✨ A ✨ 's Reviews > Pride and Prejudice

I don't think I will ever be able to properly explain my obsession with this book.

Everytime I read Pride and Prejudice (though it’s been many years since I’ve done a reread) I find something else to love about it.

Jane Austen renders a beautiful display of English country life in the early 1800s and the complexity of ordinary people — all their vanities, their flaws and their quirks.

The writing is lush and descriptive with a slow melting pace filled with subtle humour, sarcasm and witty banter.

“But people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them for ever.”

The author created a fantastic and varied cast of characters. The absurdities of the secondary characters are what kept the plot light and fun.

Elizabeth’s whole family (excluding Jane) were a trainwreck of silly individuals.

But none are like Mr Collins. This man never fails to astound me with his silliness. The things he said were half ridiculously funny and the other half of the time I just wanted to smack him.

Characters like Miss Bingley, Mr Wickham and Lady Catherine were also infuriating at times.

Something I always find extremely entertaining in these types of classics is the underhanded savagery delivered through a facade of polite smiles and impeccable manners. It’s admirable, really 😂 .

But let’s talk about our otp.

We have Elizabeth Bennet who does not care about societal expectations. She will not marry for anything less than love and mutual respect. And would rather marry no one than marry someone she couldn’t love. For the time that this book was published, this was revolutionary as women had little power and choice.

Lizzy is strong minded and makes hasty judgments but I adore her loyalty and admire her fierce protectiveness of those she cares about. She soon learns to not judge too quickly after a few too many misunderstandings.

“There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.”

And then we have Darcy who is our socially awkward wreck who doesn’t know how to talk to people and hides his uncomfortability behind a mask of arrogance. What I loved most about his arc is that he listens, reflects on his behavior and strives to be better. He grows into someone worthy of Lizzy’s respect without the expectation of her returning his feelings.

Can y’all hear me swooning over here?

“Now be sincere; did you admire me for my impertinence?”

“For the liveliness of your mind, I did.”

The romance isn’t a wild passion, but a slow build between two people who are wrong in their first impressions of one another, then grow to admire the other.

It’s soft, it’s gentle and it’s e v e r y t h i n g.

If you’re looking to get into reading Austen, or even classics in general, I really think Pride and Prejudice is the place to start. It’s a smooth read and the story is so well known it will be easy to follow. [👈 This is me trying to be subtle when actually I want to shout at everyone to read this book 😁
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fares has been sending me his reread updates and I just couldn't resist. So guess who's reading for the fifth time?!!