
I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice given how enduringly popular it is, probably even more suprising is that despite vague memories of the BBC adaptation starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, I knew very little about the story before reading it. The premise is that the five Bennet sisters are seeking to marry well in order to avoid destitution when their father dies as his home is due to be inherited by the nearest male relative in line.
It’s hard not to like the older sisters, Jane and Elizabeth; Jane is kind, forgiving and thinks the best of everyone, while Lizzie is lively, opinionated and I admired her refusal to settle for a loveless marriage (though at times I was also convinced she’d end up homeless and penniless because of it!), and how I cringed for them every time their mother or younger sisters embarrassed them in public.

There’s quite a large cast of characters, some of them comical and some of them downright scheming as they attempt to secure their own marriages and fortunes, but far from being a historical rom-com, it impressed upon me how few options women without means had during the Regency-era. There’s a fair amount of meddling, misunderstandings and personal pride and prejudices to overcome before any of them can live happily ever after.
Although slower-paced and very different from the novels I usually read, I was swept along by this delightful story. Even knowing the ending, there were times when I genuinely wondered how the characters would ever find their way there as they navigated all the obstacles in their way. I don’t read many classics but Pride and Prejudice is such an absorbing, witty and comforting story that it’s not at all hard to see why it’s such an enduring favourite and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Have a lovely week! X
never read that book too bet it is refreshing compared to the romance book today. š
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I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, I don’t read many classics or romances but thoroughly enjoyed it. š
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I held off reading it for years, and when I finally did – like you – I was really pleasantly surprised. I wanted to reread it all again.
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Yeah, definitely one to reread, and a romance that has aged very well in terms of Lizzie and Darcy forming a relationship based on honesty and respect. š
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I’ve never read this either but it is on my list of classics that I want to get through! So glad you enjoyed it x
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Would recommend it, very easy to read and had me hooked from start to end. I’d like to read Sense and Sensibility at some point too. X
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I’m glad you enjoyed it! I do love the BBC adaptation but you can’t beat the original book š
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I enjoyed it much more than I expected to, though must admit that BBC adaptation did influence how I imagined some of the characters though, like Alison Steadman’s Mrs Bennet! šš
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I know, same here!
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I have never read any Jane Austin books, even though I am always the first person to check out any new films or TV adaptations. I will have to remedy that! Looks like your enjoying reading it in your summer house. š
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Think I first read it at school in English Literature class. Loved it then and still do, after all every man with a fortune must be in need of a wife!
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That must be one of the most well-known opening sentences in literature. š We read Emma and Persuasion at school, would like to reread Emma at some point. X
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I read it much later in life too – after my kids were born. Needless to say, I thoroughly loved it. I recently read her last and final complete novel, Persuasion, which some consider her most artful work.
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I read Persuasion at school, and I enjoyed it but it’s less polished than some of her other works. I’d like to read Sense and Sensibility next. š
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