Pride and Prejudice

This was my first Jane Austen novel, Pride and Prejudice—hey, I majored in history, not English, okay?! (Sorry, feeling a little silly for not having read these before.) Of course, I loved it! I'd seen all the movies/mini-series and loved the stories. The A&E mini did a great job of capturing nearly every last detail from the book, so nothing surprised me. Still it was gratifying to read it for myself.

'Pride and Prejudice' is now one of my favourite books. My mum got it for me a while back and to be honest I really didn't want to read it. But I felt guilty and took it with me when I went camping. I found I had alot of spare time while we were camping, so I thought I'd give the book a try. I was expecting a soppy love story, boy meets girl... But it was actually really funny! I highly recommend it.

I admit that, despite its being toted as the beat-all romance, I didn't read the book until I heard the movie was coming out. It's so wonderful! It took a few pages to fully get myself into Austen mode, but I love the humor and the family's relationships.

I've been so wrong. I tried reading this book when I was freshman in high-school, and I only made it three pages without understanding any of what I had read. My first impression of the book was that it was dull, disinteresting, and the language with which Austen wrote was incomphrensible to my brain. For a few years I was smug in my conviction, content with "never getting Jane Austen" and satisfied that I had at least tried to read Pride and Prejudice.Little did I know that I was afflicted with the same problem as our spunky heroine, Elizabeth. My first impression of the book when I was a freshman might have been justified, given that I was not yet mature enough to fully appreciate Austen's wit and the world that she wrote about. However, I let that first impression build a prejudice of sorts about Pride and Prejudice and Jane Austen.For that, I am sorry, Jane Austen. I apologize for ever doubting your writing abilities. I now gift thee with the status of being one of my favorite writers. There. I'm sure you're very pleased. Be happy, Jane Austen, for it is all YOUR fault that I lost many hours of schoolwork and sleep time because I couldn't put down your bloody book.Well, I'm happy that I'll finally be able to watch The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and actually understand what they're all talking about. And now I'm going to probably be reading all the Jane Austen books I can get my grimy paws on.What have I gotten myself into?

The best book. Ever. I have read it over and over again. It's an old friend.

'Love is in the air' is the song that came into my mind while I was reading this book. Is a novel that shows what were the wemen preoccupations years ago: get married and have altmost a baby boy.That's it.But I must say that the father of the 5 girls is very funny.

Jane Austen books, especially “Pride and Prejudice” are all part of the historical fiction category, yet they are really so much more. They are a statement of the social situation of the time, the early 1800’s in English country society. They raise the question of a woman’s place and her freedoms during this era. The Bennett family are at the heart of this story. The characters are well developed and the interplay is classic yet easy to follow and enjoy. There are the obvious advantages of status and wealth and what follows demonstrates the need for a woman’s marriage in this type of society to a man with a guaranteed income or well established wealth for a satisfactory marriage during this time. The prize was marriage for women as they had no ability to inherit or in many cases to choose their own futures. Many times if there were only daughters, the assets of the family would be entailed by a distant relative and the girls would be left without any financial means. For the mother’s with daughters in the families, their job was to find and make the connections with suitable men as husbands for their daughters. The daughters would then be provided for and would have the means to live well and many times add to the ongoing financial needs of all of her family members. The characters Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth, the most complex character, Jane and Lydia whose wild and flirty personality and adventures and many others all bring a strong interactions and interplay of characters in this family and in this story. Their mother who is a bit flighty and not well suited for the responsibility of finding matches for her five daughters. In this novel you will find humor and laughter and a bit of romance. Though the language and manner of life style are no longer relevant, there is the timeless story of the search for love, security, financial support and acceptance by family and friends. There is the ongoing question, even today, of what do I want to be and where do I fit and how do I do my parents bidding while finding my own happiness and this delightful story tell it in the era of regency England.I will reread this book again and encourage you do the same. There is a bit more of joy each time an Austin book is read for the themes remain relevant even today. It is only the settings and the language that have changed with time.

Why has it taken me so long to review this book? It is a masterpiece!It is truly Austen's best work. It has stood the test of time, and I feel will continue to do so for many centuries to come. This is a classic story of boy-meets-girl with tension and love, and most importantly, character! This is one of only a few books where I've purchased multiple copies, in multiple formats, and will continue to do so as the literary world develops.

