Warning: Spoiler below! If you live under a rock and have no idea how Pride & Prejudice ends, don’t read below. Then go promptly to your bookstore or library and read the book.
I first read Pride and Prejudice after watching the movie You’ve Got Mail. I saw it in the theaters with my best friend Allison and her mom back in 1998 the day before I got braces. I remember that distinctly because I thought that would be the last time I ate popcorn for the next two years (middle school crisis!), so we got a large bucket and passed it between the three of us the whole movie.
Those who have seen You’ve Got Mail may remember that the movie references Pride and Prejudice a bit. It is first mentioned when Meg Ryan is writing Tom Hanks:
“Confession, I have read Pride and Prejudice two hundred times. I get lost in the language, words like ‘Thither. Mischance. Felicity.’ I’m always in agony over whether Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are really going to get together. Ah! Read it. I know you’ll love it!”
I left that movie in love with all things Kathleen Kelly (hair, outfits, apartment), and knew that I needed to read her favorite book as well. Of course all I knew about Pride and Prejudice was from the movie on “whether Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are really going to get together” and my little 7th grade self translated that to mean that it was one of those books that finished open-endedly, and leaves you wondering whether the two ever get together, long after the book ended.
Despite the fact that I hate books that end that way, I decided to give it a try.
It was hard to get into at first, since the 19th Century words were foreign to my small vocabulary. But I kept reading and soon I became engrossed in the plot and attached to the characters. I loved the Bennet family and the subtle humor. I loved the relationship between Jane and Elizabeth. I got so excited whenever I saw Mr. Darcy’s name on the next page, and I remember staying up late reading the last few pages. When I finally finished, I was so delighted and surprised to find out that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy indeed do end up together! It was such a happy ending, especially after such a depressing expectation!
I just finished re-reading it for the third (or fourth?) time this past weekend, and it still stands to be my favorite book ever. Ah! Read it. I know you’ll love it!
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What is your all-time favorite book?
Photo by Lucy Clement Photography, for our engagement shoot.
P&P is also one of my all-time faves, and I always feel a sort of “kindred spirits” connection with others who love the book as well. Even with fictional characters, like Kathleen Kelly and Bridget Jones :P
I do love P&P as well. I read it for the first time last year and was enamored by it.
I don’t think I have a favorite book; I haven’t ever been able to/had the desire to read a book more than once. I love to watch certain movies over and over again because of a particular scene or to elicit a particular emotion (for example, cheesy rom-coms are perfect for blah days because of the corniness. LOL.) I’m sure that is the same reason why anyone re-reads a book.
That said, I still read books because I love the story. Currently reading Rex Ryan’s Play Like You Mean It. While it isn’t the most eloquently written book, it is a great book on leadership (especially for football fans!)
I am ashamed to admit that I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice (though I did read Persuasion, which I didn’t especially care for). I picked up and started reading a copy of P&P a couple of years ago because I wanted to read the spoof Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (so that I would make sure to catch all of the allusions), but both books still sit sadly unfinished on my shelf.
As far as what my favorite book is, I have a hard time nailing that down. Frequently, it’s the last thing I’ve read. However, the last thing I read was the bleak Tiger, Tiger, and that’s definitely not a favorite.
I loved it too the first time I read it. I went through 19th century phase when I was younger. It’s been a while since I read it though. I love how you re-read your favs! Also your honeymoon video was adorable! I wish I would have done that:-)
I bought that copy! Love it!
I’m not really into the classics. There, I said it.
Possibly my all time favourite book is The Bronze Horseman. (Another open ended ending, although if you’ve read the inferior sequels, you know they get back together). I also love the Jessica Darling series by Megan McCafferty, though now I’m a bit older I don’t know if I’ll relate to them as much as I used to.
My all-time favorite book is “September” by Rosamunde Pilcher followed by “Brooklyn” by Colm Toibin.
Hmmm, tough to say but I loved ‘Little Women’ and ‘Jane Eyre’ equally but I also loved ‘Pride & Prejudice’. I also loved the A&E mini-series of said book with Colin Firth. :)