Tuesday, March 16, 2010

BEEtween the Pages: Sense and Sensibility (Bethany House Insight Edition)

"We do not have the living dead to offer in our annotated look at Sense and Sensibility. Nor do we threaten her with dull, scholarly analysis. Rather, we leave Jane's classic story untouched and focus on providing notes, facts, and thoughts in the margins that we hope will help you understand the story a little better, see the characters in a new light, or simply make you smile."

~Editor's Note in Bethany House's Insight Edition of Sense and Sensibility~

Jane Austen's first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, tells a timeless tale of two sisters search for true love and the heartbreaking circumstances they endure along the way. Bethany House's new annotated version of this classic offers readers historical and cultural details about England in the early 1800s, facts about Austen's life, references about films based on the novel, themes of faith, and comments about the novel's characters and plot.

Unlike many editions of this novel, Bethany House's version contains a foreword of only two pages and does not give readers a detailed, scholarly analysis of the novel and Austen's life. Instead, this book provides facts and tidbits of information on the pages' margins. I found this edition simple to navigate and many of the notes offered interesting and helpful information to better understand the story. Another unique feature of this version are the scriptural and moral reflections sprinkled throughout the book. The editors often quote verses from Proverbs.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Jane Austen classics and does not need a detailed introduction about the story and the author's life.

For more information about this book, please visit Bethany House's Web site.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing it.