SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

This story of Elinor Dashwood, who represents sense, wit, and self-control, and her younger sister, Marianne, who believes exquisite feelings are the highest virtue, is probably the most beloved of Austen’s novels after PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. When the laws of primogeniture allow John Dashwood to turn his stepmother and three half-sisters out of their home, they must seek both love and financial security in marriage, always a parlous business. Austen has a field day here with the selfish, the snobbish, and the vulgar, as well as with the kind and noble. Donada Peters’s (aka Wanda McCaddon) performance of this romantic and funny little masterpiece is nothing short of delicious. B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 02/ JAN 03]