Pride and Prejudice (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) [Hardcover]

 

 

Create your own review

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, follows society's elite through the trials and tribulations of love, pride, money, and marriage negotiations. This novel takes place in 19th century England and revolves around the slow development of love found between two characters. The first of these characters is Elizabeth Bennet, a clever, beautiful, and spirited young woman. Pride and Prejudice begins, when Mrs. Bennet asks Mr. Bennet to call on their new neighbor, Mr. Bingley. Mr. Bingley has an income of 5 thousand pounds a year and is not married, so Mrs. Bennet hopes to marry one of her 5 daughters to him. Jane, the eldest daughter, and Mr. Bingley begin to like each other during a ball. Elizabeth, the second oldest, meets Mr. Darcy at the same ball. Darcy initially does not care for Elizabeth, and refuses to even dance with her.
However, as Elizabeth grows to dislike Darcy, Darcy starts to become very fond of her. She and Darcy meet again when she stays with Mr. Bingley, because her sister, Jane, has taken ill at their house. Ms. Bingley, the sister of Mr. Bingley, herself hopes to wed Darcy, and seeks to make Elizabeth less appealing to Darcy. After Jane's recovery she and Elizabeth return home. There they welcomed to their home by their cousin Mr. Collins, who, because of the inheritance customs of the times (the Bennet girls had no brothers), was the heir to the Bennet family home. Together, Elizabeth and her family travel to town, where they met Mr. Wickham. Mr. Wickham notices Elizabeth, who he found charming, and describes to her a terrible deed he alleges Darcy had committed against him. Wickham claimed that Darcy owed him money and had denied him of a promised avocation. This new information causes Elizabeth to despise Darcy even more.
Soon Mr. Collins, the rather odd clergyman, proposes to Elizabeth. To her mother's dismay, she refuses him. Instead, her friend Charlotte Lucas marries Mr. Collins, and Elizabeth goes to visit them and their neighbor the great Lady Catherine De Bourgh. During her stay Elizabeth sees Darcy again, and he proposes. Elizabeth refuses, reciting all the terrible things he had done, including the mistreatment of Wickham. In response, Darcy writes Elizabeth explaining how Wickham had tried to elope with his sister because of her money. Elizabeth is forced to rethink, her opinions relating to Darcy and Wickham.
That summer Elizabeth traveled to Pemberly on holiday with her aunt and uncle, and while there her aunt and uncle wanted to see the beautiful Darcy estate. While visiting, Darcy showed up. Darcy and his sister heartily welcomed Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle, and invited them to dinner. Elizabeth began to grow fonder of Darcy. Dreadful news arrived during Elizabeth's stay at Pemberly. Her frivolous younger sister Lydia had run off with Wickham. Upon learning of the circumstances, Darcy sought out and found Wickham and Lydia, forcing them to marry. Elizabeth and her aunt and uncle returned to the Bennet home.
Bingley and Darcy together visited the Bennet household to call upon Jane and Elizbeth. Jane became engaged to Bingley, and when Darcy proposed to Elizabeth, her heart had changed, so she said yes. Elizabeth had fallen in love Darcy. They had both seen past their pride and past the prejudices that they had learned from society. Elizabeth and Darcy were happy in marriage, and remained forever grateful to Elisabeth's aunt and uncle for uniting them.

I would recommend the book Pride and Prejudice. It forces each of us to think about our roles in life. The novel also makes us think about our own pride and our own prejudices against others, and the need for us to learn more about people before we judge them. This book is also one of the greatest Romances of all time, bringing to life the love that a man and a woman held for each other from another era. It provides meaningful messages that all of us should learn. The characters are also interesting. This book is good for people who understand the use of language in the 19th century. Pride and Prejudice is a classic novel that I love, and believe everyone would enjoy.

"Pride and Prejudice" is undoubtedly one of the most beloved classic novels in history -- it's had countless adaptations, sequels and homages lavished on it over the years.

And Jane Austen's grand opus is still beloved for a good reason. While it's rather stuffily written much of the time, it has a vibrant core of witty dialogue and strong characters that shine like lanterns in the night -- and the best part of it is the interplay between the two strong-willed main characters, whose initial dislike of one another blossoms into love once they learn how to overcome his pride and her prejudice.

The Bennett family is in an uproar when wealthy Mr. Bingley moves into the neighborhood, and Mrs. Bennett is especially happy when he takes a liking to the eldest Bennett daughter Jane -- since their estate is entailed and there is no Mr. Bennett Jr., a good marriage is considered essential for at least one of the girls. But her forthright, independent sister Lizzie immediately butts heads with wealthy, aloof Mr. Darcy, who scorns the rural village and seems haughty about everything.

A flurry of proposals, road trips and friendships happen over the course of the following months, with Lizzie fending off her slimy cousin Mr. Collins, and befriending the flirty, hunky Wickham, who claims to have been wronged by Darcy. Lizzie believes Wickham's account -- and she's in for a shock when Darcy unexpectedly proposes, and reveals what Wickham won't tell her about both of their past lives, and what Wickham did to offend Darcy.

