I'm Not Using Good Sense

Last night was book club, and since I chose the book, I felt like I should read it. Unfortunately, as of Wednesday, 10 pm, all I'd managed of Sense and Sensibility was 37 pages, 5 cat-naps, and some drool on my pillow. So I spent all of Thursday reading it.

Back in school it became clear early that if I jammed as many facts into my head as possible, then ran to go take a test, I could many times get an A. (And many times, not.) So now I'm well trained to cram before any deadline. This not a skill that is serving me well as a parent of four kids. They don't care that I have 20 pages left to read! They don't mind that all the whining is making all the precariously stored information run right out my ears! They want dinner! In retrospect, I see my choice of Elinor, Marianne, Edward and Willoughby over Ross, Jane, Sam and Tommy was wrong. I think only one other book-clubber had actually finished the book last night, but I suspect most had fed their children and brushed their own hair before 7 p.m.

If you ever find yourself in a similar scrape, I recommend doing your dishes, brushing your teeth, feeding your family, and watching the Emma Thompson movie version. Hugh Grant is much more pleasant than Austen's insipid Edward (who by her own pen admits isn't even handsome!), and the final scene is sublime. Much better than the book! Rewind! Rewind! Swoon! Swoon! Emma Thompson won an Academy Award for her screenplay, and as far as I know, Jane Austen has no such award.

(Actually, I really like the book. I'll give it an 8. Though I still like Pride and Prejudice and Emma better. Has anyone read Northanger Abbey?)

Here is Hugh Grant (Oh, Edward!):

Here is Jake:

Here is Jake with Hugh's hair:

Separated at birth?

Okay, maybe not. How about this:

Jean Claude Van Damme:

Jake in Van Damme's fancy robe:

I think we have a winner! Now, which Jane Austen character can Jean Claude play? I think he's more a Libertine than a Hero. Maybe Mr. Wickam?