Pride and Prejudice [Mass Market Paperback]

 

 

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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 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 how old-fashioned this read is. I was surprised that I thought so because I do not consider myself to be a "modern" person at all. I can't really give a summary because I couldn't get myself to finish this book. I can often finish books that don't grab me at first, but there was no hope for this one. I would definitely say give it shot though because all readers have different taste and I know that there has to be something great in there to make this book so well known!

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]

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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 17 months ago by book cruncher

5.0 out of 5 stars A truth universally acknowledged
"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... Read more

Published 21 months ago by E. A Solinas

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 22 months ago 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

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

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