Mansfield Park

Jane Austen maintains her status as a Classic author with her novel Mansfield Park. At the tender age of ten, Fanny Price is uprooted from her underprivileged home and taken to live with her wealthy uncle and his family. Her new life is much more comfortable and orderly than the one she left behind, but her uncle Thomas Bertram's well-meant severity leaves the young girl slightly love-starved. However, one person in her life has always treated her well and, through acts of repeated kindness, Fanny's cousin Edmund unwittingly wins her heart. Unfortunately, things go awry when the young and handsome Crawfords move in next door. Mary Crawford's undeserving wiles win over Edmund, while Henry Crawford causes chaos among the young ladies of the Bertram household.

It's a long and twisted road to Austen's signature happily-ever-after, but the journey is clever and charming. Austen keeps readers guessing, as they try to determine the true nature of Henry Crawford's character. The story's heroine, Fanny, is endearing and, despite a few lapses in judgment, leading man Edmund captures the reader's heart. Mansfield Park possesses a theatrical undertone throughout, which comes out in full force during a disastrous episode involving an amateur production of "Lover's Vows." With her signature subtlety, Austen makes insightful and sometimes humorous comments on social sanctions of her time, as well as examining issues of human nature that will resonate with readers from every time period. The epitome of a coming-of-age story, this tale of Fanny's growth from a timid and scared little girl to a kind and cultured young woman is poignant and enthralling.