And finally things take a scandalous turn when Lizzie's idiotic younger sister Lydia elopes with Wickham, while staying with a friend in Brighton. The family is plunged into disgrace, which also wrecks any chances of a halfway decent marriage for the other daughters. The only one who can set things right is Darcy, who will do whatever he must to make amends to Lizzie -- and unwittingly establish himself as the man she loves as well...

Reading "Pride and Prejudice" is a bit like watching someone embroider a piece of cloth with subtle, intricate designs. Lots of balls, dances, visits and drawing room banter between Lizzie and virtually everyone else, and interwoven with some rather opinions from Jane Austen about haughty aristocrats, marriages of security, entailment, and the whole idea of what an ideal woman has (intellect and strength).

The only real problem: Jane Austen writes very much in the style of her literary era -- it's rather formal and stuffy much of the time, and the narrative is kept distant from the characters. So, not for casual readers.

But despite that formality, Austen's brilliance as a writer is evident -- she slowly unfolds the plot one act at a time, with several intricate subplots that tie together and play off each other. She also wrote some unbelievably sharp-edged dialogue with plenty of witty banter between Lizzie and Darcy ("I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine"). But Austen also weaves in startlingly romantic moments between them ("No one admitted to the privilege of hearing you, can think anything wanting").

It's hard to imagine a better fictional couple than Lizzie and Darcy, despite their rocky start (a major-league snub at a dance). Both are witty, smart, and a bit snotty in their own ways, with quick minds and even quicker tongues. Darcy is a selfish, rather haughty man man who gradually becomes warm and kind, while Lizzie is strong, independent, and Darcy's equal in every way. And neither will marry for anything but true love.

It also has a solid supporting cast: the painfully practical Charlotte Lucas, slimy clerics, virtuous-looking rakes, sisters ranging from saintly to snobby, and the lovable Mr. Bingley and perpetually optimistic Jane. Lizzie's family also adds plenty of color to the story, including the screechy and hilariously mercurial Mrs. Bennett and the barb-tongued Mr. Bennett ("Your mother will never see you again if you do not marry Mr. Collins, and I will never see you again if you do").

Despite its mildly stuffy style, "Pride and Prejudice" is the ultimate Jane Austen novel -- a powerful and romantic story about two people who grow and change because of love. An absolute must-read.

It is hard to add new insights to the hundreds of reviews on Pride and Prejudice that appear on Amazon, but I will say that after reading this much loved and celebrated novel, I found it charming and delightful. Austen's exploration of marriage and gender still stands the test of time two centuries later. The language is witty and well-mannered, a true reflection of the time in which Austen penned the book, and there is humour to be found here as well in some of the secondary characters. As one who does not frequently read classic literature, this book was well worth the time it took to read! Highly recommended. [Amy MacDougall]

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 596 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

1.0 out of 5 stars KILL ME NOW!!
Nope, not for me one bit! Blah blah blah. Read it if you want a good reason to poke your eyes out.

Published 21 months ago by book cruncher

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favourites!
I've read this book once already and am reading it again a second time. The first time I read it, it took me a few chapters before I started to catch the old English language... Read more

Published on Mar 27 2010 by S. Kuronen

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Classic
This seems a somewhat redundant exercise reviewing a book that already stands as an English language classic and example of free indirect speech. Read more

Published on Oct 11 2009 by B. Breen

4.0 out of 5 stars Printing flaw
Beautiful! Brilliant red cloth-bound with gilt edges. Illustrations add life to the story. Be advised that my first copy of this book had a printing error and I needed to buy a... Read more

Published on Sep 24 2009 by Natasha Rostova

5.0 out of 5 stars First Impressions
"Pride and Prejudice" is one of those novels which most people know the plot and the characters even if they haven't read the book. Read more

Published on Aug 14 2009 by Dave_42

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice
Great book, one of Jane Austen's better works. Nice plot, great characters, and well written. This story was really different and I was glad I purchased this book.

Published on July 29 2009 by nadnuk12

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is definitely a classic romance novel that everyone must read. It is beautifully written and kept me interested throughout. Read more

Published on Nov 15 2008 by S

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I would call a "masterpiece".
Pride and Prejudice is a classic, like everyone knows. Unfortunately, it is NOT my cup of tea. Even though many would say that is what gives this book it's "charm", I didn't like... Read more

Published on Aug 14 2008 by Salty Salmon

4.0 out of 5 stars A nice plunge into the past
The core character in this novel is Elizabeth, an attractive and intelligent 20 year-old and the second daughter (out of five) of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. . Read more

Published on Mar 8 2008 by I LOVE BOOKS

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly an enjoyable read.
I have read this three times in three sittings. In case that is not clear, I mean to say that I have sat down to read PRIDE AND PREJUDICE on three separate occasions, and did not... Read more

Published on Oct 11 2007 by Lance Berkman

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 596 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!