Sisters, the Seaside, and Second Attachments
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Source: Review Copy from Author
TYPE OF NOVEL: Sense & Sensibility Sequel, Secondary Character
THE PREMISE: Mrs. Dashwood never gave much thought to remarrying, but with Margaret almost out in society and her older sister, Emmeline, seeking a new husband, the idea of finding love again at her age is an interesting prospect. And what better way to meet new people than traveling to a seaside resort! And so these two widowed sisters, Margaret, and a collection of their friends travel to Sidmouth for a holiday, adventures, and maybe some romance…
WHAT I LOVED:
- A Unique Heroine: Mrs. Dashwood is a heroine?! A mature-heroine? A heroine who is seeking a second attachment? Yes, yes, yes – I absolutely love all the unique signifiers for this story! Mrs. Dashwood is a character we know very little about. We know she is gentle, sweet, dependent on Elinor’s guidance, and devoted to her family. I love that she is the subject of this book and that her character, history, and future are being developed.
- Diverse Sisters: In a similar parallel, Mrs. Dashwood (Francine) is quite different in character from her sister, Emmeline. Francine is more cautious, Emmeline is more confident. Francine is seeking love based on mutual regard and affection, Emmeline is seeking passion and adventure. With both women being widows, it was interesting to compare and contrast their divergent feelings about love and marriage and witness their different actions and reactions to the men they encounter.
- A Seaside Holiday: Sidmouth seems absolutely charming! But then again, I think I’m charmed by any and every seaside! I loved that this particular locale held some fun adventures – such as weekly balls, boating excursions, horseback riding, and even the rumor of free-traders… The idea of these characters going on holiday together is inspired – what a fun way to stimulate new developments and encounter new friends.
- New Friends: Speaking of new friends, there was quite an array of new characters to encounter in this story. There are neighbors who are friendly with Sir John Middleton – such as Cecil Walford, Cecilia Whittaker and her daughter, and the newly widowed, Charles Creighton – brother-in-law to Colonel Brandon. And then there are exciting new acquaintances – such as the dashing Admiral Tennant and his daughter, Florentina, and Lord Manning, who has a talent for hawking. Sounds like a diverting group, right? I loved seeing this group of friends enjoy all sorts of amusements and adventures together. However, I will say a pet peeve of mine is when different characters unnecessarily share names that are too similar – Cecilia Whittaker and Cecil Walford – which was the case in this story. Cecilia’s name also switched to Camilia a few times, which is a little better, but that may have been a typo.
WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER:
- Agency and Action: Like Jane Bennet, Mrs. Dashwood’s personality seems to be centered on her kindness and gentleness – which, let’s face it can be a bit boring. And transforming her into an engaging and intriguing character may take a lot of work. While I saw and applaud all of Ms. Hines’s attempts to show Mrs. Dashwood’s growth and development, I think I needed more. I wanted more agency, more exertion of decisive action, more self-analysis and realization. We witness her growth with overcoming her horseback riding setbacks and determination to pursue anything that interests her. But to me, this growth felt shallow and surface level. It was vows of what she plans to do in the future. And I’m strongly an “actions speak louder than words” kind of person.
- Small Quibbles: There was a bit more telling instead of showing with the writing. The main romance was maybe too inactive and too light. And it felt redundant when we would see Mrs. Dashwood’s separate letters to Elinor and Marianne and see her recount the same events to each of them.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
👏🏼 I applaud the author for her unique and refreshingly original heroine choice!
👒 While she may be gentle and dependent, I think there is potential for Mrs. Dashwood to become something so much more.
🤍 A soft and sweet tale of sisters seeking second attachments while on a seaside holiday!
This is actually an awesome premise having Mrs. Dashwood looking to remarry. I actually had this similar discussion in one of my bookclubs where it was an interesting gripe that Colonel Brandon didn’t even GLANCE at Mrs. Dashwood even though she was only 5 years older than HIM…and, JA described Mrs Dashwood as basically a clone of Marianne, so, other than her age, why else wouldn’t Colonel Brandon be interested…so yay for more “mature” ladies getting some attention!
Seaside and Mrs. Dashwood as a heroine. Yes, please! Glad to see what you thought of it, Meredith.
Oh wow Mrs. Dashwood as the heroine, it sounds like such an amazing story!!
Definitely a different take on “Sense and Sensibility.”
Thanks Meredith for a lovely review. It was really fun writing Mrs Dashwood, a mature heroine, and exploring another sister relationship, as Austen herself does in most of her novels. Thank you readers for the great comments! Coming next, Margaret’s story will continue on from her mother’s story.