It took me a little while to get into this one - you have to calibrate yourself to Austen's style, but once you do, the characters jump right off the page. Austen is witty and funny at most every turn, but doesn't beat you senseless to make you laugh - if you miss it, it's your loss. Her way with words is delightful, and she uses them to give us both a snapshot of life as it was in the 18th century and a vignette of the things we do to each other as people in every age. Pride and Prejudice makes us all look at the way we think of people, the way we put on airs to give a certain perception, and at how so often the closeness to our own lives makes it so much more difficult to know the right thing to do.

Although they make great film and television adaptations, I have never understood the appeal of Austen. Nothing ever happens in her books until the last page, and just when it gets exciting the book is finished. While I agree she is great at characterisation, I never feel there is enough of a story in her books. I am a Bronte girl, they write much better books. more involved, more wild and daring, and with a lot more passion and depth. Apologies to all you Austen fans, I expect I have committed a dreadful sin...

I was very surprised that I loved this book. Usually romance is not my thing but it was funny and interesting and kept moving. I satisfied my girly urge to gossip. Any girl who likes gossip and romance will love it, anyone who doesn't like those things will find it boring.

Read this in high school and couldn't put it down. One of the masterpiece classics of all time. Austen is definitely my favorite author and her humorous romances always leave me wishing I lived in England in the 1700's.

I enjoy reading this novel it gives a great insite into the mindset to an english family and a womans point of view on marriage. There are a lot of hidden treasure in the written words that make this book a real classic.

In Georgian times, the Bennet family is looking to have their five daughters wed. But was is to come when a young gentleman of the name of Fitzwilliam Darcy who is to make ten thousand a year in riches when he is to encounter the dear family? The mans pride procures such disgust and and creates severe prejudice against the man, but all this soon to be vanished as Miss Elizabeth Bennet were to enter his life, dissolving all pride and prejudice.Told with such incredible talent, and this being the first novel I have read by jane Austen, it was proven to be smart, witty and all around enjoyable. The characters all so successfully described and realistic making the whole story just so interesting to read. Mr Darcy is by far my most favourite character of the book, his righteous feeling of self-acheavement that he has no shame to show to others, and how he diminishes all others in comparison to himself proves to be very entertaining. Though proven to be hard to read at times due to the very rich vocabulary, this novel is still one to be reread and cherished for centuries to come.

Jane Austen. Enough said - the greatest of romance writers, and this is my personal favourite of her works.

There is nothing I can say that hasn't already been said about this book. You will either love it or hate it. I have read this book at least 10 times and I still cringe at Mrs. Bennett, become infuriated with the younger sisters, and close the book at the end with a silly little grin on my face. I learn new words and understand the drama a little better every time I read it. Everyone loves the book and that makes me want to hate it, but I just can't. It's that good.

Jane Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice, tells the story of how Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy meet and fall in love despite Mr. Darcy's pride and Elizabeth's prejudice. Austen explores the comic possibilities of both pride and prejudice through every character of the book. Of course, there is more to this book than just romance. Throughout the book, Austen delves deeply into the English class system and shows how money influences almost every decision. She also is an expert at creating interesting and intriguing characters, each of whom is more than just a type.I haven't read this book for at least 10 years, and I had forgotten how quickly Darcy falls for Elizabeth, and how long it takes Elizabeth to overcome her first impressions (her prejudice) of Darcy to fall in love with him.

I am glad I avoided this book as a teenager. It wouldn't have meant as much to me as it does now. As a teenager, I would have read the story and thought "Oh, love is wonderful! I wish this would happen to me!" I thought that about plenty of other books I read as a teenager, so Pride and Prejudice would have faded into the background. I'm about ten years down the road from that time of life, and I get so much more out of it now.Now I see Elizabeth - a strong female character who is not either too strict or too playful, but who is sure of herself and able to speak her mind without shyness - that is where her most genuine beauty lies. I want to be like Elizabeth. I also see Darcy - a man who may at first be undeserving of our heroine's affection, but who works very hard to overcome himself and various scandals to present himself to her as a worthy partner. That is love.P & P is surprisingly readable, modern, practical, and insightful. It isn't fussy, the language isn't difficult, and it isn't hard to follow. Read it today if you haven't read it before. I know I'll be reading it again and again.

