Fabulous!
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Although I don't look like a bookwormy type (unless you know me), this is my favorite book. I read it first aged 11 and now aged nearly 13, it continues to guide me. I own a much abused copy of all the jane austen books which I continue to read, even when in class, when I am reading it under the desk in Latin (which is no mean feat! Do you know how thick it is?!?) or when eat chocolate.
My favorite parts are when Lizzie realises that Mr Darcy isn't as bad as she think's he his, and he has actually secretly been helping her.
EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS!
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A nice plunge into the past
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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. . Her mother's main interest is to see her five daughters, all eligible, nicely settled down and married to respectable and rich gentlemen.
Elizabeth's personality, very unlike her mother's, unfolds throughout the pages in a crescendo of emotions resulting from various issues connected with the whole family saga and especially to her own contrasting feelings towards a certain young man, Mr. Darcy. Will Elizabeth's passionate and sensible nature, combined with a certain degree of boldness (for those days), make her discover what lies beyond his seemingly unpleasant and unreadable personality?
The graceful politeness in the prose is charming, delineating a faithful image of life at the end of the 18th century in England.
The intrigues beyond wished-for marriages are very accurately described by Ms. Austen, with a touch of humour "hither and thither". I could not help myself comparing similar issues with nowadays. Beyond the characterisation and a part from the language, style and general progress, I believe that human nature, as depicted, is the same as it always was and it is not all just about "love", it is also about people attempting to incorporate into a higher position in society, seeking integration at a greater level. It was also interesting, I thought, to see how relevant (or irrelevant) the "worth" bestowed on the female gender was back then, compared to the present day in most societies. This, combined with the rapidity with which one fell in love, got engaged and/or was forbidden or denied to marry, could be stimulating subjects for ensuing conversations.
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It is a truth...
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the first paragraph of this book sets the tone, you know what will happen and you know it will take a hell of a long time for it to actually come to pass.
Boys meet girls.
Boys are rich, girls fancy boys, but boys shouldn't consort with plebs, so all seems lost, but secretly boys fancy a bit of rough.
fast forward sixty-odd chapters.
Boys marry girls.
not exactly "Thus spoke Zarathustra" is it?
A book for drippy, doe-eyed, fourteen year-old girls.
So, because I'm taking a test in France to be an English teacher I'm supposed to read it three times, God give me strength.
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Truly an enjoyable read.
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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 get up until I had finished it. I once stayed up all night long to finish it. Actually, I read it a fourth time, aloud to my then 8-year-old daughter Elizabeth (who was delighted to find an Elizabeth in the book). She liked it so much that she in turn read it twice. Just one of the great, irrestible book in the English language.
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Truly an enjoyable read
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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 get up until I had finished it. I once stayed up all night long to finish it. Actually, I read it a fourth time, aloud to my then 8-year-old daughter Elizabeth (who was delighted to find an Elizabeth in the book). She liked it so much that she in turn read it twice. Just one of the great, irrestible book in the English language. If you missed reading Tino Georgiou's masterful novel--The Fates, I'd highly recommend reading it. Truly an enjoyable read.
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