Part of a series of Jane Austen's works, with introductions by Austen scholars, together with 12 pages of colour introducing the characters, locations and times of Jane Austen.
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Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!
How does it compare to similar audio books?
Excellent
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Excellent
Advantages:
Romance, humour, friendship this book has it all
Disadvantages:
You end up yelling you know you love him really ! Get on with it !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Seeing as the new film has just recently been released (it's very good and true to the book - go see it!) I figured that it would probably be a good time to review the book itself.
Before I went to see the most recent film version of this book, I had never read the book and only had the vaguest knowledge of the plot, I realised it had Mr Darcy in it who was a bit conceited but really quite lovely. So after seeing the film I decided I would HAVE to read it, as it was truly the most beautiful film I have seen.
Published in 1813, Pride and Prejudice is probably jane Austen's best known work, and for good reason.It is based on the life of Austen's favourite heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, a girl with razor sharp wit and very strong opinions, who is liked by friends and relatives, the sort of girl we want to be.
The book follows her life at Longbourne with her sisters Jane, Mary, Kitty and Lydia. Whilst Kitty and Lydia, the youngest two, search for officers in town to fall in love with, Mary stays at home, involved in her reading and Jane and Elizabeth visit the residents of nearby Netherfield house, the rich Mr Bingley and his even richer friend Mr Darcy.
The affair gets off to a good start with Jane, prompted by her mother, becoming very attached to Mr Bingley, yet Mr Darcy is a whole different kettle of fish. Rude, arrogant, conceited are all words that could quite easily have been used to describe him. Elizabeth does not even view him as a possible candidate for marriage, and presumes that he dislikes her just as intently.
Elizabeth soon befriends the young officer Wickham who feeds her dislike for Darcy with yet more examples of his arrogance. Her cousin, the rather amusing Mr Collins, only confuses matters with his offer of marriage to Elizabeth, which she promptly declines, much to her mothers distress and fathers relief.
After this events start to happen quickly, Bingley returning to London away from Jane, Elizabeth's trip to visit Mr and Mrs Collins (her best friend Charlotte accepts him), Mr Darcy's proposal, her rejection and finally his explanations of events, which make her realise just how narrow minded she has been. Once Lydia elopes with Wickham, Mr Darcy's intervention saves the day, and Elizabeth slowly realises she is falling in love with him. It isn't all plain sailing though, with the strong dissaproval of Mr Darcy's aunt, Lady Catherine. Anyway I won't spoil the end, if you can't guess it yourself. All I will say is that it is beautiful, everything ties together and works out perfectly.
To start with the language in this book can be a bit daunting, the words are long and unfamiliar, but this is part of the beauty of it. After a few chapters, I almost forgot that it wasn't normal for today, and I confess I fell in love with the language so much, I had to be careful I didn't start talking like it all of the time. It all helps to transport you back into a world that we have long moved away from, a sort of fairytale of misconception and misunderstanding.
There is no-one out there who shouldn't read this book, even blokes although it is a bit girly. If you haven't read it yet, pick it up, it really is as good as they make out!
This book is available for £1.50 on amazon.co.uk, in the penguin popular classics range, which is the version I have read. ISBN 0-14-062022-2
Enjoy!
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arrogant and conceited; he is indifferent to her good looks and lively mind. When she later discovers that Darcy has involved himself in the troubled relationship betw...
Literature is an ironic novel of manners. In it the garrulous and empty-headed Mrs Bennet has only one aim - that of finding a good match for each of her five daughters. I...
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