Reviews with content warning for Incest - Pride and Prejudice

This is a book I've read many times, and with each reread I have a different experience.

This time I read along with Jennifer Ehle's reading on youtube and what an absolute delight. I adore her as Elizabeth, so it was just perfect. That aside though, I found that this may have been my favorite read of the book. I've always enjoyed it, but I really took my time with it this time and had a more immersive experience with the audio.

For those of you who don't know what this book is about, it takes place in 1800 England and follows the Bennet family - a family of 7 (Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their 5 girls - Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Kitty and Lydia) - and particularly the story of Elizabeth and Jane and their journeys in finding love. There's so much more to it than that, but that's the smallest nutshell version.

It's got tons of brilliant banter and wit, feminism (for the time period) and chemistry. It really is a phenomenal book (though not my absolute favorite of Austen's, though Darcy is probably my favorite hero from the lot...).

I had a fantastic time rereading this and definitely plan on doing so again in the future.

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raconteur's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A classic we all grow up knowing about. I loved it so much! The characters are complex, the writing style is amazing (witty, shady and funny).

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stoola_pz's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

"there are very few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well. The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and everyday confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either merit or sense."

the amount of disappointment I felt when I found out that Mr Darcy didnt actually say “you bewitched me body and soul and I love I love I love you and wish from this day forth never to be parted from you” in the book was truly painful

still 5 stars

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yorgosson's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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katkatniss's review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

Elizabeth and Darcy

are so cute together! amsjsjdjbmhsdjbkcsdjbchsz (In my defence if you don’t know anything about the book then it’s a VERY BIG spoiler, if you know a little about the plot then no) I ship. This is one of the only two literature love stories I’ve read that I like (the other is Jane Eyre).

I ship. I completely, totally ship.

Also, besides that, I have to admit I found Mr Bennet insufferable and disrespectful (almost misogynistic) at the beginning, and I still kind of do a little. But I guess as the book went on and

Elizabeth, Darcy and Jane

changed, he also changed a bit, and after seeing his genuine affection for his daughters Elizabeth and Jane, I started finding him witty and humorous. To give him credit, he is really very funny. To be precise, Austen is really very funny. Austen is very effective at characterisation and all her characters are so lively and realistic. And the dialogue and the reactions *chef’s kiss* are just absolutely golden. So realistic. The slight subtle shifts in the angle, identity and inclinations of the narrator while it being simply third person is just so ingenious and so craftily done.

I see why people think that Austen’s language can be a bit inaccessible. Some sentences can be confusing and convoluted (but you should really read Victor Hugo). I thought so too when I first started reading it, but as I read more and more, I could understand it more easily, and I dare say that I understood most of it by the end. So I do encourage you to give it a go, and persist at it. If you take a few seconds (or minutes) to reread the sentences or paragraphs, you might find that you are able to decipher the meaning. It is convoluted, but not impossible to understand.

Here’s a translation (by my understanding) of two words used rather often which are used differently to their conventional usage now (all forms/types of the word apply):
Want: lack
Chuse: choose
Uncontrouled: uncontrolled
Shew: show

Content Warnings

kccool12255's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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ashm9's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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