006-05-04

The present novel is about two young women, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. They are part of a family living in Sussex. The family is of average financial means or a bit higher than average but the family loses its home when the father dies; and, the mother and sisters move to a smaller cottage in Devonshire. The novel follows the romances and complications of the two girls. Beyond knowing those facts, you should not read any more about the plot until you read the novel, or you will risk spoiling the read. I will not give away the plot, but will only describe the writing style and structure.

I read Austen's "Mansfield Park," then read some analysis by Nabokov from his Cornell "Lectures on Literature" and the comments of Jane Stabler from the introduction of the Oxford version. After that I got a bit excited and read Austen's early writing "Sense and Sensibility," along with the analysis by Margaret Doody in the Oxford version. Yes, I guess I am now an Austen fan, and it is a pity that she did not live longer. "Pride and Prejudice" is my third Austen novel and so far the most fun to read.

Based on the three novels written over two different time periods, it is clear that she developed a certain fixed writing style and a common structure. She uses the early pages to introduce the families, and other characters, and give start the story. She moves characters around from place to place in part for time shifting. She does a wrap up in the last few chapters.

Those opening chapters are an obstacle for most readers. She uses her own vocabulary and has an unusual way of structuring her prose. That structure is a trademark of Austen's writing. Also, she manages to work in a lot of drama and social issues with some humour and irony.

Based on what Nabokov and others are saying, she got her inspiration from Sheridan, Richardson, Henry Fielding, Sir Walter Scott, and the poetry of Cowper. She modulates the complexity of the prose to reflect the characters - such as making the sentences of Sir Thomas Bertram in "Mansfield Park" somewhat elaborate instead of describing how the character is dressed or a similar description to convey qualities and traits, i.e.: she uses the complexity of speech to convey character. Also, she uses lateral shifts and epigrammatic notations and similar literary techniques. These techniques are interesting for some readers but just confusing for others. It is all part of the price of admission to entering the world of Jane Austen, and it is part of the fun in reading her novels.

Overall, once you get past reading and digesting 50 pages or so and have absorbed the Jane Austen vocabulary (words such as felicity, remonstrance, countenance, etc.) and understand the structure of her prose, the book becomes a compelling read. The second Austen novel seems much easier than the first.

This was written by a young Jane Austen and honed for over a decade before being published. By way of comparison, it is an interesting read but less complicated than "Mansfield Park." It not as interesting nor as witty as "Pride and Prejudice." Still, it is a delightful and a pleasant read.

Sense And Sensibility (Naxos AudioBooks)

Average customer rating:

Great Narrator

Sense And Sensibility (Naxos AudioBooks)
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Naxos Audiobooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 9626343613
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Customer Reviews:

Great Narrator.......2007-04-29

Juliet Stevenson is a great narrator she is able to give each of her characters a distinct voice and her intonations are perfect. She makes the emotions of the characters and the situations come alive.

Thinking about Crime: Sense and Sensibility in American Penal Culture (Studies in Crime and Public Policy)

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Praise for THINKING ABOUT CRIME
REVIEW
REVIEW
Exceptional

Thinking about Crime: Sense and Sensibility in American Penal Culture (Studies in Crime and Public Policy)
Michael Tonry
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 019530490X

Book Description

In this wide-ranging analysis, Michael Tonry argues that those responsible for crafting America's criminal justice policy have lost their way in a forest of good intentions, political cynicism, and public anxieties. American crime control politics over time have created a punishment system no one would knowingly have chosen yet one that no one seems able to change. Prevailing sensibilities rather than timeless truths govern the American war on crime, resulting in policies both wasteful and harsh. U.S. crime trends closely resemble those of other nations, yet American policies, shaped by different sensibilities, are much more punitive. Seamlessly blending history with an easy presentation of day-to-day realities and empirical evidence, Tonry proposes tangible, specific solutions that can serve as a platform for criminal justice reform. We know how to create an effective and humane criminal justice system. Now we must have the courage to do so, by abandoning the current status quo, which is both costly and cruel in favor of practices that will move America closer to the mainstream of contemporary Western values.

Customer Reviews:

Praise for THINKING ABOUT CRIME.......2004-02-27

"Here we have solid insights into a system gone awry. The cost is needless suffering and huge distortions in our spending priorities."--Paul Simon, former U.S. Senator, Illinois

REVIEW.......2004-02-26

From the Publisher: "Michael Tonry is one of the most provocative editors and authors in matters of crime policy. In "Thinking About Crime," he challenges the spate of punitive actions that characterized the final third of the last century. He brings historical and cross-national perspectives to this important inquiry into how America's punishment polices went out of control. Drawing on his extensive experience in sentencing and corrections, he provides a number of sober suggestions for bringing restraint back into the punishment process. This is an important book that should be widely read and discussed." --Al Blumstein, "The Crime Drop"

REVIEW.......2004-02-26

From the Publisher: "No one would have chosen the criminal justice system America now has....it is too severe, too expensive, and locks up too many black and poor Americans. In this brilliant book, Michael Tonry shows how things came to be as they are, and how they can be made better." Carol Moseley Braun,former U.S. Senator, Illinois

Exceptional.......2004-02-26

Anyone making criminal justice policy should read "Thinking About Crime." In this book, Michael Tonry closely examines the very different ways nations have responded to changing crime patterns and shifting cultural sensibilities over the past several decades. In so doing, he offers an intriguing analysis of how and why the United States has emerged at the beginning of the twenty-first century with by far the most punitive but by no means the most effective punishment policy. His ability to navigate complexities and render them obvious, makes this important book a pleasure to read.

