The Book:

Dover Publications does it again. This has to be the ultimate reasonably-priced edition of Pride and Prejudice you could ever get your hands on. Don't be fooled by the image of the stuffy dust cover; underneath the beige paper is a red cloth-bound, gold-printed cover which would enhance the finest library. The endpapers are embossed with a floral design, which is a lovely touch.

This is a republication of an 1894 edition, in which the typography is perfect - that is, there are fewer words to a page making it easy on the eyes, while your progress through the book goes rapidly through its 476 pages. The paper is high-quality yet lightweight, which is great for a large hardcover like this. But the best features this edition has are the original Victorian-era illustrations by Hugh Thomson. Just...beautiful!

The Story:

Reviewing a classic like this almost feels silly, so I will do so briefly. The story moves slowly from "interesting" to "greatness." For the first third or so it seemed like a funny, lightweight girly-gossip novel, and I kept thinking, "This book has got nothing on Jane Eyre!" Then it took a twist, and another, and got complicated, and the characters were developed, and the story darkened and I got totally sucked in until I could not put it down. Yep. Classic. Loved it!

MY DEAR READER

I cannot but be rendered in the highest of spirits upon completing this volume yet again, as I have always preferred extensive reading to trivial pleasures.

Dwelling on particular passages and turns of phrase, I am reminded of how ardently I admire and love the prose that issued forth when Miss Austen put ink to paper many a fortnight ago.

Neither common, nor dull, nor threadbare, each chapter engrosses completely with accounts of gentlemen of handsome countenance and ladies both sensible and silly.

And though its conclusion is known most intimately to my own heart, anxiously I turn each page to venture ever farther away from the misconstrued encounters and lamentable conduct of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.

When finally all is concluded and the mistress of Pemberley assured, only then can I chuse another distraction to engage my solitary hours. I wish nothing less than for you to know the same adoration yourself.

Yours, &c.

Like others, I really did want to like this book. I tried and tried to read it, but it was all nonsensical jibber-jabber. I may try again, but doubt it. It's torture!

Pride and Prejudice is a great read and Jane Austen is a gifted writer whose development of likable characters will be enjoyed for still more generations. It is hard at first to adjust to the language of the 1800s but is well worth the effort. Once the story begins to unfold you will not want to put it down. I also highly recommend Mansfield Park also by Jane Austen.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I have seen the movie and loved it, so I wanted to read the book. It can be difficult to read old english, and some words I didn't understand, but I still love the story.

I've read this book countless number of times in my life. I downloaded it telling myself I didn't need to download it but I got to reading it on my ipod touch no less and I got caught up in it. Every time I was out I'd pull it out of my purse and read a little bit here and there. Throughly enjoyed the book again! Very good experience and can't wait to read my next book. I've gone overboard on the freebies but purchased some books too. Pride and Prejudice is a wonderful book.

A very loooooong time ago I was a Honors English student in college; we read the classics voraciously. While Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights" is one of my all-time favorites, I always dreaded reading Jane Austin. She can be very bland, dry, and boring. This book is a bit different, with the characters showing more wit than Austin usually provides.

I recently read the "Zombie" format of this work and found it absolutely laugh-out-loud funny! Can't wait to see the movie! If you like this book, by all means pick up the P,P & Z edition and prepare to be charmed all over again.

Best,
Vienna

Nice For Some Maybe Even Most, But Sadly Not My Cup of Tea

To those of you who adore Jane Austen please try not to take it personally that I did not love this book, it is not an insult to you OR her.

I have traditionally avoided the classics but made a recent resolution to try some. I made a list of a dozen or so and have had mixed results so far.

I think that my expectations were too high, I was expecting something like Jane Eyre, which I loved. Unfortunately I found 'Pride and Prejudice' a little too frivolous for my tastes.

Perhaps if I had known what I was getting before I started I would have been less disappointed? It felt like a fluffy romance novel, which I do not in general care for. I love a good love story, part of why I loved Jane Eyre.

Maybe if it had been called 'Pretty Girls Out Husband Hunting' or 'Lydia Lands In a Jam' or something equally silly I would have known what I was in for.

