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Summary: A Classic at its Best!
Review: Although I picked up the book for a 12th grade English class, Jane Austen captivated me with her polished dialogues and intricate descriptions. Pride and Prejudice is more than just a love story between Darcy and Elizabeth, and Bingley and Jane. It is a satire of a society in which money is the driving force behind love and social status means everything. The story is set in England and focuses on the four Bennet daughters, primarily with Elizabeth Bennet, who is the second oldest daughter. She meets Mr. Darcy at a ball and detests his pride. Although he is very rich and quite handsome, she is certain that Darcy thinks he is above his company, and that disgusts her. But although she is drawn to him by hate, the hate turns into love through a series of events and dialogue. Austen uses rich dialogues to form her comedy, and in the end a reader will not only learn that love can conquer all pride and prejudices, but he will also laugh at a society full of arranged marriages and love based on what a spouse could bring to a marriage. This book is a "classic" for good reason. Austen's diction is exquisite, somewhat challenging, but after a few chapters, she has the reader hooked. Although picked up for a 12th grade English class, I know I will pick up it up again and will pick up some of Austen's other books. I would recommend this book to other high schoolers that need to read a classic for school, but also to people of any age looking for an excellent piece of writing.
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Summary: Pride and Prejudice, a classic love story
Review: Pride and Prejudice is a classic love story. When I first decided to read it I had no idea that it would be such a good book. The love conflicts between the characters really make you think about how important getting to know someone is before you marry them. It also makes you realize how much your views on someone can change when you are forced to become close to them. After reading Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice, I realize why it is considered to be a classic. You can imagine that you are Elizabeth, or you can imagine you are watching as Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley fall in love. I recomend this book to people who would like to read a wonderful and emotionally stimulating novel.
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Summary: My Introduction to Jane Austen
Review: This is the first novel of Jane Austen that I've read, and I began here because it is such an often quoted novel....and I wasn't disappointed. Granted, I am forty years old....most begin reading JA when they are girls, but I am happy to say that my advanced age did not spoil my enjoyment of the novel. Jane Austen is a superb storyteller with a wonderful sense of humor and insight into the social conventions of her era and the timeless and often humorous relations between men and women. By the time I finished the last page and saw Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy happily married, I sighed and then immediately picked up another Jane Austen novel to read....and intend to continue doing so until I've read all of her novels and hopefully the biography by Carol Shields. Other reviewers will tell you more about the plot....I want to convey the enjoyment you will recieve by reading Jane Austen. Yes there are happy endings....but there is also a lively social satire, conveyed through dialogue and narration, and writing that is beautifully crafted into plots that keep you turning the pages. So start with Pride and Prejudice....and begin a life-long love affair with a great author.
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Summary: Pride & Prejudice: Surprising Passion in a Novel of Manners
Review: It is unfortunate that most first time readers of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE see it merely as one more book to be endured in 11th grade English. However, most soon enough catch the magic of an author (Jane Austen) who can weave a spellbinding tale of love, romance, satire, and passion while all the while poking a not so gentle thrust at the social mores of the early 19th century. This book is no frilly ancestor of a Harlequin romance, even if it shares with the dim-witted heroines of Harlequin a time-honored plot of lovers who meet and find an instant dislike that later morphs into enduring love. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE starts off with that basic premise, but what sets it off as classic is what goes on behind the lovers, Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy. A careful reader usually notes the society in which Elizabeth and Darcy play out their little games of cross-purpose verbal repartee. The world of Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE is a society ruled by conniving and single-minded women who see men only in terms of the size of their wallets. Whenever a new bachelor appears on the scene, the women of the novel (with the exception of Elizabeth, of course) immediately try to guess his income so that they can decide if one wishes to marry him. His age, his looks, his habits are much less significant than his income. A fat purse compensates for a fat head. Modern readers typically call such schemers 'golddiggers,' and according to modern values, perhaps they are, but these readers ought to judge the book's morality against the age in which it was written. Austen (1775 - 1817) lived in an England that prized manners and breeding over all else. It is no surprise, then, that since the reclusive author felt most comfortable only in the company of women, that she would limit her book only to the thoughts, feelings, emotions, and habits of women. In PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, men are