Favorite Jane Austen Novels: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion (Dover Thrift Editions)

Average customer rating:

Good Box Set, But It's Missing Some Books!
Not very good value - READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY
A Great Collection!
Pride and Prejudice -the edge of human relationships
A must read for anyone!!

Favorite Jane Austen Novels: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility and Persuasion (Dover Thrift Editions)
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486297489

Book Description

Three of the author's most popular works — widely admired for their satiric wit, subtlety, and perfection of style — brilliantly re-create the provincial world of the early-19th-century English countryside, focusing, respectively, on husband-hunting mothers and daughters, the humbling of proud lovers, and the return of a once-rejected lover.

Customer Reviews:

Good Box Set, But It's Missing Some Books!.......2005-10-02

I think this boxed set collection of Dover Thrift edition Jane Austen books is a good idea, especially if you want to own the books in seperate volumes and not all together in one giant book as in the book the previous reviewer was referring to and as a book collector I like to own each book in their own seperate ediitions but why did they not include Emma, Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park in this box set? Hopefully a second Dover Thrift box set will be made for those books!

Not very good value - READ THIS BEFORE YOU BUY.......2005-03-03

This edition isn't such good value - here you only get three of Jane Austen's books. You can get all eight of them for only a few dollars more - take a look at this edition:

0954840119

(that's the ISBN number - copy and paste it into the Amazon search box, and the book will come up).

A Great Collection!.......2001-03-22

This is a great collection for a new Jane Austen fan. It showcases some of her best work but the price is right if you're not sure you want to invest in hard cover editions just yet.

Pride and Prejudice -the edge of human relationships.......2000-08-04

Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen , the youngest child of a country parson , received a carreful education and led a normal life amid the quiet provincial surroundings of the south . In the youthful happiness pf Pride and Prejudice her art is almost perfect .The novel present the edge of the human relationships , relations filled with contradictions and ambiguities . The Pride leeds to prejudice and Prejudice involves Pride . The universe created by Austen is a dramatic universe . First of all , between the characters and reader interferes the autor , imposing her subtle -allusive point of view . Unlike the linear novel , who consists in a succession of dialogues , Jane austen creates the dramatic novel , characterized by the superposing of several plans and using the writer`s oppinion as a fourth dimension . The novel Pride and Prejudice may be devided in five scenes , all very much alike the entrances of a comedy . The first act contains the appearance of Bingley and of his sisters , his relation with Jane Bennet , Darcy`s reaction to all these and the departure of Bingley . The second part points out Mr. Collins ` proposal of marriage fallowed by a third section , showing Jane`s life at Rosings and Darcy`s proposal of marriage . The intermediar act , the fourth , presents Elisabeth at Pemberley and the last act ends with the marriages of the sisters . At the first sight , both Bennet sisters seem to claim the status of main character ,but anyway , Jane cannot claim an equal place with Elisabeth ,because she is too flawless and furthermore , as Darcy said : the complicated characters are the most interesting ones . Author`s irony wants to show that exactely these complicated characters make big mistakes . So , Elisabeth ,intuitive when it comes of her family , misjudge and makes mistakes when it comes an emotional affaire . On the other side , Darcy himself experiences a complicated process of evolution through amorous sufferences . In fact his counterpart is Elisabeth who learnes to love him ,fighting against her own feelings and fears .

A must read for anyone!!.......2000-04-19

This is the best book I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I had to read it for a class in 10th grade, and I have gone back to it at least once a year ever since (I'm now a sophomore in college). The characters are wonderfully constructed by Jane Austin, and I haven't read anything that compares to it yet. If you enjoy the book, I highly recommend the A&E/BBC production of it. It captures the book perfectly, and if you fell in love with Mr. Darcy the way I did, then you will fall in love with the brilliant actor who plays him, Colin Firth. A great read and a great movie to go along with it!