Maybe this wasn't the best first Jane Austen novel to read?
I'm not sure if I will be reading another.

Okay, I know that 655 of you loved this and many of you will have to give me a negative vote because we don't agree...So, let the negative votes begin *winces*.

I am trying to read more classics because I never really paid attention to them in high school. I started reading this one and at first I was having a hard time getting into it, it is a bit slow. But by the second half of the book I couldn't put it down. Terrific love story, literature at its finest.

Before I read this book I saw the 2005 film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. I loved the movie and I was inspired instantly to read Jane Austen's classic novel. Despite the fact that I had already seen the movie and knew the general progression of events I was still captivated by the novel. Jane Austen writes with an incredible literary style that is lacking in the works of most contemporary authors. She has an eloquence of words that is complex and yet far easier to read than most people seem to think. Though I am usually not a fan of novels that are based in reality without any hint of the supernatural I was enthralled by Austen's timeless love story which will leave every female reader pining for the dark and brooding Mr. Darcy.

I received the book that I ordered promptly and it was in great condition, just as the sellers had promised. I was pleased with the service.

Of course Pride and Prejudice is fabulous in any form, but I do like this edition. Barnes and Noble Classics are hardcover with a nice dustjacket. Pages were a nice thickness, and what I especially liked, had that cool binding effect that makes it look like an older edition book where all the pages are different widths at the side.

First, let me be clear: I love the story behind Pride and Prejudice. Yes, it has a simple "nothing much happens" plot, but so do some of the best stories ever written. The storyline of P&P gets 5 stars from me.

But the book...while I love and deeply appreciate Austen's vivid imagination and deep understanding of human nature, her writing style is just plain boring. I think of it as Dickens-esque, back in the day when writers were paid by the word. Descriptive detail in a book, when properly used, enhances the story. And details that give background information can generate major interest and hold a reader's attention, again, if done properly. But dry descriptions, needlessly strewn in and testing the limits of patience, detract from the plot and feel of the book. No doubt in the early 19th century, when this book was written, people were fascinated by every last little word on the page -- after all, their lives were filled with the same tedium that fills the book.

The adulation for this book reminds me of a sycophantic love-fest. It is "known" that this book is a paragon of English lit, and if you disagree with that opinion, you just don't "get" quality literature, or you aren't sophisticated/educated enough to appreciate it. Well, I definitely "get" it, and I'm not afraid to say that it was dull, and say furthermore that the book could have been cut in half and suffered no major losses.

P&P stands out for me, because it is the almost the only instance where I prefer the movie ('95 mini-series, anyway) version to the book. That never happens for me, normally the book is indescribably more satisfying than the screen, but this book is the notable exception. The mini-series distills down the storyline (which, again, I think is one of the best in English literature) to its heart, and whittles away everything that is superfluous until all that is left is one of the greatest love stories of all time. Sadly, the book falls short of imparting that level of satisfaction.

Absolutely a wonderful, suspenseful, and romantic novel. You can find alitte of yourself in this story.

This has to be one of my absolute favorite books of all time. I love the characters who are all written exceptionally well. I love the language and Austen's style. I love the book.

I've read it 4 times including the first, which was less than a year ago. Despite that, I still dislike reading certain scenes in public because they have me laughing or smiling like an idiot. At one point, I was reading, and I had to shut the book grinning like an idiot to walk around a lose some of my pent up energy.

Elizabeth Bennet is an intelligent character. But she has her flaws. She thinks highly of herself and her wit, and she forgets that even she can make a mistake. Jane is the kindest character in the book, and more gentle-hearted than anyone I know. But it works with her and I have no problems relating to her. Darcy is a proud, shy man who dislikes social situations. But he is caring, just, and thoughtful. Bingly is his exact opposite.

I should probably stop describing the characters. But they are what make this book a classic. Jane Austen is a master of characterization. I can relate to them centuries later despite living in a completely different country and culture. Elizabeth and Darcy leave me grinning like an idiot and distracted for days after I am done reading the book. Obviously, it's why I'm posting this review nearly a week after I finished reading it for the fourth time in full!

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good romance, and even those who don't.