What’s your favorite Jane Austen novel?

[issybird]

The header says it. Poll inspired by a valued member who doesn’t get her. I’m limiting it to the finished novels, but you’re welcome to mention the uncompleted works in the comments.

[issybird]

I voted for Emma. I would have picked it as my favorite in any case, but my memory is fresh in that I’ve been listening to it during bouts of insomnia. I thought I was thoroughly familiar with it, and I was, but I am still finding new things in it.

[poohbear_nc]

I'm a fan of Sanditon - I 'discovered' it by accident after reading Reginald Hill's The Price of Butcher's Meat - a marvelous retelling set in Sandytown - featuring the irascible Andy Dalziel in a Jane Austen setting.

[Little.Egret]

Emma and P&P are available free from Amazon without bother of Gutenberg.

[gmw]

I voted P&P ... though I really like Emma. For me P&P wins out because I think the balance (story, language, character) is just about right. Or it could just be because this was my first.

[Uncle Robin]

I had to vote P&P because I loathed Emma - the character. I, came VERY close to dropping the book and had to force myself to finish it because she was so awful, but I do remember saluting Ms Austen for succeeding in her apparently stated aim to create an unlikeable protagonist. That would suggest that Emma the book might be the greater achievement of writing, it definitely generated a much stronger reaction than the inoffensively bland P&P.

[Martinoptic]

Emma and P&P are available free from Amazon without bother of Gutenberg.

They’re available here on mobileread too!
My favourite is P&P

[hildea]

I voted for Northanger Abbey -- I like the acerbic humour, and the protagonist who is naive and makes stupid mistakes, but is still described sympathetically by the author. I actually struggled through "The Mysteries of Udolpho" (which Catherine and Eleanor are raving over) because of it. (I don't recommend that one -- it drags on and on and on, and there's no satisfactory answer to the mystery.)

Others are close -- Pride and Predudice is probably second, or maybe Persuasion.

The only one I haven't reread more than once or twice is Emma, it makes me cringe from secondhand embarrassment

[issybird]

Emma, the character not the book, truly is awful. I forget just how very awful she is between readings, but I think that’s part of what I find so interesting about the novel. I was struck this reading by how Emma’s judgments about Mrs. Elton could mostly also apply to herself. Emma’s not vulgar, but other than that? As with all of Austen, it’s about the money.

But who can’t identify with this?

To be always doing more than she wished, and less than she should!

[issybird]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I'm a fan of Sanditon - I 'discovered' it by accident after reading Reginald Hill's The Price of Butcher's Meat - a marvelous retelling set in Sandytown - featuring the irascible Andy Dalziel in a Jane Austen setting.

I’ll bite on this. I did love Dalziel and Pascoe back in the day, but I ran out of steam with them (as I do with virtually all series) before I hit this one. But it sounds like fun and Dalziel is one of the greats.

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by issybird

I’ll bite on this. I did love Dalziel and Pascoe back in the day, but I ran out of steam with them (as I do with virtually all series) before I hit this one. But it sounds like fun and Dalziel is one of the greats.

To fully appreciate the plot, you need to read the preceding installment Death Comes for the Fat Man - which sets up the plot lines and characters that are expanded upon in The Price of Butcher's Meat.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

Emma and P&P are available free from Amazon without bother of Gutenberg.

Gutenberg is simpler than Amazon and doesn't need a log-on.

I found it hard to choose. She's got a sharp wit and actually the works were more "cutting" at the time in satirising and criticism of society.

I also suspect she was a fan of the "gothic" novels (all real) mentioned in Northanger Abbey. Those are all available free. I've been editing out OCR errors and bad formatting on them and will upload here eventually. They are quite entertaining.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

I'm a fan of Sanditon - I 'discovered' it by accident after reading Reginald Hill's The Price of Butcher's Meat - a marvelous retelling set in Sandytown - featuring the irascible Andy Dalziel in a Jane Austen setting.

We tried watching Sanditon the TV series and found it was not good. It may have been because of the cast.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

Emma and P&P are available free from Amazon without bother of Gutenberg.

Originally Posted by Quoth

Gutenberg is simpler than Amazon and doesn't need a log-on.

All except Northanger Abbey are available on Standard eBooks. No log-in and a much nicer presentation than Gutenberg. It's a win/win!

[ZodWallop]

I chose I have yet to have the pleasure, though to be honest I don't see myself ever having the pleasure. I have zero interest in Austen. Yet I couldn't bring myself to select Austen’s awful. That is simple ignorance. She's not Ayn Rand after all.

I can say that some things are not for me because they just do not interest me.