It is no secret that I have a less than fabulous relationship with this book. I tried to read it the Summer of 2012 and made it to the end of Chapter 11 before bailing. Having seen the movie, I knew where the story was going, and could not keep reading. It was arduous, to say the least. In years since, I’ve occasionally thought “I should try Mansfield Park again” … but it’s remained a vague thought. When making plans for A Very Jane Year, and working the Canterbury Classics Jane Austen Reading Challenge into my schedule, I heaved a sigh penciling in MP.

Since this book and I have a tedious history, I decided to do something a little different for this post. Rather than wait and write a post-reading review, I’m going to work on this post throughout the reading, almost as a Reading Log of sorts.

Chapters 1-11:
Getting things started, and it’s not quite as bad as I remember. Of course, we’ve been through this part before {not that I remember many of the particulars}. Reading, it’s so hard to view Fanny Price as the heroine of the story. This early in, she’s barely playing a role – and in large sections not even mentioned – while the Bertrams and Crawfords are stealing the show.

I’d forgotten how awful Mrs. Norris is, and if I had to rank everyone at this moment in time, she’s a front-runner for the villain. Also, it’s obvious how much “ick” awaits us regarding Fanny and Edmund. Aside from the first cousins aspect {things were different back in the day}, the influence of Edmund on her thoughts/feelings and that he knows his influence in creating the woman he wants her to be … Just eww. Jane, who were you picturing in your head while writing this???

Chapters 12-16:
I have now officially made it further than my previous attempt! Wahoo!

We are the in the play-planning stage, and Fanny is starting to feature a bit more prominently. These people clearly have too much time on their hands and need an occupation of some sort: they are literally creating drama for the heck of it.

Curious about the scandalous nature of the proposed play, I did a quick search and read both the Wiki rundown and this Jane-centric synopsis. Yes, it is a very real play, and generated a lot of buzz. And for the truly curious {I am not, I don’t think}, Project Gutenberg has the full text available.

Chapters 17-20:
Uh-oh: Daddy is home. The panic surrounding Sir Thomas coming home unannounced/earlier than expected was hilarious. And Yates, thinking it’ll all be hunky-dory, when he’s the worst offense.

Chapters 21-22:
Now things are getting … not interesting, but at least more Fanny-centric? The whole dynamic with Edmund/Mary/Fanny is just weird. Clearly Mary is bored, and maybe on some level recognizes Fanny would be a better friend than either of the Bertram sisters.

I do find it interesting that, so far at least, Mary is not as nasty an anti-heroine as I had her in my head. I wonder if some of that creation was from the movie stoking the drama or my own mind spinning Caroline Bingley into Isabella Thorpe … There’s still a good bit of book left, so she could show scheming {seductress} colors still, but right now she’s not so terribly awful.

Chapters 23-26:
Ah, Mary’s feelings may be slipping a little, although it was refreshing that she seemed to build some real affection for Edmund – lesser son though he may be. {Too bad those feelings could not withstand the realities of his chosen life}. Henry now, is a total rascal. Although I will admit, at least in the progression of these chapters, he is developing somewhat truer feelings. Maybe? Or perhaps it’s just that in the attempt to win he is discovering there is worth beyond the contest.

Chapters 27-33:
Over on Instagram, India Holton mentioned that once she stopped thinking of MP as a romantic novel, it became more palatable. I shall try this for the remainder of the read – because it is not a satisfying romance at all, but it might just work as “hot mess family drama.”

Oh Henry… you know, I find myself rooting for him after all. He fell so hard, so unexpectedly, like a puppy. Fanny would have been good for him, and he’d have been amazing for her. But she’s so hung up on Creeper Edmund…

Chapters 34-40:
Edmund’s arguments in favor of Henry give me a new case of the ick, but he also makes super valid points and I continue to root for Henry myself.

I can’t put my finger on Mary Crawford… she’s both better and worse than she seems.

The visit home. Eek. What a nightmare. There is no way this does not backfire on Sir Thomas.

Chapters 41-48:
Y’all … there was so much up-and-down in this last section.

Henry’s visit to Portsmouth – Fanny really had such a positive influence on him, and I truly think they’d have made a good match.

Mary Crawford’s true colors coming through, and I almost think she doesn’t actually know herself whether she’s as good or as bad as she seems. Especially her handling of Tom’s illness and Henry+Maria’s scandal. {She clearly did not know Edmund as well as she thought, or she’d never have talked of the scandal in such a way to him}.

Maria’s determination to “win” Henry. Julia’s elopement with Yates, of all people. Aunt Norris being Aunt Norris, and Sir Thomas finally seeing her actions for what they are. {That was also weird: why the sister-in-law felt she was so personally responsible for Mansfield estate…}

The resolution and the pivoting of all of Edmund’s affections and devotion from Mary to Fanny were as awful as anticipated. And why did Jane feel the need to include another paragraph about how he shaped her intelligence and formed her into the ideal little woman? It does not make it more romantic, it makes it extra creepy.

Well y’all … I did it. It took, quite literally, the whole month, but I managed to persevere and finish this dang novel. It is not my favorite. It is nowhere close to my favorite. It even made me think of Persuasion with greater fondness {I just thought Anne Elliot was an annoying limp heroine, she ain’t got nothing on poor Fanny}. This is very much not a romance – and feels very different from Jane’s other novels. It’s almost as if she decided to challenge herself to write about the worst aspects of society and/or messy families.

Where do we go from here? I’m going to be diving into Claudia Gray’s latest Mr Darcy & Miss Tilney mystery: The Rushworth Family Plot, and then probably indulge in Murder at Mansfield Park. I don’t have many MP-related retellings, but isn’t it interesting that they’re all murder-y?

Have you read Mansfield Park? If so, was it as much a struggle for you as it was for me? Maybe you loved it, and I’m missing something?

Personally, I am glad I made it to the end and can say I’ve read that, but I am very much looking forward to the other Jane novel rereads – as well as August’s prompt for a modern retelling.