"Sense and Sensibility" by Jane Austen
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The primary thing I took away from this book was what a great job Kate Winslet did with the character Marianne in Ang Lee's film adaptation. She was spot on, and her interpretation aided rather than hindered the reading of the book.
The story is that of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, and their adventures in romance, society and economics. The sisters basically form a foil of one other in their distinct handling of similar situations. Elinor always acting "sense"ably and Marianne full of "sensibility" in her emotive reactions to whatever befalls her.
The book is definitely entertaining with its able writing and enough plot twists and revelations to keep you reading. But at some points it proves tiresome. You want to slap Elinor for being so darn good, and slap Marianne just the same for not being able to keep her cool. The ending is sometimes criticized for being too abrupt and convenient, and I probably would have thought this had I read the book first. The movie works nicely in solidifying and bringing to the story to a satisfying conclusion, thanks to the superb actors and script. This is one instance in which I would recommend to see the movie first!
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Definitely a great book. I love the movie too. I've seen it so many times now it's really quite sad. You mention Kate Winslet in the movie but I wanted to mention Emma Thompson who I also loved. The scene when Edward comes to see her at the end always breaks me.
Hugh Grant as Edward was also great. I liked Emma Thompson also, but thought her a little old for the role. Kate Winslet was just perfect--right age and perfect acting as Marianne. Alan Rickman is worthy of mention as well--I didn't find the character quite so attractive in the book as Rickman made him in the movie. I think that's a tribute to him as an actor.
Wow, good movie all around. I'd like to see it again now!