Sense & Sensibility

Timeless novel from 1811 has won over a new generation of readers (and movie-goers). Intricate plot follows the loves and losses of the recently impoverished Dashwood sisters, straitlaced Elinor and lively Marianne. The story is rich with typical Austen social criticism and exquisitely detailed characters - rich heiresses and fops, true romances and gold-diggers.

Jane Austen's delightful, carefully wrought novels of manners remain surprisingly relevant, nearly 200 years after they were first published. Her novels -- Pride and Prejudice and Emma among them -- are those rare books that offer us a glimpse at the mores of a specific period while addressing the complexities of love, honor, and responsibility that still intrigue us today.