Avinash Ramchurn Ramchurn itibaren Angélica, Nicaragua itibaren Angélica, Nicaragua

John Lloyd, one of the co-authors of this book seems to specialise in slightly frothy, snippet based books which can be read in tiny bite sized pieces (I refer the reader to The Meaning of Liff with Douglas Adams). In this case the book is a series of questions, many of which you probably think you know the answer to, but which you are then disavowed of. For instance, what is the 'Ring a-ring a-Roses' about. I, like most people thought it was about the Black Death (Bubonic Plague). But it dates back much further than that and its genesis has been lost in the mists of time.

This might be shameful for an English literature student like me, but yup, this is the first Austen’s novel I read. For me personally, I still prefer Charlotte Bronte’s works, however now I understand why many people become such huge fans of Miss Austen. Her female characters are remarkable for their era. They’re oppresed but somehow they have their own ways to struggle. I gave three stars for Sense and Sensibility not because it’s so-so, but because I think it’s quite flat compared to the film. Some scenes could have been more exciting if they’re narrated through dialogues, but unfortunately they just appeared only through descriptions. It’s too bad. Yet I do not blame Miss Austen’s way of writing (perhaps that’s how people express and feel at that time), I blame myself for watching the film before getting to the book. I must say that Emma Thompson has done a great job in adapting the novel. Yet without this novel by Jane Austen, there wouldn’t be that film by Emma Thompson, right? So, in my own way, I must salute Miss Austen *bows*.