n  n    “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”n  n

~ Rating- 5 stars ~

(Content/ Trigger Warnings )

-No Mention of these in the review-

After over a month of trying to write a review, I have officially given up. I cannot review Pride and Prejudice the way I review the rest of the books I read.

Part of it might be because this book is on such a high literally level compared to the rest of the books I usually read, and the other part may be because I always struggle with reviewing classics, but my point still stays the same: Pride and Prejudice is one of the best books I've had the pleasure of reading.

Why?

This book has everything you might want to read in a book. It has amazing characters, who are flawed and realistic, but still have a ton of development, it has incredible writing, which will keep you hooked, and it is set in 1700-1800 England.


In short, Pride and Prejudice has everything that is worth the read.

n  n    “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”n  n

Pride and Prejudice is hands down my favourite book of Jane Austen, and one of my favourite books this year. (2021)

I have no idea what to say except to urge you to pick this book up. This is the book everyone must read at least once in your lifetime.

n  n    “Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.”n  n

My ratings and reviews for all of Austen's works based on preference-
Pride & Prejudice- 5 stars
Northanger Abbey- 5 stars
Sense and Sensibility- 4 stars
Love and Friendship- 4 stars
Persuasion- 3 stars
Emma- 3 stars
Mansfield Park- 1.5 stars

DISCLAIMER- All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.

How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite


...............................................

Update 14th April 2021

I am so blank on what to write.

Sublime - unlike many books I loved as a teenager, it gets better and better with age, as the nuance and satire jumps off the page.

THIS BOOK IS MY JAM. JANE AUSTEN IS MY JAM. I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT HER AND THIS BOOK. READ THIS BOOK. THAT IS ALL.

Ενα βιβλίο που γράφτηκε το 1797 με τον τίτλο
« Πρώτες Εντυπώσεις», αναμφίβολα αντιπροσωπευτικός, διότι και οι δυο πρωταγωνιστικοί χαρακτήρες εντυπωσιάζονται λανθασμένα ο ένας για τον άλλον και χάνουν πολύτιμες στιγμές ανάμεσα τους ορμώμενοι απο φαινομενικά μειονεκτήματα και παρεξηγήσεις.
Όταν εκδίδεται το 1813 το βιβλίο τούτο έχει τον ακόμη πιο εύστοχο τίτλο « Περηφάνεια και Προκατάληψη ».
Δυο βασικά χαρακτηριστικά των πρωταγωνιστών μας αναμειγνύονται με το πάθος και τη λογική και αποτελούν ανασταλτικούς παράγοντες για την μοιραία σχέση τους.

Μέσα από μια πολυεπίπεδη ανάλυση και βαθιά περιγραφή των χαρακτήρων η ευφυΐα της Όστεν παρουσιάζει με θάρρος, πάθος, σάτιρα και οξυμένο κριτικό πνεύμα την κοινωνία της Αγγλίας τον 18ο αιώνα.

Είναι περισσότερο μια ψυχολογική ανάλυση της μικροαστικής αντίληψης των ανθρώπων της εποχής για τον έρωτα, το γάμο, τα ήθη, τις ταξικές διαφορές, τις περιουσίες που κρίνουν τα πάντα και τις αρετές που πρέπει να υπάρχουν ή απλά να φαίνονται στην ανθρώπινη φύση.
Φυσικά, το έργο διαπνέεται ελλειπτικά απο ποικίλα προσωπικά συναισθήματα των χαρακτήρων και μπορεί άνετα να καταχωριστεί στην ρομαντική κλασική λογοτεχνία.

