The End!

Wow... I'm pretty far behind the rest of you, but I finally finished the book on Thursday. As soon as I finished I HAD to go to Barnes and Noble to buy the movie, then proceeded to watch it twice in a row. I thought it was a really cute story! I think the movie helped me visualize Catherine a little better, but I liked the ending in the book better. If you think the book ended abruptly, I think the movie did a worse job of it (although I have to agree with Tecia that the kissing part is hilarious). I'm pretty much in love with Mr. Tilney; I didn't think there could ever be another man for me besides Mr. Darcy, but I found Henry's wit and humor and honesty very refreshing. He's got sort of a Mr. Knightly feel to him in the way that he gently reprimands Catherine and gradually grows in his affection for her as they grow in friendship. To me that is a lot more natural than all those "love at first sight" kind of stories.

I liked seeing Catherine grow up through the story. I'm glad that she developed a lot more sense and maturity, and that she was able to see a bit of the world and the frailties of human nature before she was married. She was raised to have high standards and proved herself true to them, even through her naivety. My absolute favorite part of the book was how Austen described Catherine's homecoming, and how seeing her family and being embraced by them washed away all of the sad and self-piteous feelings she had. What a great statement on the importance of family love!

Well, I could go on and on, but I have to do some homework. I'm glad we read this book, and am excited to find out what the next one will be!