Pride and Prejudice was my first foray into the world of Jane Austen, an author who - despite the sincere recommendation of friends - I had avoided throughout my adolescence. I think, all things considered, that this was probably for the best, as her subtle brand of humor would have been lost on my sincere - and VERY earnest - younger self. Like some other readers, moreover, I would have balked at the idea of reading an entire novel devoted to marriage-obsessed young ladies of the English landed gentry.However that may be, I finally decided to read Miss Austen's magnum opus in December of 1995, in preparation for the release of the much-anticipated television miniseries (starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle) in January 1996. How fortunate that I did! Captivated from the very first line, in which Austen ironically casts her domestic tale in heroic terms - "It is a truth universally acknowledged..." - I quickly discovered that here was an author of lightning-quick wit and sly wordplay, whose keen observations of the world around her are as relevant today as when she first wrote them in 1812.The tale of judgmental Elizabeth Bennett and stiff Mr. Darcy, two stubborn souls who eventually learn how to accommodate one another, plays out against the backdrop of an England just on the cusp of sweeping change. The slow disappearance of bloodline as the sole means of determining social status is just beginning to be felt, a reality best exemplified perhaps, by the figure of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who represents an earlier generation...Here is no sweeping social commentary, ala Dickens; nor any of that Gothic rebellion to be found in the Brontës. Rather, Austen simply observed the people of her own time and class, and in setting down those observations, created a portrait of the human condition in miniature.

This is one of the few books in my library that I reread at least once a year. Jane Austen writes in all the styles that we are told not to and yet she weaves her tales so well that they leave a lasting impression. P&P is a true love story at it's best and I love it that JA always leaves us with a happy ending. This is the original chick lit and none have come close to it's wit and character building since it was written. Highly recommened for anyone and everyone."Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?"

I didn't expect to like this at all, and didn't at first. "Ugh, it's a Regency Era soap opera". Then I started getting past the 200 year old prose and getting into the story. The satire and history started to show itself to me and I was hooked. I'll admit it did bring out the girlie in me and I'm in love with Mr. Darcy.

So this book is pretty awesome. It's a classic love tale, you really just can't beat it. So far it's the only of Austen's books that I have read, but I definitely love her style of writing. It's obvious by the way she writes that she likes Elizabeth, as do I. I must say though that I wasn't sure about Darcy while reading. It wasn't until he sent the letter to Elizabeth that I really started to like him. Then after that I was in love! The humor tied in is hard to read at times for some but if you get into it you can read between the lines and laugh out loud. I know I did! Elizabeth and Darcy's love story is one that everyone should experience. To be able to believe in the unconditional love that they share, should make anyone happy. And if you disagree then please say so. Oh, and Mr. Collins. Though I think he's a pompous freak, I still love. Definitely one of my favorite characters, though Darcy is my number one favorite.Overall this book is truly amazing and you should definitely read and if you have then good for you!

I tried to read Pride and Prejudice once before, but stalled out on it. I was determined to read it this summer, though -- we're often told at my university that to really join in the 'conversation' that is the study of English Literature, we've got to be familiar with Jane Austen. I'll have to look up what the other requirements are, but I'm steadily plodding onward with Jane! This time, I actually enjoyed Pride and Prejudice rather more -- to the point where my mother, who has no affection for Austen, wondered if I was sick. I read it in ebook format, three or four pages at a time, and got it finished very quickly.

I'm still not sure it's so utterly vital, or the pinnacle of wit or writing talent, but I do confess to enjoying it. Given how famous and influential it is, if you are in the position I adopted before, do give it a try. I don't blame you if you don't find it interesting. I obviously eventually got into it. The characters were really what got me, with their little quirks and flaws. Even Mrs Bennet, who is irritatingly hysterical, is kind of endearing -- heck, even Lydia and Wickham are kind of endearing in their lack of repentence and their silliness. I know a lot of girls swoon over Darcy, and maybe this is the fact that I haven't seen any tv/movie adaptation, but I didn't at all: I was rather of Lizzy's opinion to begin with. Still, he became more likable later on, and I enjoyed that. Lizzy herself -- well, she jumps to conclusions, but she has a mind of her own and isn't afraid to snub and refuse a man. I imagine that would have taken some guts, in that period.