never permitted to occupy center stage, nor are they shown interacting independently with other men. If a man is present in any scene, so must a woman to control and observe his actions. Men--even the eventually triumphant Darcy--are generally portrayed as vain, sycophantic, sarcastic, and totally aware that they they are prized only for their money. The world of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, especially if one has seen the fine film version starring Greer Garson, is one that seems to have been built for women to inhabit. All the women wear flouncy, bouncy dresses with huge flowered hats that Scarlet O'Hara might have worn in GONE WITH THE WIND. Even those ladies that complain of poverty never lack the funds to afford those outrageous outfits. Further, Miss Austen stages a ball in just about every third chapter that permits single women to size up eligible men. As these dandefied women and uniformed men speak to each other, the modern reader probably will be surprised at the excessive politeness and deference tossed unerringly about. This strict adherence to a surface morality ought not to fool the reader into assuming that the characters are as inwardly noble as they are outwardly polite. In fact, behind this massive wall of formal phrasing and good manners lies the same fears, jealousies, and general backstabbing that pervade a modern disco. What gives PRIDE AND PREJUDICE its perpetual charm is the biting irony that causes the reader to wonder: 'Did that character say what I think he (or she) just said?' The modern reader can best appreciate Austen's wit if she can read between the lines to sense the tone of the moment. If such a reader can see that this book is a polite if powerful indictment of a way of life that even Austen wished to poke fun of, then perhaps this reader can appreciate the charm of a book that grows with each successive reading.
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Summary: Austen's Perfection
Review: In the whole history of fiction, at least as known to me, there has never been an opening sentence that more fully encapsulated the entire novel than Austen's in this stunning work. And the succeeding paragraph adds the seasoning, the zest, introducing the setting, the key players, the theme more fully than most novels do in their hundreds of pages. I suggest that no civilized person can read these without a smile and a committment to finish the piece.
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Summary: Jane Austin is the best!!
Review: I like when that what I read is realy interesting. I must say that Jane Austin wrote about life in England in the begining of 19th century. Lots of my friends think that it is'n actual at the moment, but I think it is nesesery to now how live people 200 years ago. I like her books.
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Summary: Pride and Prejudice is the Best!
Review: This is a wonderful book with a wonderful theme that is a good lesson for everyone to learn. I loved all of the characters and even if I didn't love their actions, I loved the artful description of them. Though in the beginning I really did not like Mr. Darcy, by the end he was one of my favorite characters along with Elizabeth. The ending was great and I was very satisfied with it. It had a great plot and kept me looking forward to the next part. Another great thing about, while it was described wonderfully, it was not confusing and I was able to follow the story the whole way through the book. I also thought that the whole time period back then, though it had many bad aspects like a great rift between the very rich and others, was still a great time period with manners and etiquette that we in this time are lacking. Overall I really loved the book and am looking forward to reading other Jane Austen books.
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Summary: A masterpiece!
Review: You may have heard that literature is an example of the time and place during which it was written. Pride and Predjudice is such a book. While many think of it as a serious book, it is actually quite humerous. Austen's portrayal of love and marriage is a perfect example of how it should be. From marraige-obsessesed Mrs. Bennett, to the intelligent Lizzy to attractive Fitzwilliam Darcy, the book is a masterpiece! This is one book that I could (and have!) read over and over again. I challenge someone to tire of it! If you are looking for a classic, witty and all around fun book, this is it!
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Summary: My personal favorite!
Review: Pride and Prejudice is quite possibly the best book ever written. The plot is as real today as it was when it was written. The characters are strong and vivid. Its like stepping back in time to a place you've never been. If you enjoy the book, A&E and the BBC made a wonderful mini-series adaptation of the story starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle. Also for a more modern take on the same premise, read Bridget Jone's Diary by Helen Fielding.
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Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: I have read this book only very recently. It is truly an excellent piece of literature. It is a story of appearance and reality. The author, Jane Austen, uses extensive and challenging vocabulary. The words flow off the pages. Sometimes, I read the same passage three or four times to fully understand what it was trying to convey. The main character, Mr. Darcy, is extremely proud. He is selfish and rude, until he meets Miss Elizabeth Bennet. But, Miss Bennet is far below his social standing. It is interesting to see how the characters change in the book over time. If you want a challenge, have some time, and love good literature, this book is for you!
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