Έχουμε μια ιστορία αγάπης που γεννιέται και προσπαθεί να μείνει αναλλοίωτη μέσα σε μια ανδροκρατούμενη κοινωνία με πολλές κοινωνικές συμβάσεις και προκαταλήψεις.
Η Ελίζαμπεθ, πανέξυπνη, ετοιμόλογη, διορατική, τρυφερή, θαραλλέα και πρωτοπόρα παλεύει να χρωματίσει με πάθος και αξιοπρέπεια τη θέση της στην κοινωνία.
Ο κ. Ντάρσυ, με την μεγάλη περιουσία και την ακόμη μεγαλύτερη αλαζονεία, γίνεται εξ αρχής το πρότυπο του δυναμικού άνδρα που μιλάει ελάχιστα μα σκέφτεται πολύ, που περιφρονεί και κατακρίνει, που αδιαφορεί για τα πάντα και εκφράζεται με απόλυτη καυστική ειλικρίνεια. Ειναι ο σνομπ ερωτεύσιμος άνδρας που προκαλεί δέος και αντιπάθεια, φαινομενικά.
Στην ουσία όμως ακολουθεί την καρδιά του, αγαπάει βαθιά, απόλυτα και αληθινά.

Κοινωνική σάτιρα, κοινή και καυστική κριτική εποχής, αγάπη, ανταλλαγές απόψεων, ιδεών και συμπεριφορών δημιουργούν και προωθούν την πλοκή της ιστορίας.

Κάπου μακριά και έμμεσα ο αναγνώστης αντιλαμβάνεται έντονα τα συναισθήματα των ηρώων καθώς δεν εκφράζονται άμεσα, απλώς αναλογούν σε αντίστοιχες οξυμένα πνευματικές και ευαίσθητα ψυχολογικές επάρκειες για τον κάθε χαρακτήρα.

Ύφος απλό και λιτό. Ελάχιστες περιγραφές. Πολλοί διάλογοι που οικοδομούν τους χαρακτήρες με ρεαλισμό και αποδίδουν άρτια μηνύματα και συμπεράσματα σχετικά με την αποδοχή λαθών που θα γίνονται πάντα στην ανθρώπινη φύση μα και την ευτυχία που αξίζει να απολαμβάνουμε κάθε στιγμή της ζωής μας.


Καλή ανάγνωση
Πολλούς ασπασμούς.

I hope this review finds you in possession of a good fortune and in want of a wife.

n  “You have 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.”n

Mr Darcy, the poet himself

*laughs in pretentious classics reader*

n  "I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which a pair of fine eyes in the face of a pretty woman can bestow."n

Some of my happiest, and most looked-forward-to days of the year are the ones that I reserve for the re-reading of Pride and Prejudice. To quote Austen herself from Sense and Sensibility: ‘if a book is well written, I always find it too short,’ explains perfectly how I feel about this book; no wonder she called this ‘my own darling child,’ for, for me, P&P is perfect in every conceivable way. It’s the kind of book, the moment you finished reading, you are tempted to start over again immediately. However, reviewing this is another matter… I’m excited, enraptured, but at the same time agitated, knowing that it’s impossible to do justice to the author nor to the book.

n  "But such of us as wished to learn never wanted the means. We were always encouraged to read, and had all the masters that were necessary."n

During my first reading of Pride and Prejudice, I had known I was hugely underqualified to review this book, though at the same time I had hoped, if I read all of her books, I might, in time, write an acceptable review for this masterpiece. Now that I’ve read them all, and also P&P for a second time, all I can say is I still don’t consider myself remotely qualified to write an objective review. But it is impossible not share one’s opinions after reading this: this book, for me, is as best as it could get. So, for the time being, I’ll have to be content with writing what I consider to be a subjective overview, which, I’m certain, does not do much justice. However, I hope that someday my sense in classical literature would become good enough to truly appreciate how remarkable this book is.

n  "You shall not, for the sake of one individual, change the meaning of principle and integrity."n
n  "Importance may sometimes be purchased too dearly."n
n  "What praise is more valuable than the praise of an intelligent servant?"n

Starting with the plot, which has been thoroughly analyzed, criticized, and commented upon by thousands of readers, is surprisingly, at a glance, not that original, especially if you see this as a pure romance novel. True, there are many complications resulting from multiple relationships (or marriages), but overall, there are many similarities. But what makes this special is Austen’s narrative: the sly humor, witty observations, unique lens through which she views the society, and the deeper understanding of morals of characters, are all perfectly concocted using her flawless writing style. And then there’s Elizabeth; aside from inheriting traits like humor and wit from Austen, she is lively, curious, confident, but without becoming ‘too perfect’ (like some of the Austen’s other protagonists). She is as delightful as it could get. Rest of the characters are also similarly entertaining, with each one infused with a myriad of qualities to keep the story interesting. I don’t think there was a single poorly written character in this book, and that’s the first time I’ve ever said that about a book. And I don’t wish a single thing had turned out differently in this story. With the exception of some of the children’s books, that’s also a first for me. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine, that this has been written over 200 years ago, or this ever becoming dated. Unlike with most romance novels, you will not see the reasoning, or common sense become lost in the middle of the story, which I think will help maintain that timelessness.

