I imagine Jane was quietly smart, logical, and hilarious; Every thinking girl's best friend. She seems to have had a level of self-control to which I aspire. I am 51 and only now do I experience the types of sistuations where I can sit back and observe conversations and I just KNOW what's REALLY going on behind the pretty words. How did Jane do that so well from such an early age? Her insights into human behavior, weakness, regret, and longing is astounding. But, above all, her abilty to capture universal thoughts and behaviors in such wonderful sentences is why I never get bored with re-reads. In a million years I could not top “Elinor agreed to it all, for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition.” Priceless!