The Edward of the novel still doesn't do much for me - it was Emma Thompson's fleshing out of his character in S&S2 (plus his portrayal by Hugh Grant ;-) that made him seem more sympathetic(and I'm one of those for whom the book generally wins hands down if there's a discrepancy between it and the movie). I'm inclined to think that it was the flaw of a beginning novelist, myself. Perhaps my opinion may change...