Sense and Sensibility - Pride and Prejudice

With all the novels together it is a good opportunity to read some previously unread novels of Austin's. My unexpected good read was Mansfield Park and that, together with Pride and Prejudice, are my favorites that I was to read again and again.

Jane Austin has been one of my two favorite authors for quite a long time now. Although these books are very much of a period in time, the people in them are real today - they are recognizable in this time as well.

To have gotten all of Jane Austen's iconic novels in one download for only $2.99 was a great treat, and a nice Christmas present from the store! So handy to have all these classics together to read at my leisure. Thanks, the store, for making this great product available to Kindle owners!

These books are very nice with illistrations throughout the books too! I bought these as a Chirstmas gift on Cyber Monday (as they were cheaper than buying each book separately), but now I am starting to want to keep them for myself as I own all of Jane Austen in one volume and prefer having each book separate.

This is beyond beautiful collection. It is just breath taking! all hard covers with satin bookmarks, the case is very nice durable. This is a collection you get for your children's children. I HIGHLY recommend that you get all of this companies collections!

I bought these as a gift for my niece who loves Jane Austen books and she absolutely loved them. I don't read and I love them too. They are so pretty, heavy, and very durable. I may have to order me a set for my bookcase and the price is perfect!!

I am extremely happy with this set! A price that was outstanding! For a magnetic box, all the books (in hard cover!) All with gorgeous covers. I am extremely happy. Anyone that is a lover of Jane Austen or reading should buy this set!

These books are in a really nice boxed set that is magnectically latched. Great set. The books are just as Jane wrote them in older English so be aware if you have trouble reading those older style writings.

The collection is beautiful . But the slipcase has already split when it arrived . The book set is really heavy. It was put in a really big box without any protection around books . I thought that was why the slipcase fell apart. I ordered this book set from Canada as a Christmas gift. It took me 2 weeks to get it. I have no time to replace it. So disappointed !

The collection is beautiful, and I love the hardcover books. But other customers should be aware that the slipcase is very heavy. My first order of the collection came damaged, with multiple corners pushed in and a small tear in the fabric of the slipcase. One of the books inside the case had damaged corners. The internal packaging had all deflated, and this slipcase had in fact squished and bent a smaller softcover book.

My second order was also damaged (this time, I believe due to external forces) and there was a large tear in the slipcase.

I've read reviews for the other Heirloom Collections referencing damaged corners, and this case also appears to have the same shipping problems.

You will snort your coffee when you read (not just once!) Jane Austen writing about "ADOBE" (y'know, the stuff they build with in the U.S. Southwest.)

From this version of "Sense and Sensibility":

"...she could not think of Edward's adobe in Mr. Pratt's family with any satisfaction."

"...to consider his own adobe there as equally determinate, if not equally indispensable."

It's just a travesty. Some of the sentences are so far from the original that they seem to be typed by squirrels, and make about as much sense as if they had been.

Jane Austen. Her name is practically synonymous with classic, understated romance, as well as comedies of manners with a subtle, sly sense of humor.

And "The Complete Novels of Jane Austen" brings together the full complement of her finished novels, from the little-known "Lady Susan" to the classic bestseller "Pride and Prejudice" (and everything in between). This collection is flled with lovably flawed heroines, beautiful formal prose, and some rather unconventional love stories.

"Pride and Prejudice" become a problem when Elizabeth Bennett takes a dislike to the handsome, aloof Mr. Darcy, helped by his own aloofness and the devious Mr. Wickham's stories about him. But Mr. Darcy isn't quite the villain -- he's the hero. And "Sense and Sensibility" clash when the two very different Dashwood sisters, smart Elinor and romantic Marianne, both fall in love -- one with a man she can't have, and the other with a guy who may be horribly unsuitable.

Anne Elliott has a problem with "Persuasion," since she was once briefly engaged to the impoverished sailor Frederick Wentworth. Now he's returned from war as a wealthy hero... and Anne still loves him. "Mansfield Park" is the backdrop for shy Fanny's life with her rich relatives, who usually treat her as a servant -- except for her kindly cousin, Edmund. But when the flirtatious, fashionable Crawfords arrive in the neighborhood, it unbalances the lives of everyone at Mansfield Park.

And "Northanger Abbey" is a fitting location for Austen's spoof on gothic romances, in which the hyperimaginative Catherine Moreland has to learn a lesson about the difference between fantasy and reality. "Emma" is a frothy romantic comedy about a rich, somewhat spoiled young lady who tries to arrange the lives of people around her so that everyone is happy. And there's "Lady Susan," who is sort of the evil sociopathic twin of Emma: a brilliant and manipulative widow who seduces, plots and schemes.

