Rating: Summary: One of the best female characters ever Review: I've just finished reading this book again for probably the 20th time. The first time I read it was in my early 20s. I was amazed that Elizabeth, the main character, a young woman in her 20s from early 19th century England,was so likeable and full of life. I definitely related to her. Seeing the famous BBC/A&E production in the mid 1990s only increased my joy of this book. Austen was an incredible observer of the manners and mores of her time. This book lets her playfulness and human spirit shine through. This is one title I will never tire of reading.
Rating: Summary: WHERE ARE YOU AUDIO BOOK???? Review: I had the audio version of this classic in my car. Someone broke into the car and tried to steal the radio but was not able to--but they did get away with this audio tape. Now, I know there is a car thief somewhere in this area listening to Pride and Prejudice, and I hope they enjoy it. I compare this book with a comfort food. For me, it is a comfort book. When I have nothing else to read (seldom) and don't want to read any more murder mysteries or genre fiction, I reach for this book as it always brings me joy and pleasure.
Rating: Summary: Austen's drawing power is undeniable... Review: This book is filled with memorable characters and beautifully written prose that deserve applause. I instantly liked it from the first paragraph. Certainly literature that demands a second reading.
Rating: Summary: What kind of person would get this??? Review: I read Pride and Prejudice for school. I thought it was the most boring book I have ever read. I didn't get it at all. I wanted to like it because everyone else in the reviews said it was so great! I hated it, and I was so happy when I finished......if it hadn't been for school I would have never finished it. I might be the only person that didn't get it but I did NOT like this book at all.
Rating: Summary: Lizzie and Fitzwilliam Review: This is surely the most delicious of Jane Austen's novels. Austen writes with superb insight of the era she was living in!The characters are wonderful - the spirited and rebellious Lizzie Bennett, proud and handsome Darcy, the gloriously silly Mrs Bennett and the ogre that is Lady Catherine de Burgh. If you only ever read one classic novel, then this is the one to read. Follow it with the BBC video version (1995), a glass of wine, a large box of chocs. and curl up on the sofa. Enjoy !!
Rating: Summary: A Life-Changing Work of Fiction Review: As embarrassing as it sounds, I must make a confession: I, a male college student, was up till two a.m. on a Saturday finishing this book. In short, the novel is well worth the attention of any personality type, any demographic, any fancy, any interest. It is a marvelous story, written flawlessly, and with such a humorous personality to bind it all together that one might frequently erupt aloud in laughter. The laughter, while abundant and universally entertaining, does not supercede the primary intentions of this novel, signified in the title by "Pride" and "Prejudice." And, indeed, in these two arenas, Austin succeeds marvelously in creating a tale that thrusts upon the reader both of these emotions, causing him to experience and be embarrassed by his own possession of these two traits. In that case, Pride and Prejudice is a work of pure genius. Especially with the subject of the Prejudice, the reader becomes so involved in the misconceptions and assumptions between one character and another that he is thrown through the tumultuous emotions that form the characters into more just and honorable characters at the novels conclusion. Having had only Sense and Sensibility as a prior introduction to Jane Austin, I emphatically commit that Pride is the greater, more humorous, more emotionally charged, and more intellectually potent novel. To the very degree which the reader wrongfully dislikes--even abhors--certain characters in the book, makes the conclusions finale--long awaited and anxiously feared to be tragic--the more powerful of a climax. Never before have I read a book that so forcefully charged me to reevaluate my own convictions and prejudice of other people. It is truly a masterwork of reader manipulation, as the characters in the book are pulled ride along side, and both the fictional and non-fictional assumptions are cast aside and replaced with shame and embarrassment. In conclusion, there are so many reasons to read this book that it is impossible to deny. Read it for the laughter, for the story, for the passion, for the irrefutable and welcome reversal that it will no doubt spur in each reader who picks the novel up. There is so much to learn and so much fun to be had with this book, that no one should be deprived of the experience.
Rating: Summary: Whose pride? Review: It is generally considered a pretty, romantic book - like a swan on a lake. But much like the swan, it's what happening underneath that's important. I have always admired this book for its wit and sharp observations but also for the title. Clever and astute, as usual. But is it Elizabeth who is proud and Darcy who is prejudiced? Or vice versa? Or are they both proud and prejudiced? These questions keep me re-reading this masterpiece at least once a year and I change my mind about the answers every time. This book will give me a lifetime of pleasure.
Rating: Summary: Too good for words Review: Pride and Prejudice is the best book I have ever read. This novel is so wonderful, I wish I had never read it just so I could read it again! The wonderful charactes and charming plot make this novel one of the best of all time. Its wit and charm make any reader simply fall in love with it. I highly reccomend it!
Rating: Summary: Very Enjoyable Review: The story of five sisters whom their mother is anxious to see married. The eldest, Jane Bennet, is the most beautiful and the calmest. She does not pass judgments too quickly, although her younger sister, Lizzy, is quick to hate or love people based on reports she hears about them or a few words she exchanges with them at a ball. Despite this, Lizzy becomes the central character and her dealings with others are often wise and admirable. She takes charge in awakward situations and stands up for herself and others as necessary. Jane Austen gives detailed descriptions of each character and causes the reader to grow attached to some and tired of others. The story is happy, eventful, and sometimes very funny. Some unhappy surprises, but never bitterly distressing. Some coversations are unforgettable.
Rating: Summary: Why this Wordsworth edition? Review: I have wanted to read the classics of English literature since I did not do so during college. Because I am not in college, I do not have any need to have an edition with critical essays and copious notes about different versions of the book. A simple book with the story in front of me was all that was necessary. Wordsworth Classics filled the need quite satisfactorily. This edition has the complete text and not much else. The introduction has some historical information about the author and about the publishing of the book. There are only two pages of this. The margins are small, so taking notes within the text will prove difficult. It is easy to carry around and seems to put up with a moderate amount of abuse. The particular story starts with the famous/infamous line "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Given this, and given Jane Austen, you know that you are in for a tour of marriage in old England. Austen's sketches of her characters are so well done that you can't help but hear the dialogue in your head in the voice's of people you are familiar with. Jane Austen understands how people work and is a very astute observer of human nature. In these pages you will follow the trials and tribulations of Jane and Elizabeth Bennett, Mr. Bingley, Mr. Darcy, and the rest of their families and acquaintances. The read is well worth it. The reading is engaging and will keep you turning pages. I would heartily recommend this book.
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