Redo: Pride and Prejudice Book Review.

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Title: Pride and Prejudice.
Author: Jane Austen.
Gene: Classic, Romance, Drama, Comedy.
Plot: "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife." Thus begins one of the finest romantic novels in classical literature and which everyone should have a copy of, or at least, everyone who still cares for good books in our fast-paced modern-day world of electronic gadgets.
Mrs. Bennet, having her heart set on getting all five of her daughters married off to wealthy men, fairly jumps at the news that "Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune" and promptly tries her best to get her peaceful and less-enthusiastic-on-the-subject husband Mr. Bennet to visit the young gentleman by name of Mr. Bingley. Unbeknown to his wife Mr. Bennet does make that visit of his own accord and two weeks later his five daughters meet him at a local ball, they also meet his two sisters Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley in addition to his brother in-law Mr. Hurts and his best friend Mr. Darcy. Bingley is instantly liked and enjoys himself greatly at the ball while Darcy dances only twice and earns the dislike of everyone present, especially that of the Bennet family for he slighted Elizabeth Bennet in saying to his friend that she "is tolerable; but not handsome enough to tempt me." Bingley of course skipped off to dance again while Elizabeth, who'd overheard the conversation, makes fun of it with her friends.
So begins the exciting drama of this classic tale. Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley fall in love with each other almost immediately after Jane stays at Netherfield for three days with her sister while she has a cold. The next major event is the arrival of Mr. Bennet's clergyman cousin Mr. Collins who is looking for a wife {and who also will inherit Longbourn upon Mr. Bennet's death}. During Mr. Collins' visit the girls and he all walk to town one day and meet the dashing Mr. Wickham who charms everyone wherever he goes, by chance the merry group meets with Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth comes to suspect that there is history between Mr. Darcy and their new friend but already disliking Mr. Darcy she doesn't ask him about it. Instead Mr. Wickham of his own accord spins her a fine tale of how Mr. Darcy wronged him which seems to seal poor Darcy's fate in her eyes. Shortly after this Mr. Collins proposes to Elizabeth and is politely but firmly refused, he then bounces over and proposes to her best friend Charlotte Lucas who promptly accepts him. After the wedding some time later the Bingley group leaves for London and after Christmas Jane goes there to stay with her aunt and uncle Gardener for a change of scenery {she's heartbroken at this point}. In March after an uneventful January and February Elizabeth goes to visit the Collins couple and while there she meets Mr. Darcy's rich old aunt Catherine de Bourgh, her sickly daughter and his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam who accompanies Mr. Darcy when he comes to visit his aunt at the same time that Elizabeth is paying her own visit. When both visits are drawing to a close Darcy takes Elizabeth by surprise when she's off her guard and proposes to her, giving the classic line: "In vain have I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you." Still feeling the effects of Mr. Wickham's charmed tales, Elizabeth refuses him and the next day regrets her hasty and hurtful words when he tells her {in a letter} the truth concerning his dealings with Mr. Wickham and exposes his story as a lie.
Her visit complete, Elizabeth returns home for a short time then accompanies her aunt and uncle Gardener on a visit to Derbyshire after they drop their children and Jane off at Longbourn, the youngest Bennet girl named Lydia is also absent from home at this time as she went with a friend to Brighton where the local militia had gone. About mid-visit Elizabeth and her relations call at Pemberly and get a tour of Mr. Darcy's fine mansion of a house, after the housekeeper hands them over to the head gardener to get a tour of the grounds Mr. Darcy himself suddenly returns home a day ahead of schedule and despite being very surprised at finding them there he shows them around his grounds and disproves the rumors bouncing around that he's very proud. Elizabeth is very embarrassed at being caught visiting his house but her embarrassment wears off and is replaced by wonderment in his change of manner. Mr. Darcy introduces his sister to the visiting group the next day and Mr. Bingley shows Elizabeth that he's still in love with Jane by asking about her but the pleasant time is ruined when word some that Lydia has eloped with Mr. Wickham! Elizabeth and her relations rush home and while Mr. Gardener joins Mr. Bennet in searching London for the missing wayward girl Elizabeth does her best to help Jane in comforting their mother.
Lydia is found and Mr. Wickham marries her which satisfies almost everyone concerned and Elizabeth gets a most surprising visit from Lady Catherine de Bourgh just after Bingley finely proposes to Jane but this is as much of the tale as I care to tell you of for to spoil this one treasure for someone who has never read the book or seen the movie would be terrible! Therefore I leave you to get acquainted with the amusing Bennet family, their varying relations and their comical suitors on your own.
Likes/Dislikes: This is, in it's own way, a fast-paced novel though certainly not an easy-read and yet, it sometimes seems as though time stops when you read it and you are allowed to live in another place and time with good friends for perhaps the most eventful year of their busy lives. It's a very good book and from cover to cover, time and again there exists not its equal in all the wide world of literature, both classical and contemporary.
Rating: PG-12 and up mainly because younger readers might have a hard time with the big words and the complex plot. Highly recommended!
Date Report Written: January 21, 2010.