n  "Affectation of candour is common enough — one meets with it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design — to take the good of everybody’s character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone."n

This second reading of the book only strengthened above opinions from my first read. If anything, everything felt even clearer, making the reading experience further satisfying. The only minor exception came with Lydia’s plotline. Compared to my opinion from the first reading, where I had been a bit angry with her, that emotion has been somewhat shifted a little towards sympathy this time. Obviously, same couldn’t be said about Wickham though. I also felt like that every single word here is essential during this second read. Although I didn’t skip a single word during the first time, I believe I enjoyed each sentence a lot more this time.

n  "Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us."n

Until now (that is till I finish my second read), I’ve never watched any of the TV or movie adaptations of Pride and Prejudice. To be honest, I didn’t want to have any negative impact towards the perfect imaginary picture Austen had created. But after this second read, I decided to watch the 2005 movie, the 1995 TV series and the 1980 series, and couldn’t resist sharing some of my thoughts. As much as I appreciate the effort, the 2005 movie did not prove to be a worthy portrayal, at least for me. Maybe it’s the modern characters, or what had to be removed due to time restrictions, or deviations from original book, but at the end of the day, I cannot say I loved it that much. But the 1995 series was quite the surprise! It literally had almost every single dialog from the book, with a few exceptions at the end. It did add up to five and a half hours of play time, but that was totally worth it. If you loved the book, and haven’t watched the series, do watch it immediately. As for the 1980 series, though I loved it a lot, it fell a tiny bit behind the 1995 series. But both those series are commendable portrayals.

n  “Nothing is more deceitful,” said Darcy, “than the appearance of humility.n
n  "The misfortune of speaking with bitterness is a most natural consequence of the prejudices"n

As for this review, I’m going to label this as a work in progress, which I’m hoping to update after each re-read.

n  "The distance is nothing when one has a motive;"n

n  n    The happiest, wisest, most reasonable end!n  n

n  n

Old books get a bad rap...but do they deserve it? Check out my latest n  n    BooktTube Video n  n - all about the fabulous (and not so fabulous) Olde Boies.

n  The Written Reviewn:

To summarize: Mister. Darcy.

*cue the long, sustained high-pitched squealing *

This was truly as glorious as I remember. Every time I reread this novel, I love it more.

  

The n  romancen, the n  high societyn, the n  witty banter.n Gah. I just adore it all.

n  "And your defect is to hate everybody."

"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them."n

Elizabeth Bennet (second eldest of the five Bennet sisters) is the one with a clear, level head. Jane is the beautiful one, Mary is the look-at-me-I'm-so-pious one, Lydia is the I'm-so-dumb-that-I'm-probably-going-to-get-murdered one and Kitty is the well-she's-just-kinda-there one.

Now, back in the day...there was one, singular goal for all women above the age of 16. GET YOURSELF A MAN before you reach 25 and become a n  SPINSTERn *cue high-society ladies fainting*.

n

Mrs. Bennet (their mother) has taken this so completely to heart that she thinks of nothing else. After all,

n  It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.n

Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy moved into town and immediately Mrs. Bennett set her dasterdly plans in motion (on behalf of her mortified children). She will do whatever necessary to get a rich man to put a ring on it (oh Beyonce, your words are applicable in any century).

n  A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.n

Only, there is a snag in her otherwise flawless plans. Elizabeth is not going to roll over to whatever man is thrust her way. To her mother's ever-living-disappointment, Elizabeth has all the spunk and backbone of a truly glorious woman:

n  I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.n

Truly a great read, no matter the century.