The collection displays the range and depth of Austen's writing skill beautifully; though each story is very unique they're laced together by common themes. Except for "Lady Susan," each story is a love story, tempered with some clever commentary on the society of Austen's day (example: entailment, which plays a part in several plots), and a biting, sharp-edged wit (the mockery of the toadying Mr. Collins and the obnoxious Elliott family).

And despite the formal stuffiness of the time, Austen painted her stories vividly -- there's a bit of roughness in "Lady Susan" and "Persuasion," but nothing too dramatic. Each one has powerful emotions and vivid splashes of prose ("The wind roared round the house, and the rain beat against the windows"), as well as deliciously witty dialogue ("I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine"). But she also weaves in some intensely romantic moments as well ("Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you").

Austen also had an interesting range of heroines -- quiet ones, melodramatic ones, intelligent ones, naive ones, and mildly spoiled ones who think they know best. But each one has a major character flaw that must be overcome before she can find true love and happiness. And she has an equally fascinating range of love interests: the quiet shy Colonel Brandon, the sexy and clever Henry Tilney, the blunt Mr. Knightley, the generous and honest Edmund, and especially the smart, sexy Mr. Darcy (who has a flaw of his own to overcome alongside Lizzie).

Jane Austen's "Complete Novels" draws together all her finished novels, and let readers explore the mannered society and obstacle-filled love lives of her heroines.

Of course Jane Austen's novels merit 5 stars, and this particular ebook set is a very nice compilation of all them, including Lady Susan. While free versions of Austen's work abound, the advantage to this set is having the ability to move around easily inside the books. With plenty of links and navigating features, a simple swipe or touch allows you to go from book to book or chapter to chapter. There are not a lot of illustrations, but the ones the books have display nicely even on a black and white Kindle screen.

The quality of this collection is pretty decent. They are hardbacks and the bindings look to be sturdy. The "ribbon" for a bookmark placement is a nice homage to the era, as is the interior of the box.

I am a Jane veteran, and have read her stories throughout the years. I personally don't find the illustrations add much value. They aren't always of essential scenes or of sufficient quantity that they add much to the books. I prefer the leatherbound series offered by a competitor. However, it's difficult to get Lady Susan in hardback or leatherbound. If you're not familiar with Lady Susan, it's definitely worth a read - it tells the story using documents (letters, diary entries, etc) - and one of her wittiest "novels".

It's also difficult to justify this price for a non-leatherbound item for literary works that are in the public domain. If a reader isn't tied to a physical book, all of the titles can be read via an e-reader for very low cost or free.

For die-hard collectors, it's not a "must have" item. However, if there is someone just starting to discover Ms Austen's work, this would be a decent gift set.

...with this unique old world copy.

Yes even today they are producing complete Austin novel books. But they cannot compare to the Modern Library Giant version. Most now days most of the copies of this book have that Mylar dust jacket to protect what is left of the original dust jacket.

The books you can replace and conserve space in the library are:
Sense and Sensibility
Pride and Prejudice
Mansfield Park
Emma
Northanger Abbey
Persuasion

Of course if you are buying a complete Novels book you already know what is in it. This book is the Novels with nothing more or less.

There is no need to comment on the content of these novels -- they are simply the most perfect in all literature. These comments refer to this edition. In brief, the bindings are tight, the print size is outstanding for people who are tired of the trend to tiny print in all publications (have you tried to read Texas Monthly or Esquire lately?), the paper is non-glare, and the entire set is protected by a box that is easy to manipulate. Am very happy to have acquired this set.

For someone who loves ALL things Jane Austen, this is a must have for your collection. I debated for quite awhile, already having a number of complete sets, but in the end based on the photos and other reviews, I purchased. I was thrilled when it arrived. The box is lovely, the book covers beautiful, and the pages are made of good quality, rather heavy paper. I enjoyed leafing through the illustrations as well. I will very much enjoy re-reading each novel with this set. The top edges, as another reviewer noted, are not different colors as they appear in the pictures. This did not bother me, but worth noting as it may bother some. Overall, very pleased with the quality and design of these books. Highly recommend.

I have read all these books before, with the possible exception of Lady Susan. The 6 great novels are hard to beat, although Pride and Prejudice stands above the others. But it is a great convenience to have them all in one's iPad and I took the opportunity to read Lady Susan.

