Book Review On Sense and Sensibility (1) This book’s title immediately lets us know that it’s a story about emotion and reason. In the novel,indeed,Jane Austen expresses her ideas about sense and sensibility that she thinks everybody needs a balance of both. Marianne is the heroine of “sensibility” and Elinor is the character of “sense”. Marianne’s insistence on giving her emotions free rein leads her into an unhappy romance. It’s only after she is forced by her failed experience in love to reassess her views that she comes to understand Colonel Brandon’s true worth. In contrast to Marianne,out of modesty and a sense of propriety,Elinor is restrained in the expressions of her love for Edward. Yet adherence to principles of rational thought and good sense does not prevent her from suffering greatly when she knows Edward’s engagement to Lucy and believes that her hopes of marrying him are impossible. From the plot we can see that although her own sympathies are perhaps most closely aligned with those of Elinor,Austen writes with affection for both sisters and her message is one of compromise. She hopes Marianne to be more sensible to avoid misfortune in love and that Elinor can express her own feelings to pursuit love and happiness. She is careful to show such a thesis that a balance of both heart and intellect is necessary for a full life——a blending of sense and sensibility. This opinion is what impresses me most in this novel for it reveals a truth of life. It tells us to be not only sensible but also brave enough to speak out what we want.