I have to say, I still found the plot fairly boring. If I didn't kind of want to see how the characters reacted and eventually got together, I probably wouldn't have stuck with it. It's not that the pacing is bad or anything, not when you consider the novel in context, but I'm just not really one for books in which the main object is everyone getting together at the end. Especially when the supposed love and affection between the characters falls relatively flat for me.

I swear I'm not a pod person. And I still defend people's right to utterly loathe and detest Austen.

This was my first Jane Austen reading, I always thought that I wouldn't like this style of novel, but one day I bought it and when I read it I fell in love! This book made me cry, laght and sigh. It's beautifully written and good from the start until the end. After I read it I bought lot's of other Austen books and books of the same style. It's my favorite book.

Middle aged, and only just finished reading Jane Austen for the first time. Shame on me! Especially as much as I adore the five hour BBC movie, which, as I've now seen for myself, so beautifully reflects the book. There is just so much to love about this book - watching Elizabeth's lively wit get the better of her, obliging her to learn to judge first impressions more astutely; watching Mr. Darcy learning to govern his shy, almost haughty temper; the play between the ridiculous and the thoughtful; the interactions of the various relationships – what sparkling writing; what a great story! But why even bother to add a review to the hundreds already here? Just to add my voice to those who say, “I loved this book”!

There’s nothing quite like Pride and Prejudice. The basic story has been adapted, riffed, and recycled so many times that it is sometimes difficult to take all of it seriously, to look at Darcy and not see in him all the brooding, well-bred heroes of cheap romance fiction, to not see Elizabeth as one of the stereotypically “strong and feisty” women that people modern novels in general. Despite the fact that this was my first Austen novel and, thus, the one that caused me to read the others, I must admit that I have been all too inclined to embrace these kinds of views in the past. As I approached the novel for a second time, I assumed I would not find it able to stand up to the high standards set by Austen’s Persuasion, Mansfield Park, etc. Boy, was I wrong. This is a glorious romp through Regency England, the very fun of which belies a typically Austenian depth of theme and characterization.At this point in a review, I generally outline the plot of the novel, but really, what’s the point? Most people know the basic plot of Pride and Prejudice, and those who don’t have probably met with many of the elements before. (Until last week I wouldn’t have even believed that such people exist, only to find that my own father is one of them. He wanted to try an Austen, I recommended P&P, and a couple of days he comes to me asking, “Which of the Bennett girls is supposed to turn out the heroine … is it Lizzie?” My jaw dropped in disbelief.* By the way, if you don’t want such questions as that answered, you had better not read the rest of this review. I’ll try to keep spoilers at a minimum, but in the interest of truly reviewing the book, certain things must be revealed—such as who the hero and heroine are.)What interests me more is the way in which the story is told. * Aforementioned father is now much improved as a human being, although he is not yet finished with P&P. The other day he even referenced the book while explaining Yahtzee to my sister: “Chance should be your last resort. Like Charlotte Lucas … she was Mr. Collins’ ‘chance.’”

My all time favorite book! As entertaining and funny today as I am sure it was in 1820!

I liked it when I read it at first, but it's hard to go back to. Definitely a chick book, but a chick with a large intellect is needed who can contemplate its multitude of themes. And daydream about Darcy whisking them away. I like Darcy and Elizabeth, I don't like anyone else.

This is the first book I've read that was written by Jane Austen. I loved it. Not only is it a story of love it also truly give a look at British society of the age. And the particular edition I have is beautiful. I want to own more titles from the same publishing copmany! 

I really loved this book. I don't usually read Old English books but this was one that you just can't help but love. With an eccentric mother and her embarassing younger siblings, Elizabeth Bennet's life seems unbearable until she meets the proud and obnoxious Mr Darcy. At the beginning of their accquaintance is seems like it will get even crazier, until they both overcome a change in heart and character that will bring them both together closer than they think. Jane Austen is a heroine when it comes to putting oppisites together to attract, creating one of the most beloved and memorable romances of all time.