Book Review | Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice

Author: Jane Austen  // Published: 1813

★★★★★

 

Pride And Prejudice, the story of Mrs. Bennet’s attempts to marry off her five daughters is one of the best-loved and most enduring classics in English literature. Excitement fizzes through the Bennet household at Longbourn in Hertfordshire when young, eligible Mr. Charles Bingley rents the fine house nearby. He may have sisters, but he also has male friends, and one of these—the haughty, and even wealthier, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy—irks the vivacious Elizabeth Bennet, the second of the Bennet girls. She annoys him. Which is how we know they must one day marry. The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and Darcy is a splendid rendition of civilized sparring. As the characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, Jane Austen’s radiantly caustic wit and keen observation sparkle.

 

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“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

I’ve had difficulty writing reviews for certain books before and I’m convinced none will be as difficult as this one. It’s no secret that I’ve avoided classics my entire life. This year however I’m determined to read some. I decided to start with Pride and Prejudice this month and I don’t regret it in any way.

I was so worried that I would be bored reading this but I couldn’t have been more wrong. The first chapter was interesting enough. The conversations between the characters were often witty and it just wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I thought the book would be dense but I found myself laughing quite a few times and everytime I put the book down I wanted to come right back and pick it up again. This book was so dramatic and there were moments when it was a little over the top but I loved it? There was constantly something going on and I can imagine being in that time period.

Elizabeth Bennet is one of my favourite people in this book. She was often sassy and sarcastic and I loved how she went about disguising it in a polite and civil sort of way. Especially when it came to certain people. She was also independent and I just adored this girl! She was the most sensible person in this book. She had a ways to go too with her development and I adore the way it was handled.

“I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun.”

Then we have Mr. Darcy, of course. In the beginning I kept thinking ‘Is this the guy everyone is in love with?’ I mean I figured he was a little awkward but I didn’t see beyond that. He was unbelievably stiff and the little jabs were too much. Did I think I would end up feeling like everyone else in the world? No. Did I? Yes. It was such a slow transition but I adored it. I clearly love slow romances. I had a bit of a meltdown when he turned up with that letter. It felt like such a Darcy thing to do to be honest. I still can’t believe how in love with this book I am.

I loved the focus that this book had on the Bennet sisters. Most importantly Elizabeth and Jane. I loved how they constantly confided in each other and how much they cared about one another’s happiness. Mary was such a mood. She didn’t care one bit about half of what was going on. It was nice to see someone different in that society especially. Then there’s Lydia and Kitty. Kitty was tolerable but Lydia I just couldn’t stand in the least. She got on my nerves so much and was the most intolerable one out of all of them. Bingley was the sweetest character ever (the complete opposite of his sisters). There were other intolerable people, mostly Mrs. Bennet and Mr. Collins who annoyed me everytime they spoke, but no matter. Might I also mention that Mr. Bennet is the sassiest person alive.

The characters overall were well developed. I loved how real the characters felt. There was a gradual change in Elizabeth and Darcy most of all. They both grew in their own way over the course of the book and the romance between them was so anticipated. I have quite a few favourite moments from this book. There’s that scene in particular when Elizabeth practically insults the life out of Darcy (I can’t even tell you how I reacted throughout the entire chapter). Their awkward meeting at Pemberly made me want to bury myself but also had me grasping for anything to happen.

I dreaded this book for so long and now it’s a favourite. I just can’t get over the fact that the book was written so long ago and somehow still captures the reader just as well as it did back then. It’s so different from what I’m constantly reading and yet it made such a strong impression. I have a feeling I’ll be rereading this sometime down the line. It was so beautifully written and the story just had me within its grasp. I am very much obsessed. You can bet this won’t be my last book by Jane Austen or my last classic. The journey has only just begun.

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Have you read Pride and Prejudice?