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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Sense and Sensibility Meets Cinderella May 04, 2010
By Meredith
"Austenesque Reviews"
Cassandra Atwood, the only daughter of wealthy and prosperous family, enjoys a very blissful and untroubled life with her doting father and affectionate mother. Cassandra is a talented and unaffected girl who takes pleasure in painting, playing the piano, and spending time with her benevolent and grandmotherly neighbor, Mrs. Christie. Unfortunately, tragedy invades Cassandra's life of perfection and privilege multiple times in short succession. Cassandra soon finds herself removed from her childhood home and friends and under the power of her uncle and his pernicious wife, Belladonna. Belladonna immediately develops an intense hatred for Cassandra and relentlessly strives to make Cassandra's life miserable. Belladonna maliciously confiscates any correspondence between for Cassandra from her friends back home and forces her to work as a lowly maid surviving on crumbs and wearing rags. (Sounds a little familiar, doesn't it?)
Cassandra's most precious treasure is a copy of Sense and Sensibility that she received from Mrs. Christie. Now, in her reduced circumstances it provides her with comfort and reminds her of the many happy times she read and discussed the novel with her dear Mrs. Christie. Many of the characters in this novel resemble characters from Sense and Sensibility such as Willoughby, Mrs. Jennings, Mr. Palmer, and most prominently John and Fanny Dashwood. Some of these characterizations were more subtle than others. In addition, Belladonna resembled Fanny Dashwood as well as an evil step-mother, which, combined with Cassandra's subservient treatment gave the story a feel of the fairy tale Cinderella.
Sensing Jane Austen was a delightful and heartwarming tale. I fell in love with sensible and compassionate Cassandra and took much delight in seeing how Jane Austen influenced her life and her character. Moreover, I enjoyed distinguishing which characters were modeled after Sense and Sensibility characters. Ms. Williamson wonderfully crafted many lovable and loathsome characters! (I took great pleasure in loathing Belladonna!) In addition, Ms. Williamson penned such an innocent and wholesome tale with an endearing and flawless heroine that I was pleasantly reminded of Louisa May Alcott and her novels. However, the one part of the novel that did disappoint me a little was when the heroine all of sudden realized which of the many men in her life she was in love with. I would have liked for her to undergo a more gradual change and realization of love rather than a abrupt recognition. (I am such a romantic sometimes!)
Sensing Jane Austen is a fresh and unique Austenesque novel that warmed my heart and captivated my attention. It was a pleasant blend of Jane Austen's characters and Louisa May Alcott's style with a dash of fairy tale mixed in. I recommend it for readers interested in an innocent and endearing tale.
**I usually never comment on grammatical errors and typos because they really don't hamper my enjoyment of the story, but in this novel the author used the word "goodly" and (. . .) in her dialogue so frequently that it did become a little distracting.
Austenesque Reviews
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Dramatic Sense and Romantic Sensibility May 07, 2010
By Elrond
My daughters thought this novel similar in mood and style to their top favorite `Frontier Ruby' by the same novelist and they loved it just as much. They enjoy Jane Austen's `Sense and Sensibility' and this Victorian era American story echoes many of those situations and characters in a meaningful way. More dramatic than sarcastically funny, there is a certain serious sense of Austen's story about the Dashwood family in this one, as well as some romantic sensibility in Cassandra Atwood's somewhat parallel story. When taken west, Cassandra is not taken care of as she deserves and as was promised. The Aunt, a horrid Fanny type of greedy jealous character, was a villainess to thoroughly enjoy hating, and the uncle, like Fanny's husband, follows her evil lead to the reader's general dismay. There are also very loveable characters throughout, and the heroine is very much blessed in more than one way by the end. This is a wholesome tribute to Jane Austen which should be appreciated by ladies with that kind of classic sense and sensibility.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Excellent - An Instant Classic Oct 03, 2008
By J. Austen Fan
I loved this book. It has become one of my very favorite books that I've ever read. The heroine, Cassandra, is a beautiful, beloved child whose live is thrown into tragedy. The woman that becomes her guardian and warden is so evil that I loved hating her. I especially enjoyed the complexity of each character.
I loved how, one of literary's masterpieces, Sense and Sensibility, was Cassandra's cherished book and how her dear elderly friend, helps her to learn from the lives and follies of the characters in that novel.
Unpredictable and I must warn that you won't be able to put it down. I read it in 3 days and would have read it quicker if I could. I can't wait to read it again!!
I highly recommend this book to women of all ages. It is appropriate for those who enjoy wholesome romance.
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