Jane Austen fandom continues forever. With the various Cluelesses, Bridget Jones' Diaries, and all the movies and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and now a Jane Austen-based game on Facebook, Jane herself would not have recognized her work. But I hope she would approve.

This boxed set is absolutely GORGEOUS. My set arrived with a little tear in a couple corners of the box, but it's not a big deal, because the books were the exciting part, anyway. I would definitely recommend these books! The pages are beautiful, the covers are beautiful, and the box is beautiful!

What an amazing find! I so love Jane Austen and finding this set was quite amazing, quite amazing indeed. I am quite overjoyed. What a find! This set is definitely on the Christmas list of many family members and their families and down the line. I love the packaging too. That is what made me think of Christmas!

I'm a huge fan of Miss Austen's writing---and this is the ultimate collection for any Austen fan or lover of good books.
This is a beautiful keepsake worthy of space on your shelf. I love that each book is a different color and includes an attached ribbon bookmark.
Thanks, the store, for a great product, and thank you, Jane, for your incredible dedication to literature!

The Complete Novels of Jane Austen--I have enjoyed reading this volume --the "kindle for pc" option is a very nice feature offered by the store. It is nice having a good book to carry with my pc when I'm traveling, but I still prefer reading a novel.

Edit of review below- this was user error, the contents are there. The table of contents are there, thanks the store Kindle Support for calling me to let me know. I don't find the table to be the most user friendly, but much better than not having one at all!

I have the kindle edition. I wanted to read Pride and Prejudice but there is no way to get to it without going through a gazillion pages. Makes the set worthless.

This is a beautiful collection! I just received it as a gift for Christmas and am very pleased. The magnetic box in which they are packaged is a lovely way to display the collection, and the quality of the books themselves is excellent. A lovely, decorative set that I know I will enjoy for years to come!

I have accumulated several Jane Austen ebooks from a variety of sources, most of which have been sitting somewhere on a cloud, unopened. I gladly purchased this one for my Kindle library, because it is optimized for taking advantage of the Kindle features across all my readers. Now I can delete the previously acquired Jane Austen ebooks as I come across them. Four stars (it is an inanimate object, after all - hard to "love" it).

While I gave these as a gift, the recipient commented on the quality of the books, and how much they loved them.

I was pleased to give an Austen fan a collection of quality books to enjoy for years to come.

Inexpensive source for Austin's novels. The transcription is good, but all of these collections in Kindle seem to ignore the fact that you would like to know which book you are reading. The editors need to break these up into individual books, at least in the Headings.

I got this beautiful box set for Christmas and I am completely in love with it... yes the box is not that good and thats the reason y I give it only 4 stars... but I think the box kidda falls apart because the books are heavy...
I got the box set for 19.99$ so all is well...

It is so good to read these books by Jane Austen and see the morals of a century or so ago displayed. Though forgiveness was hard to get back then you had ample opportunity to think about your views of life without the many electronic and other distractions of this modern age. Your reputation was worth something back then and you were careful not to hurt it. If you did it would be a lifetime of remorse for you especially if you were female. These books are very slow in developing but worth persevering to the end.

This is a great collection and nicely done for the kindle format--no glaring spelling or punctuation errors that I've found. I'm constantly amazed at Austen's depth of perception into character and personality when she lived a fairly isolated life as a single woman.

Just got this a few days ago...so beautiful. The covers are so pretty and femenine. It makes you wanna read all of them at the same time. The bookmarks are very well made and do not stick off. I would defenitely recommened this to any classic reader out there!!!

Just got these yesterday ! It told me it would tke me 8 hours plus to read Emma. It wil probably take me longer, but I look forward to getting started.

I do love that the store sent them so fast to my Kindle, so I'm all set to read and enjoy my new Kindle !

Amazing! The books look great, and are nice and crisp. I had a small tear on the corner of the box, but nothing a little bit of tape couldn't fix. Overall, great product!! Would definetley recommend to anyone who would love a nice set!

This is a complete collection of Jane Austin's completed novels. It is well illustrated and has a good print size and style although the binding could be a bit better. I would recommend this collection to anyone who is truly interested in the major works of Jane Austin.

Tried to buy this with a $1 promotion. There was no where to apply the promotional credit. Cancelled before I even got to download the books. the store customer service was apologetic but did not offer a solution.

Bought this for an additional Christmas gift to go with Kindle,
then realized to get the thing to show the recipients name, it had to be re-registered.
Once re-registered the purchased book goes away.
That stinks!!!