Pride and Prejudice (Unabridged) [Audio Download]

Considering the fact that Austen was in her early twenties when she wrote this, her insight into the world was amazing. She understood exactly what everyone thought of everyone else and why.

The heroine of this Austen story is Elizabeth Bennet, the second of five girls in the Bennet family. Certainly, the first line of this Austen novel is to be remembered throughout the ages....'It is a fact universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a large fortune must be in want of a wife.'

The brilliant humour in this book offsets the quite serious task of a poor family of having only daughters trying to find a rich husband. One rich husband is not difficult to find, but five?? Surely an impossible task.

The book itself while it is less than 400 pages, is still full to brim with content. There is not a second where you are bored or let down. A brilliant and moving read, certainly a book that will never be forgotten.

I bless the day when I wrestled with my prejudice and picked up a friend's anthology of Austen's novels. I had heard plenty about Austen's "social observation" before. It's an unfortunate phrase, because it suggested to me that her writing would be interesting but a bit dry and academic. Not a bit of it.

All of the Austen novels I've read so far have been good, but Pride and Prejudice is head and shoulders above the rest and ranks as one of the most entertaining books I have ever read. The characters are fabulously drawn, from the odious Mr Collins and the vacuous Lydia to the blithe Mr Bingley and the truly heroic Lizzie Bennett. The book is wonderfully constructed, going through what seems to be fairly straightforward plot development before Mr Darcy's proposal puts the main protagonists through a second half full of suspense and heart-felt self-criticism. Austen's writing is clear, concise, full of acute observations and coloured with a wonderful sense of humour.

While the whole book is extremely satisfying, it is Lizzie who steals the show. Much has been made of Mr Darcy's sex appeal, but most red-blooded men would find hard to deny that Miss Bennett is a deeply fascinating and attractive woman. She is fabulous throughout, and the story is peppered with moments where she delivers some truly marvelous dialogue, not least her reaction to Mr Darcy's proposal and her interview with Lady Catherine (which almost had me cheering out loud on the train into work). Strong-willed, intelligent, good-looking and cool under pressure; what a woman.

A fabulous book. How I wish I had read it years ago.