From the Bookshelf of Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge…

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

Start date: March 27, 2016

Why we're reading this: I've always meant to read this book!…more
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Oct 20, 2008 Lydia Presley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, favorites, 2012, 2011, fiction

I was recently "attacked" on a review I posted on a well-known site for criticizing a classic that I just didn't enjoy. In the attack, this person accused me of having never read another classic and, as such, the reason I didn't enjoy said novel was because of lack of education in the classics. (I worded it much more nicely than she did).

I read Pride and Prejudice before I was a teenager. This book spawned my love of classics. I went on to read everything provided to me by my book-loving Aunt an I was recently "attacked" on a review I posted on a well-known site for criticizing a classic that I just didn't enjoy. In the attack, this person accused me of having never read another classic and, as such, the reason I didn't enjoy said novel was because of lack of education in the classics. (I worded it much more nicely than she did).

I read Pride and Prejudice before I was a teenager. This book spawned my love of classics. I went on to read everything provided to me by my book-loving Aunt and then I raided my father's study bookshelves for Jules Verne, Alexander Dumas and even a little Milton. I've been reading classics for over 20 years and I think at this point I know what stories I enjoy and which I don't - and I can accept the fact that not all classics do it for all people. Dickens, I'm looking at you.

But with Pride and Prejudice I get everything I love in a classic. Romance, a dashing lead man (with just enough mystery and intrigue), a strong-willed leading woman in Elizabeth. I get silly giggles over subtle interactions that bring out that "uncomfortable" feeling in the characters, I feel the rage of Elizabeth with Darcy's first proposal and I also feel the softening of the heart beginning with that fateful letter.

I also grew up in a family filled with girls. I am the eldest of 6 girls (all from the same two parents, yes) ((and three brothers too)). Jane Austen does a fantastic job of capturing the different personalities that emerge with sisters. There's the responsible, stoic eldest, the strong-willed, the mundane, the follower and the flighty. I focused quite a bit on the sisters relationship with this read-through and enjoyed catching even now a few things that had before escaped my attention.

Pride and Prejudice is a classic. It's a fantastic movie (both of them, but Colin Firth edges it out for Mr. Darcy for me!). It's a story that grew gracefully with me as I aged and a story I can look forward to enjoying for hopefully many years to come. And one day, I plan to be that Aunt the provides this book to my own nieces and to experience through their eyes the first thrill that famous opening line brings. ...more

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Feb 29, 2008 Lori rated it liked it · review of another edition

I read this in conjunction with the six hour mini-series which several of my acquaintances rave about. It's a nice story, but not what I would call a page turner. For one, novels that concentrate on courtship and inevitable marriage generally don't hold my interest. Sadly, P&P did little to change my perceptions of Edwardian romantic literature. Sorry Bronte and Austen lovers, but men like Mr. Darcy sound great on paper and translate to delusions of grandeur in the real world. Men are not saints ...more

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Jul 24, 2010 Julianne Dunn rated it it was amazing

One of my all-time favorite books and I am unashamed of being a huge Jane Austen fan.

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Aug 06, 2008 Rae rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

Jane Austen is not one of my favorite authors. I don't dislike her novels, but they seem silly to me...just so much fluff. I keep trying, though. In this particular comedy of manners, Elizabeth Bennet initially dislikes Mr. Darcy (her prejudice) because of his apparent pride. First impressions are often incorrect, however, as Austen clearly shows us. ...more

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