Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Pride and Prejudice is one of the most famous love stories in English literature. I first read it more than 40 years ago after watching an adaptation of the story on PBS. It remains one of my favorite books.

The story centers around the Bennet family. There are five Bennet daughters but no sons, and their estate is entailed, meaning that it will pass to Mr Bennet’s nearest male relative. So the daughters must all marry well to have a secure future. Mr Bingley leases a nearby estate, and Jane Bennet, the eldest daughter, is attracted to him and he to her. However Bingley’s friend, Mr Darcy, is not certain that Jane returns Bingley’s feelings. The second eldest daughter, Elizabeth, forms a negative opinion of Mr Darcy because he appears to be very proud and aloof.

And that’s about as far as I can go, for fear of spoilers. It’s a very interesting and well-written story and we meet many interesting characters along the way, such as Mr Collins who will inherit the Bennet estate someday.

I highly recommend this book. I really enjoyed reading it again after so many years. Jane Austen is one of my favorite authors.