Plus Jane Austen is totally my soul sister.

n  I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! -- When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.

n  
n  n  
n

Audiobook Comments
As with most old-timey books, It is far easier for me to listen to them than to read them. I like hearing the odd phrases and ancient unused words much more than struggling through the hard copy. I really enjoyed this audiobook and the narrator did a fab job of characterization.

The 2018 ABC Challenge - P

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Happy Reading!

Well-loathed books I've re-read

Rating: 4 very annoyed, crow-feathered stars out of five

The Book Report: No. Seriously. If your first language isn't English, or if you're like nine years old, you might not know the story. Note use of conditional.

tt
My Review: All right. All right, dammit! I re-read the bloody thing. I gave it two stars before. I was wrong-headed and obtuse and testosterone poisoned. I refuse to give it five stars, though. Look, I've admitted I was wrong about how beautiful the writing is, and how amusing the story is. Don't push.

Stephen Sullivan, who rated this with six stars of five, is now on a summer travel break from Goodreads, so I can publish this admission: He was right. It is a wonderful book. I had to grow into it, much as I had to grow into my love for Mrs. Dalloway. But now that I'm here, I am a full-on fan.

Deft is a word that seems to have been created for Austen. She writes deftly, she creates scenes deftly. She isn't, despite being prolix to a fault, at all heavy-handed or nineteenth-century-ish in her long, long, long descriptions. She is the anti-Dickens: Nothing slapdash or gimcrack or brummagem about her prose, oh nay nay nay. Words are deployed, not flung or splodged or simply wasted. The long, long, long sentences and paragraphs aren't meant to be speed-read, which is what most of us do now. They are meant to be savored, to be treated like Louis XIII cognac served in a cut-crystal snifter after a simple sole meunière served with haricots verts and a perfect ripe peach for dessert.

The romantic elements seem, at first blush, a wee tidge trite. And they are. Now. Why are they? Because, when Miss Jane first used them in Pride and Prejudice, they worked brilliantly and they continue so to do unto this good day. Why? Because these are real feelings expressed in a real, genuine, heartfelt way, as constrained by the customs of the country and times. And isn't that, in the end, what makes reading books so delicious? I, a fat mean old man with no redeeming graces, a true ignorant lower-class lout of the twenty-first century, am in full contact with the mind, the heart, the emotional core of a lady of slender means born during the reign of George III.

You tell me what, on the surface of this earth, is more astonishing, more astounding, more miraculous than that. Jane Austen and I Had A Moment. She's Had A Moment with literally millions of English-speakers for over 200 years. She's had moments with non-English speakers for more than a century. Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy are cultural furniture for a large percentage of the seven billion people on the planet. (Large here is a relative term. Less than one? Still amazing for a book 200 years old.)

Reading is traveling in time, in space, but most importantly inside. Inside yourself, inside the characters' emotions, inside the author's head and heart. It is a voyage of discovery, whether you're reading some bizarro mess, Dan Brown's mess, religious tracts, Twilight, whatever. You-the-reader are going somewhere in a more intimate contact than you-the-reader have with any other being on the planet. Movies, TV, sex, none of them take you as deep into the essence of feeling and emotion as reading does. And no, snobs, it does NOT matter if it's well written, it matters that the book speaks to the reader. (Sometimes, of course, what one learns is how very shallow and vapid some people are...I'm lookin' at you, Ms. Fifty Shades.)

So I thank that rotten, stinkin' Stephen-the-absent Sullivan, safe in the knowledge he won't see me admitting this, for reminding me to live up to my own goal of remaining open to change. I heard him yodeling his rapture, and I revisited the book, and I learned something valuable:

Only admit you're wrong when the person you don't want to embarrass yourself in front of isn't around to see.

This book is every sort of beautiful!











Happy Reading!

Mel

Okay so I dnf'ed pride & prejudice

Eh, just okay. Basically a character study of 19th century England, society, courtship, etc. Nothing all that mind blowing or enthralling happens. In fact, not much really happens at all.

I know some out there love this one, but it wasn't really for me. To tell you the truth, I read this because I have Pride & Prejudice & Zombies sitting on my shelf ready to go, but I figured it would be best if I familiarized myself with the source material first.