Sense & Sensibility/Pride & Prejudice/Mansfield Park/Emma/Northanger Abbey/Persuasion/Lady Susan/Love & Friendship

Average customer rating:

8 Books in 1: Jane Austen's Complete Novels
not great
Pride and Prejudice
Good value
Wonderful

Sense & Sensibility/Pride & Prejudice/Mansfield Park/Emma/Northanger Abbey/Persuasion/Lady Susan/Love & Friendship
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Shoes and Ships and Sealing Wax Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0954840194

Book Description

Jane Austen's complete novels, collected together in one uniquely comprehensive volume, now published with the complete set of Hugh Thomson's famous illustrations. Comprises the complete text of: "Sense and Sensibility", "Pride and Prejudice", "Mansfield Park", "Emma", "Northanger Abbey", "Persuasion", "Lady Susan", and "Love and Friendship". This is the only single-volume edition of Jane Austen's novels to contain not only the wickedly humorous "Lady Susan", but also the irrepressibly exuberant early work "Love and Friendship". This collection allows readers to explore the development of one of the English language's greatest writers, following her development from the farcical comedy of "Love and Friendship" and "Northanger Abbey", via her most popular work, "Pride and Prejudice", to the masterpiece "Emma", and the considered romance of "Persuasion". A unique collection of the finest and most perceptive love stories ever written. Hugh Thomson first illustrated Jane Austen's works in the 1890's; his illustrations are prized for their wit and liveliness. The illustrations in this edition have been photographed directly from the original books, and digitally retouched for enhanced clarity. Copies of the original Hugh Thomson illustrated edition of Pride and Prejudice, from which these illustrations are taken, are highly prized by collectors, and valued at up to $10,000.

Customer Reviews:

8 Books in 1: Jane Austen's Complete Novels.......2007-09-05

The type is very small. It is more comfortable to read a book printed as an individual book. I should have thought this through before ordering a book with all 8 books in one. On the other hand, if you just want to take one book with you, you have 8 to read and only have to carry one. So, for that reason, it's quite a bargain.

not great.......2007-03-09

I ordered this book online thinking it would be cool to have all books in one book so to speak. I was disappointed, each page is split into 2 in the middle, it was not fun reading, and i actually returned it.

Pride and Prejudice.......2007-03-09

I have the video of one of the older versions of the movie and I also have the cd of the most recent movie. I love both of them so much that I had to get the book since it gives you more of an indebt of the thoughts etc. of the characters.
I love the book

Good value.......2007-01-30

For the money, this was great. A few typos, but nothing too bad. If you just want all of Jane Austen's works in one volume I would recommend it.

Wonderful.......2007-01-28

I found this book absolutely wonderful. The illustrations are very good and the Pride and Prejudice illustrations are quite funny. The price is great and I thought it was qutie a steal. Getting a good copy of each of Jane Austen's novels can be pricey, but in this book you get all six plus two fractions of a novel! This is a very good deal.

Average customer rating:

Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: The Audio Partners, Cover to Cover
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: 1572705523

Sense and Sensibility (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (B&N Classics)

Average customer rating:

still relevent for today
Boring...but well written.

Sense and Sensibility (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) (B&N Classics)
Jane Austen
Manufacturer: Barnes & Noble Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 1593080492

Book Description

Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility is a wonderfully entertaining tale of flirtation and folly that revolves around two starkly different sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. While Elinor is thoughtful, considerate, and calm, her younger sister is emotional and wildly romantic. Both are looking for a husband, but neither Elinor’s reason nor Marianne’s passion can lead them to perfect happiness—as Marianne falls for an unscrupulous rascal and Elinor becomes attached to a man who’s already engaged.
Startling secrets, unexpected twists, and heartless betrayals interrupt the marriage games that follow. Filled with satiric wit and subtle characterizations, Sense and Sensibility teaches that true love requires a balance of reason and emotion.

Customer Reviews:

still relevent for today.......2004-06-01

This is a story of two sisters, marrian and elinor, which, though very similar in some aspects, and share a very similar unfortunate love affair, are total different in their behavior and approach toward matters of the heart. Tough both emotional in both seeking love and addressing it, one lets her emotions take over just about everything else, and the other have better balance between love and logic.

I'm not much of a period novel fan, and didn't like the emma tompson movie so much - so i wasn't too keen on reading this book at first, but as i got into the pace of the story, i enjoyed reading it. what i mostly liked about this book is the fact that though it was written a few centuries ago, the emotions describe in it, and the moral this story tells are still very true till today. the way we all need to balance our inner world with consideration and respect for the outer world.

I've been helping two friends through a pretty messy break up while i was reading this book, and i kept quoting parts of it for them, trying to explain how the choice between "being a marrianne" and "being an elinor" is their's and how dealing with grief and lose might be effected by their own approach to love and life in general.

I recommend this book to anyone who ever suffered from a broken heart and had to deal with a break up. It's inspiring and interesting

Boring...but well written........2004-02-18

Jane Austen delivers an interestingly romantic story of two sisters and their everchanging love lives. Written in a time when a woman's fate was decided by her marriage, the characters in the novel depict the role of women in the nineteenth century. As for exiting and adventurous, Austen's novel doesn't have it. This book was sometimes hard to stay focused on because the story does not relate to modern relationships. Although, the intriguing manner of the Dashwood girls did have me interested at times. I found myself laughing at their wit and quirky dispositions. I would recommend this book to an older audience who can appreciate a more old-fashioned style of romantic novel.

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