Mansfield Park by Jane Austen was supposed to be the last book in her published works that I would finish. The novel follows the story of a young girl named Fanny Price in a coming-of-age tale about her life after she gets taken out of poverty to live with her wealthy cousins at Mansfield Park. Often underestimated because of her lower rank, Fanny grows up to be an observant, reserved young girl. Her only friend in the house is one of her four cousins, Edmund Bertram, until the Crawfords arrive at the Parsonage, introducing new dynamics to the household.
Upon learning the premise, I considered it quite generic. But since I had unwavering faith in Austen's ability to surprise me, I picked up this book with confidence. It proved to be true at first since the first few chapters hooked me. I would even say everything was fine until I realized that neither Fanny nor Edmund had piqued my interest (or, to put it simply, I just didn't like Edmund).
It's so sad, honestly. I had high expectations for this book because it was one of Austen's, but I ended up stopping at Chapter 33. I just couldn't force myself to finish the book after dragging it out for almost two months. I felt like the characters lacked the authentic chemistry typical of Austen's work, and the usual charm of her plot was nowhere to be found.
But please, don't let this review hinder your Austen binge-reading. Instead of trusting me completely, I suggest you see for yourself first. Who knows? We could share a different preference.
Actual rating: none, because I didn't finish it.
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